During gorilla trekking and Batwa community visit in Uganda, expect to discover part of what life was like for the Batwa pygmies to live with the mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are believed to have lived in the dinosaur era and are some of the few survivors of the ice age period.
By taking the gorilla trek adventure, it is like breathing life into the history of early man. It is hard not to identify a character of the mountain gorillas that resembles humans especially when in their presence. It is re commended to stand atleast 8 meters from them although many times this rule is broken by curiosity.
Mgahinga National Park in south western Uganda is the perfect Uganda safari destination where you may engage both gorilla trekking and visit the Batwa community.
The Batwa were evicted from all forests where they lived since time immemorial to give way to mountain gorilla conservation which were highly endangered in the early 1990s. The Batwa were not given a new area to occupy but majority left homeless or joined the close by communities where they are still marginalized. When you take a Batwa community visit you contribute to their projects that support their existence.
How to plan Gorilla trekking Safari And Batwa community visit in Uganda
Highlight
Day 1 Drive to Mgahinga national Park with drive time of about 8 to 9 hours drive
Day 2 Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park
Day 3 Visit Batwa Community
Day 4 Departure
Detailed Itinerary for Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Community Visit safari in Uganda
Day 1 Drive to Mgahinga National park
From Entebbe or Kampala, drive to southwestern Uganda till Mgahinga National Park. It is best to start the drive to Mgahinga National Park from Kampala or Entebbe early because it is a long drive. To break the journey, you may make a stop at the equator in Kayabwe to take photos, perform the water experiment and more.
Get back on the road and enjoy lunch enroute. Mgahinga National Park is a pristine forested park which is less visited as currently it has one open gorilla trekking family called Nyakagezi. The Mgahinga forest still has its authentic look which is getting rarer to find in the world.
Mgahinga Accommodation: Gahinga Lodge, Traveller’s Inn
Meal Plan Full Board
Distance to Mgahinga about 540 kilometers
Activities to do: Drive to Mgahinga National Park
Day 2 Gorilla Trekking in Mgahinga National Park
Wake up for break fast and head to the ranger station with your gorilla trekking gears for briefing. Hand over your gorilla trekking permit card for verification and other necessary documents. Expect to find other tourists as this is a shared adventure no matter the category of safari package you choose.
The ranger guide leads the search for the mountain gorillas which is quite tiresome but interesting. The trails you follow are wet and soggy most of the time so don’t forget to wear the right gorilla trekking gears.
Along the way you take some breaks so remember to carry some energy bites to munch on and rejuvenate. look out for other forest dwellers including several birds, other primates including olive baboons, vervet monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey and more. Botanists have so much to see in this forgotten jungle.
As you approach the mountain gorillas you hear them before facing them and the ranger guide will give final instructions on how to be around them. Do not forget to stay closer to the people trekking gorillas with so as not to appear suspicious to the gorillas.
Enjoy the one precious hour with the mountain gorillas, take photos and do not forget to go off the lens to directly watch the gorilla family. Slowly get away from the presence of the mountain gorillas and return to your lodge.
Mgahinga Accommodation: Gahinga Lodge/ Traveller’s Inn
Meal Plan: Full Board
Activities: Gorilla trekking
Time To Take: approximately 2 hour to 6 hours or more
Lunch: Packed Lunch
Day 3: Batwa Community Visit
After breakfast, together with your driver guide, a local guide will pick you from your overnight lodge and head to the Batwa Community. The Batwa are some of the survivors of conservation evictions that happened in the 1990s to give way for mountain gorilla conservation.
The life of the Batwa depended on the forest for food supply, medicinal support and more. Most of the ancestral tales of the Batwa are related to the forest. The Batwa community has a leader who takes you through a demo of life in the forest like hunting skills, how they gathered food, cultural practices, lived in caves or tree trunks and more. Batwa are still marginalized in the communities where they relocated so the funds collected from such cultural visits are used to support their projects.
Language barrier is still a problem but on ground are interpreters who act as local guides and can explain in English although not so fluent. Try to be open minded while with the Batwa and avoid showing resentment towards their culture so that they can show you even more than expected. The Batwa community visit is worth adding to the safari activities to do because of its uniqueness.
