The Batwa Trail Experience in Uganda
The Batwa Trail Experience in Uganda : The Batwa trail experience is marked as one of the top cultural tours that engage tourists on a cultural tour, and this activity is most suitable for those tourists who have a passion for interacting with and associating with natives of other cultures from other countries who are interested in enjoying a cultural experience.
There are a variety of wildlife animals in Uganda, which includes hippos, elephants, zebras, giraffes, and many more, as well as beautiful lakes, rivers, wonderful landscapes, as well as many ethnic groups. It is known as the Pearl of Africa, with a variety of wildlife animals.
As part of the Batwa trail experience, tourists may have the opportunity to combine the trail experience with a Uganda trekking safari in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where they are likely to see gorillas.
Within the country of Uganda, there are over 52 different ethnic tribes that are located in the country, and the Batwa is one of these many ethnic groups that is known to draw many tourists to the country.
The Batwa people.
The Batwa people are found within the great lake regions, which are located in different countries like; the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and in Burundi. In these countries, the Batwa people are referred to in different ways for example; they are referred to as the Twa in Rwanda, Abaterambere in Burundi, Bambuti or Barhwa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and batwa in Uganda.
The Batwa are found in Kisoro and Kabale districts, which are in the southwestern part of Uganda. They stay in the great lakes regions while covering a total surface area of 100,000 square kilometres and have a population of over 70,000 to 87,000 people.
These Batwa people used to stay in forests and used to engage into hunting and gathering fruits as there way of surviving.
Batwa people were forced to relocate and leave this forest after it was gazetted as a game reserve and then later established as a national park. After this, the Batwa people were forced to move on and leave the forest forever.
As a result, the Batwa people were rendered homeless and they were forced to engage in agriculture, cattle rearing, and entertaining local people from other communities in order to earn a living. However, some of them who stayed in the national parks have been employed as tour guides and game rangers due to the fact that they are familiar with all the spots in the parks and can easily locate animals.
The Batwa Trail Experience in Uganda
The Batwa people live in small groups of 50 people and are recognized as people who have lived in the forest for a long period, they have applied the knowledge they acquired from the forest. They can be recognized in their hunting skills, tracking methods and way of making natural herbal medicine.
The Batwa Trail Experience in Uganda.
A Batwa tail experience is considered one of the best activities that tourists can enjoy through the cultural heritage of Uganda, where they get to learn about the daily life of the Batwa people and how they lead their lives.
During the Batwa trail experience, tourists can engage in various activities such as visiting the Batwa homesteads, hiking along designated trails within the forest, watching how Batwa make herbal medicines and watching traditional dance performances, which are always sure to keep them entertained during their visits within the Batwa communities.
The local Batwa guides who are well-versed in the forests such as Bwindi Impenetrable forests always accompany tourists when they hike through the forests using the designated hiking trails.
They take tourists through the long and short trails and it is easy for them to trace anything because they have stayed long in the forests as their natural inhabitants. Before the hiking activity begins, tourists are always encouraged to recite a short prayer Bihekoko who is known to be the god of the forest and according to the Batwa people, they believe that Bihekoko has powers to deprive and protect one’s life while in the forest.
It is the main attraction of the Batwa tail experience to visit the Garama cave, which is a larval tube of approximately 200 meters long. It is believed that the Garama cave was the residence of the former kings who lived in this area during the time of the kings. As tourists go through the cave, they get a chance to see the king’s chambers, the training wing, the granary, and the armoury and many other parts of the cave.
The caves are filled with stories of mysterious voices that emerge from multiple chambers with sad and emotional tones describing life prior to the forests becoming national parks.
Currently, the Garama cave which used to be seen dark abyss now has permanent lighting. In addition, there are also improved staircases that tourists use while entering and moving out of the cave.
How much does the Batwa Experience cost in Uganda?
Visitors participating in the Batwa trail experience, for example, from Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, pay 80 USD per person. Foreign visitors pay 70USD per person and groups of 4 or more pay 60 USD for the experience.
The Batwa Trail experience is an exciting, memorable activity that tourists on a Uganda safari should not miss. However, tourists can pay a visit to the famous Lake Bunyonyi, which is referred to as the third deepest lake in Africa located in the west of Kabale. It covers a distance of 7 kilometres.
Furthermore, there are a variety of activities that tourists can combine to explore and have a great experience. These include Chimpanzee trekking, Boat cruises, game drives, golden monkey trekking, guided nature walks, and gorilla trekking.
The Batwa trail experience is an adventurous, thrilling, and amazing activity that many tourists will find worth the money.
