Ndali-Kasenda Crater Lakes

South of Fort Portal the ground is pitted with volcanic craters, several dozen of them holding lakes, formed by explosive eruptions where rising magma met groundwater. The lakes sit in steep-sided bowls between smallholdings of tea, bananas and coffee, and walking or cycling between them on the farm tracks is the way to see them. Lake Nkuruba has a forest fringe with colobus monkeys, and Lake Nyinambuga appears on the Ugandan banknote.

What you actually see

• The crater field - several dozen explosion craters, many holding lakes.
• Lake Nyinambuga - the crater shown on the Ugandan twenty thousand shilling note.
• Lake Nkuruba - a forested crater with black and white colobus around it.
• The walking routes - farm tracks linking the craters through tea and banana.

When to go

June to September and December to February are the drier windows and best for walking. The rains make the tracks slippery. Mornings are clearest for views of the Rwenzori.

Honest expectations

Tracks are informal and a guide is useful to avoid getting lost among the farms. Some lakes carry bilharzia and swimming should follow local advice. Accommodation is a handful of small lodges.

Nearby

Fort Portal is north, and Kibale is northeast.