Ngamba Island: Winding away the wild with chimpanzees

Meal hours are perhaps some of the most awaited and exciting activities at Ngamba Island.  

By Eronie Kamukama

The captain cast off, heading out into the noon.
The boat glides over the waves as Godfrey Okwayimungu severs a path through the blue waters of
Lake Victoria, the world’s second largest freshwater lake.

A sudden sense of scare sits within me. But it was not for long. At least the lime green life jacket can offer me an unexplainable sense of security.

Our journey depends on how calm the waters would decide to be. If the waters are calm, you only need about 45 minutes before docking but in case of any form roughness, you will never know when you can dock.

In a distance, locals canoe under the glittering waters kissed by the mid-morning sun rays.
Okwayimungu is good company as he labours to calmly describe the different species of birds. They are mainly sea birds that include pelicans, kingfishers and egrets.

Fish too, floats by especially tilapia, silver fish and the Nile Perch.
Our destination, 23 kilometres away from Water Front Beach-Entebbe in Wakiso district lies beyond the equator.
“It is found south of the equator meaning we are going to cross the equator,” Okwayimungu softly says in the mix of sounds coming of the mid-morning water waves.

Once on the other side, Kimi Island, a fishing village that hosts about 5,000 people, emerges giving us a perfect opportunity to not only learn how to fish but to troll tilapia.