Call it Batwa cultural trail or heritage, the experience is about visiting the indigenous Batwa pygmies to learn and experience their traditional forest life. Batwa cultural trail is an interesting activity you should not miss on your Uganda gorilla tour to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Uganda as a whole. The experience gives you a chance to interact with local Batwa pygmies and share more on how they lived peacefully with wild animals for thousands of years in the jungle forests of Bwindi forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks. In most cases, Batwa cultural trail is done as a complement to mountain gorilla trekking to make a complete gorilla safari package in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. However, the experience can be done as an independent activity. For those who have a short time, Batwa cultural trail can be done starting from and ending in Kigali Rwanda. Here travelers fly into Kigali Rwanda and cross via Cyanika border to Kisoro and then drive to Mgahinga Gorilla National park. Batwa cultural trail was started in 2011 to diversify truism products in Uganda and encourage long stays especially in gorilla national parks of Mgahinga and Bwindi Forest National Parks. The money collected from the batwa cultural experience is used to support batwa livelihoods and improve their standards of living.
How is it done?
On the day of the Batwa cultural trail, travelers gather at the starting point. Batwa pygmies are the key guides in this experience. After the briefing, Batwa local guides lead the travelers into the forest to experience the actual traditional forest life of Batwa pygmies. Travelers take part in different forest activities as such as
1. Hunting
2. Fruit gathering
3. Visiting Ngarama cave where Batwa pygmies used to offer sacrifices and perform rituals
4. Picking medicinal herbs
5. Collecting honey
6. Traditional dances, songs and poems are also performed as a form of entertainment
The cost of Batwa cultural Trail
For those who want to partake in this cultural experience, Batwa trail costs $80 for all travelers. All travelers are required to have permits that they present to the park rangers at the start of the trek. All bookings ate done at Mgahinga Park headquarters or through Magical Africa Safaris, the ultimate gorilla safari company in Uganda. The cost of Batwa cultural trail is inclusive of park entrance fees, conservation fee rangers fee.
Other places to see Batwa pygmies
In addition to Mgahinga a Gorilla National Park, Batwa cultural visits can also be done in Bwindi Forest National Park at a cost of $40 inclusive of the park entrance fee and in Semliki National park cost at a cost of $10 exclusive of park entrance fee. Magical Africa Safaris helps you arrange Batwa cultural experiences in your desired destination at affordable rates.
Add on activities to Batwa cultural trail
There are numerous tourist activities travelers can add on their Batwa cultural experience in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and other batwa destinations in Uganda. The popular activities to do along Batwa cultural trail include:
• Mountain gorilla trekking
Yes, batwa cultural trail in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is done along with gorilla trekking. Mgahinga National park is one of the four national parks that shelter the endangered mountain gorillas. The national park is home to the one and only Nyakagyezi gorilla family available for trekking every day. Apparently, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is also sheltering Rwanda’s Hirwa gorilla family which migrated from Volcanoes National Park and is now under the management of Uganda Wildlife Authority. The money collected from the sale of Hirwa gorilla permits is shared between UWA and RDB. Gorilla trekking in Uganda costs $700 for foreign nonresidents, $600 for foreign residents and UGX 250,000 for East African residents.
• Volcano climbing
Mgahinga Gorilla National park is home to three distinct volcanoes hence the best place for volcano climbing. The volcanoes in Mgahinga forest is Mt Mgahinga, Mt Sabyinyo and Mt Sabyinyo. The three volcanoes are part of the chain of 8 Virunga Volcanoes in the Virunga Conservation area. A hike at the summit of any volcano gives you clear views of other Virungas in Rwanda and Congo, gorilla parks and local communities adjacent to the parks.
• Bird watching
Mgahinga Gorilla National park is home to over 200 bird species hence the best bird-watching spot in Uganda. Travelers on Batwa cultural trail can, therefore, add on bird watching to make the safari more fun and enjoyable. The birds in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park include African Paradise Flycatcher, Black kit, Cape Robin Chat, Speckled Mousebird, Pin-tailed whydah, Alpine swift and blue headed coucal among others. Bird watching in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is best done from April to Mid-May and October to November. However, birding can be done all year round.
• Forest/Natural Walks
Yes, explore and enjoy the quiet, calm and natural ambiance of Mgahinga Gorilla National park on your Uganda safari to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Walking on foot in the forest is the chance to discover all hidden treasures of the forest while enjoying the sweet melodies of birds up in the trees. A nature walk also gives you a chance to meet some wild animals, birds and plant species in the forest. Walks lead you to different attractions such as waterfalls among others.
• Caldera Walk
You can also join a caldera walk-in Mgahinga communities to experience this natural wonder.
In conclusion, therefore, Batwa cultural trail is an interesting activity to do in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Contact African Apes Tours today, visit Batwa pygmies and learn about their traditional forest lives in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
