Batwa Cultural Tours

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a heritage historical site and well known for gorilla tracking but also supports Batwa cultural experience which is geared at conserving the forest which is the habitat for the mountain gorillas, as well as harnessing cultural values of the tribe which is threatened by extinction. It is also one way of empowering the surrounding communities through project initiatives for development.

Batwa Cultural Visit in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Bwindi forest is home to a beautiful diversity of fauna and Flora, including some exotic plants and rare endangered animals. This forest was also home to the batwa pygmies and these people were the original dwellers of the ancient forest and were known as the keepers of the forest. The batwa lived in harmony within the forest and survived by hunting small game using bows and arrows and gathering plants for medicinal purposes and food.

In 1992, lives of these batwa people changed forever when this forest became a national park and a world Heritage site in order to be able to protect the endangered mountain gorillas that reside in its boundaries. The batwa were also evicted from the park and became conservation refugees in a world that was very unfamiliar to them. Their skills and the means of subsistence were not so useful in this modern environment and they began to suffer.

In 2001, when this batwa tribe were on the edge of extinction, the American medical missionaries Dr Scott and Carol Kellermanns came to their rescue. They bought land and then established programs to help in improving the conditions and the lives of the Batwa. This included building of a school, hospital and housing. The Kellermanns also developed water and sanitation projects and found ways for batwa to generate income and sustain themselves.

These projects are now managed and operated by the Batwa Development program and worked closely with the batwa community to try to ensure that their indigenous rights are respected and they also benefit from the forest being a national park as well as a tourist attraction.

Batwa Cultural Experience

The batwa cultural adventure was created by the displaced Batwa pygmies to be able to educate their children and to share their amazing heritage and traditions with the world. The day spent with the batwa gives you a chance to enjoy the following; Hiking in the forest with the people of the forest. You will also have a batwa guide and he will provide you with the chance, see how they lived and hunted in the traditional manner. You will enjoy trying out your hunting techniques as the batwa techniques; you will learn how to shoot the bow and the arrow. Visit a traditional Batwa homestead and also learn from the women how to prepare and cook and serve a meal. Talk to medicine men and get to learn about the properties of medicinal forest flora. You also get to hear the ancient legends and the traditional songs.

The Batwa Cultural Experience is one of the adventure activities recommended for visitors taking gorilla tours in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Here are sample tour itineraries that feature the Batwa visit in Bwindi.

Batwa Experience

The Batwa through their group Batwa Development Program strive to pass on knowledge to the children and enlighten the world about their culture as they conserve the Batwa pygmies’ rich heritage. This association is entirely run by the Batwa pygmies of south western Uganda. It is charged with the responsibility of putting in place programs geared towards the education, health care, land acquisition and income generation of the Batwa pygmies. The initiative is primarily supported by donations made from fees generated from clients who visit them and even participate in their cultural performances and purchase of their craft souvenirs’.

The Batwa acquired a site outside the forest to reconstruct this wonderful experience. The experience retrieves you back in time when the Batwa used to live in the forest and reconstitute a summary of ‘a day in the life of a Mutwa.’ This is what is dubbed the ‘Batwa Experience.’ This effort therefore helps not only to conserve their culture but also generate some revenue to help the Batwa control the numerous challenges that have bedeviled them since their eviction from the forest.

The Batwa experience is seated on a 100 acre site densely forested area and adjacent to the Bwindi Impenetrable park frontiers. It is an hour’s trek through the thicket up the hills in Mukono village. The site is set in such a way that creates the environmental ambiance of the forest reminiscent of the old times when the Batwa still operated in the perimeters of the Bwindi national park now a gazette World Heritage Site.  Cultural experience is good for forest conservation as well as blending the cultural values of this indigenous group that was pulled out of their original habitat.  It is a learning instrument for the Batwa descendants and those interested in knowing about their historical aspects that date centuries ago.

For a small fee, the Batwa elders who lived in the forest for decades with first class knowledge of life, will guide you through their rich cultural heritage as they re- create this entertaining life style they formerly led in the forest.  It is ecotourism at its best. As the experience will demonstrate how activities like collection of honey, wild yams and mushrooms gathering as well as use of medicinal plants were done.

The elderly Batwa guides take you through their traditional dwellings, traditional dance; tell stories and folklore of the pygmies’ culture. You can participate in shooting their bows and arrows and join the mock hunting party. A five hour experience, with you will be a very unforgettable story to carry with you about this tribe that is rich in history but little known or even documented about it.