Batwa cultural experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Batwa culture can be seen in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the most popular national parks in Uganda, and it is in the southwestern Kanungu area. The rare mountain gorillas that live in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are one of the main reasons people come to Uganda. There were batwa (pygmy) people living in Bwindi Forest before it was made a national park. The batwa created the interesting batwa cultural experience to teach their children and tourists about their traditions, culture, and history.
In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the batwa cultural experience starts with a guided nature walk through the forest where they used to live. During the cultural experience, batwa guides will show you how they used to hunt small animals for food and gather plants. They will also show you how they lived in small huts made of trees and grass, visit their traditional homestead, listen to their old stories and traditional songs, eat their traditional meals made by batwa women, talk to their medicine men who treat different illnesses with herbs, and watch their traditional performances, among other things.
Aside from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you can also learn about Batwa culture in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in the Kisoro district and the Kabale district.
Other things to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Going to see gorillas
People who visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can go gorilla hiking, which is a fun sport that lets them see rare mountain gorillas in their native environment. Over 20 familiar mountain gorillas live in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. They can be found in four areas: the buhoma sector, the ruhija sector, the nkuringo sector, and the rushaga sector. Mountain gorilla hiking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park starts very early in the morning with a talk about the rules and laws that trekkers must follow. You will start hiking in the bush after the lesson. The trip can take anywhere from two to seven hours, based on where the gorillas are. Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be able to spend an hour with them in their natural environment. During this time, you can watch them eat and nurse, learn more about their habits and behaviors, and take pictures and videos to show your family back home.
Seeing birds
Over 360 kinds of birds have been seen in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This includes 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift unique species, forest birds, migrating birds, and more. You will be birding with an experienced guide who will help you see many types of birds, such as the Kivu Ground Thrush, the Dusky Crimson-wing, the Handsome Francolin, the Honeyguide Greenbul, the Cinnamon Chested Bee-eater, the Purple-breasted Sunbird, the Shelley’s Crimsonwing, the Grauer’s Broadbill, the Rwenzori Turaco, the Regal Sunbird, the Chestnut Wattle-eye, the Red-throated Alethe, the Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, the Hairy-breasted Barbet, and the Great Blue Turaco, among others.
The habituation process of gorillas
Another fun thing to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is gorilla habituation experience, where you can watch wild gorillas being trained to get used to people for hiking. Like gorilla hiking, the gorilla habituation experience starts early in the morning with a talk about the rules, laws, and what to expect. The next part of the experience is walking in the bush, which lasts all day. Once the gorillas are found, you will be able to spend four hours with them in their natural environment. During that time, you can learn about and observe their habits and behaviors, help name them, take pictures and movies, and watch them go about their daily lives.
Walks in nature
Nature walks are a fun thing to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. With the help of an experienced park guide and an armed park guard, you can explore the park on foot. You will go on paths like the Ivi River trail, the Buhoma-Nkuringo trail, the Habinyanja trail, the Kashasha river trail, the Rushura hill trail, the Munyanga waterfall trail, the Bamboo trail, and more during the guided nature walk.
A look into the culture of the Batwa people in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Walks in nature
How to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and where to stay
In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, there are a lot of different types of places to stay, from cheap to expensive, where you can enjoy your trip. These are some of the places to stay: Bwindi lodge, Buhoma lodge, Gorilla leisure lodge, Buhoma haven lodge, Bweza gorilla lodge, Gorilla valley lodge, Four gorillas lodge, Rushaga gorilla lodge, Ruhija community rest camp, Ichumbi lodge, Bwindi forest lodge, Ruhija gorilla lodge, Trekkers tavern cottages, Nkuringo Bwindi gorilla lodge, Chameleon hill lodge, Bwindi jungle view lodge, Cuckoo land Tented lodge, Clouds mountain gorilla lodge, Engagi lodge, and more.
Follow these steps to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in the southwestern part of Uganda. To get there, you can drive from Kampala through Masaka, Mbarara, and Kabale to one of the park’s sectors, which will take about 9 to 10 hours.
You can also get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park from Kigali, Rwanda. To get there, people fly to Kigali International Airport and then drive for four to five hours to get to the park offices via the Katuna border in Kabale or the Cyanika border in Kisoro.
You can also get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by booking a regular or private local flight from Entebbe International Airport to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrips. From there, you can take a road to the park offices.
