Living life in the jungle is one of the fascinating experiences you can encounter on a guided trip and as well taken as adventurous were camping in the wilderness by tourists is more fun. But this is quite different to the Batwa pygmies who used to reside in the thick forest of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest as their home place but not for adventure until conservation measures by the government through its mandated regulatory bodies evicted the natives to form different communities where they currently occupy. Currently, the park is a renowned destination for gorilla tourism. Ruhija is a small village high up in the misty mountains bordering Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where tourists enjoy the Batwa trail experience either before or after the gorilla trekking experience.
Upon Ruhija Batwa trail experience be rest assured of a wonderful cultural experience with a lot to discover and as well share the experience with the rest of the world after the experience through their displays on the encounter which includes; Batwa’s vast knowledge of stingless bees, dancing and a tour of their homes which are clearly for tourist’s eyes.
Combined with a forest walk, Ruhija village has several nature trails which you can take and enjoy different attractions including caves, waterfalls and as well encounter vast bird melodies and primates, unobstructed views of Virunga, Africa’s oldest park and its active volcanoes. You can also catch sight of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Lake Albert.
In local newspapers, some journalists compared the Batwa with other communities and described them as:
forest people who (…) continue to be discriminated against, because of their way of life that seems primitive to other communities (…) still lead a purely traditional way of life by hunting game meat and collecting fruits from the forests (…) do not seek medical care from the conventional health facilities but use herbs to treat their ailments. Something which leaves many tourists trying to learn their ways of survival.
Basically, the Batwa are an amazing indigenous group of people with excellent and interactive cultural experiences that one would not want to miss while visiting Uganda.
Even when the Batwa are described as being involved in tourism, they are portrayed as mere objects of the tourist gaze other than active and engaged subjects negotiating this gaze this gives us a reason why we always advocate for this experience to our visitors since you can directly support the different projects set up within these communities rather than waiting for the little government package for survival and improve their standards of living. Therefore ensure that you include a Ruhija village Batwa trail experience on your itinerary.
Always consider understanding the communities in and around areas of attraction on a guided tour to Africa and Uganda in particular for there is a lot of storytelling after all the experience to friends and family back home.
Contact us for any inquiry and we shall respond to you within the shortest time possible.