Batwa cultural experience.
The Batwa cultural experience takes place along the foothills of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Mgahinga National Park, the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is known for the mountain gorilla species, the conservation area is said to have survived over time from the ice age era, it is subdivided into four sectors the Nkuringo, Buhoma, Rushaga and Ruhija, each of these has got habituated gorilla families, while the Mgahinga national park is renowned for golden monkeys and one gorilla group the park extends as part of the great Virunga volcanic mountain region.
The Batwa are a special group of people also known as keepers of the forest. They lived in the forest amicably together with other creatures until they were evicted due to conservation purposes, these have continued living in the surrounding communities, they are the last group of remaining short-structured people in Uganda, they hunted and gathered from the forest however of present they practice a bit of subsistence farming, they engage in community programs and joined the quo of civilization. These have however done a good job of passing their cultures onto the new generations.
Batwa cultural experience will give you a deep understanding of how these locals enjoyed the forest, they will show it to you through their eyes, dance to their traditional music, and make fire without using modern-day matches or lighters, they will also teach you the medicinal purposes of plants and what they treat, guests are allowed to participate too if interested. It is an engaging activity to consider on a visit to Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mgahinga National Park, there are chances of walking through the forest as well and meeting a few primate species, for example, the black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and whispers from forest birds. A visit to the Batwa will require you to make payments for support which normally costs about $30 per person, it is done in the afternoon hours from 3:00 pm East African time.
Besides the Batwa cultural community, there are other things to do while in the region for example the gorilla trekking from the park headquarters you will be briefed about how to conduct yourself while with the primate species, and the hike through the forest is a tedious one however so rewarding by the end of the day, tracking gorillas takes 2-8 hours depending on how far the mountain gorillas have moved, it sometimes takes entirely the whole day or even not seeing them, however, in such incidents, guests are given a chance to track the following day. Birding in the Bwindi impenetrable national park, it is a rewarding point for birders into the ecosystem, there are over 300 species of birds that have been recorded here to date, some of these are endemics to the region for example the African green broad bill.
There is available accommodation in and around the conservation areas ranging from the best budget to Luxury Examples of facilities include Buhoma lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Bakiga Lodge, and Ichumbi gorilla lodge, to mention few.