Rutinda: Lake Bunyonyi’s Capital of Dugouts & Drinks

Lake Bunyonyi has a mini capital, and trust us, you won’t miss it! Rutinda — named after murutindo, which means “bridge” — is your springboard to all the coolest islands. It’s where you catch boats, stock up on crisps and secondhand fashion, print things you forgot existed, and possibly end up partying way past bedtime.

Most significantly, Rutinda hosts the twice-weekly market. On Mondays and Fridays, the lake becomes a traffic jam of dugout canoes — some people from faraway places start paddling real early — along with motorboats and dusty pickups from Kabale. Villagers arrive with potatoes and beans, while townies show up with piles of pre-loved clothes and shoes.

Since the marine police started counting heads per boat, fares have gone up a bit. Still, no one seems too bothered. Market days mean packed bars, local brews flowing like rivers, and Niles and Clubs clinking all over. Rumour has it more than one marriage started over an accidental drink. You’ve been warned.

Need someone to hire for a job to do? Good luck. Friday’s market, Saturday’s recovery, Sunday’s holy, Monday’s market again … The Bunyonyi working week is kinda short!

Strangely enough, for such a buzzing place, the centre of Rutinda looks a bit … tired. The hill above the market is owned by a bigwig businessman, and the surrounding plots are stuck in family drama. So instead of a swanky lakeside hub, you get a patchwork of wonky shacks and rusty tin roofs.

Yet just a stone’s throw away, hotels galore. Aside from the grass-thatched Belgian place across the bay, they’re all proudly local. You’ve got investors ranging from pharmacists and auditors to army guys, and prices stretch from below USD 30 to “I own a yacht”.

But if you’re a backpacker, you care about transport first: Kabale to Rutinda is UGX 40–50k for a special hire, 6–8k on a boda motorcycle, or 5–6k in a shared car. From there to Edirisa, it’s 15k by private boat, 2k in a canoe … or just add 3k to your boda fare. We ain’t an island, after all!

One last juicy bit: Rutinda used to be smuggler central. Goods were quietly packed into canoes and whisked off to Kyevu — the meet-up point — then slipped into Rwanda like nothing happened.

photos by Arthur Musinguzi, Levi Ayebare & Edirisa guests