BUHOMA COMMUNITY VILLAGE WALK – EXPERIENCE MORE THAN JUST GORILLAS
Buhoma Community Village Walk introduces you to the people and their culture living near Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the Buhoma Area.
On the Buhoma Community Village Walk – learn the traditional ways – Locally made crafts – Dances- Traditional cooking-Brewing-Herbal Medicines – Waragi Making – arts and crafts – homestead visit. This walk can be done as a guided Mountain Bike Ride.
Buhoma Community Village Walk gives you a great opportunity to see how the people surrounding Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. It also is a great way to support the local community in a direct way.
The Buhoma Community Village Walk with your guide begins at Buhoma Community Rest Camp and is most informative, rewarding to the average visitor. It will amaze you how resourceful the local people are as you see and learn their ways.
First stop is observing women create handicrafts at the crafts center and of you of course can buy some of them and those creating the baskets and other crafts will be most appreciative.
A waterfall in the middle of the farmland and you can also see how hard women are working in the fields tending to their crops. There is no rotor-tiller – just a hoe and hard work.
In season see how tea is picked and how just the newest leaves area picked by the skilled pickers. These cool hillsides lend themselves to growing a wonderful variety of tea – and certainly you can take some home and enjoy it back in your country and as you sip it – you can recall your time at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Stop along the Muyaga River and see women washing clothes in the traditional way by hand – there is no whirlpool washing machine here – just hands – look on the rocks and you will see hundreds of multi-color butterflies – a beautiful sight.
Stop in the middle of a Banana plantation where there is local brewing demonstration using Bananas including the distilling of a local gin made from Bananas (Waragi – a term that comes from War Gin as Ugandan soldiers returned from WWII – they coined it such). Uganda is the original Banana Republic in a literal sense and produces more Bananas (over 50 varieties) than any other country except Brazil, not bad for a country the size of the state of Oregon. Also you can sample the local beer made from Bananas – Heineken watch out – here comes-Bwindi Banana Brew-soon to be marketed worldwide.
Traditional Healer -no, he is not a witch doctor but someone who knows what to use from the forest for ailments – you will be amazed at this informative demonstration.
Visit the local Mukono Primary School and meet children and the teachers – amazing how one can learn without electricity, lights, computers – but the most amazing thing is the wonderful spirit of the children.
Last – there is a visit to the Batwa Pygmy community – the original people of the forest – those who lost their homes when Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park was created – ending with traditional dancing.
3 hours of informative enjoyment – a most rewarding walk and by taking this walk you directly supported the local community. This village walk can also be taken on a mountain bike guided tour through “Ride for a Woman” self-help project. In 2013 a Batwa Pygmy cultural experience was also added to be combined with the village walk where you learn the traditional ways of the original people of the forest – Enjoy Uganda
If you like to take part in the Buhoma Community Village Walk while on Safari with us – please let us know.