Day 4 Departure
Having shared a moment with the mountain gorillas and visiting their former mates the Batwa, return to Entebbe to catch up with your flight back home.
About Mgahinga National Park
Mgahinga National park is a prehistoric rain forest in southwestern Uganda and one of the only for habitants of the mountain gorillas in the world. Mgahinga forest occupies an area of 33.7 square kilometers of thick forest and its landscape is influenced by three mountains that is Mountain Gahinga, Muhavura and Sabinyo.
Other than the mountain gorillas, Mgahinga National park is home to the endangered golden monkeys, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys and more. Over 115 bird species have been recorded as residents of Mgahinga forest including Albertine rift endemics.
What to expect on Gorilla trekking and Batwa Community Visit in Mgahinga National Park
Gorilla trekking is the foremost safari activity of Mgahinga National park and its quite steep because of the several highlands around this part of Uganda in general. Nyakagezi gorilla family is currently the only gorilla family open to the public in Mgahinga National Park.
Expect to share the gorilla trekking adventure with other tourists as maximum 8 permits are open to the public per day.
The Mgahinga forest trails are wet and soggy most of the day because it rains any time yet the forest has a dense canopy that allows less sunlight to sip through the leaves. A dense network of rivers and streams flow through Mgahinga forest and this is the water catchment area for the community around the forest.
Keen Birders have a variety of birds to spot while on gorilla trekking adventure in Mgahinga forest. About 115 birds species have been identified as residents of Mgahinga forest including Albertine rift endemics. Some of the resident birds of Mgahinga forest include Handsome francolin, Shelley’s crimsonwing, Rwenzori Turaco and more.
No toilet structure in the Mgahinga forest during gorilla trekking so plan in advance and incase you need to ease yourself ask the ranger guide to dig a hole for you atleast 30 meters deep and cover well beyond recognition.
Wearing a face mask during the gorilla trekking adventure is compulsory as a health measure taken to protect the mountain gorillas from acquiring a communicable infection or them to humans. Mountain gorillas have a D.N.A close to that of humans and are susceptible to communicable infections.
Expect to meet the Batwa pygmies who are still shy to face strangers but with patience you can gain their trust. Most of the Batwa are still very conservative with their culture so you have to be respectful when around them.
The environment around Mgahinga forest receives high precipitation almost the entire day with low temperatures generally expect, not so bright sunlight. Rain may fall without warning and at times takes almost an entire day so carry warmers and rain proof gears.
Roads leading to and from Mgahinga National Park are messy sometimes as the soils are volcanic so hire a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle in good condition for your gorilla trekking safari. Do not Expect a smooth ride while on an adventure safari to Mgahinga National Park.
If you are booked for a flying gorilla trekking safari, expect flight time to be rescheduled at times because of the changing weather conditions around southwestern Uganda. Don’t forget to include the cost of the transfer vehicle from the airstrip to your lodge.
When Is the Best Time To Go For Gorilla trekking And Batwa Community safari in Mgahinga National Park
The dry season is preferred time for going on a gorilla trekking and Batwa community safari in Mgahinga National Park. The dry season which is normally June to September and December to early February is normally characterized by less precipitation enabling tourists to explore the forest.
The gorillas also feed closer to the ground and so it is quicker to trace their location during gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National park. Rivers and stream also flow within normal course.
Seeing gorillas in the wet season is guaranteed too and the visit to the Batwa is open too in this season. The gorillas and Batwa keep in sheltered spots so you may not see them move a lot while in their company. The wet season in South western Uganda is normally March, April, May and November.
Is Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Community Visit Safe in Mgahinga National Park
Gorilla trekking and Batwa community visit in Mgahinga National Park is a safari adventure. Gorilla trekking has accompanying rules which every tourist must adhere too while search and when with the mountain gorillas. Attending briefing at the ranger station is compulsory too for every tourist where the most resent information about the gorillas and their mood are communicated upfront.
Before visiting the Batwa, tourists are encouraged to be in company of a local guide with knowledge about the Batwa culture and the areas they live in. Try to be respectful of their norms, listen, participate in their activities when called upon in order for them to gain your trust and open up freely to you.
Why Go For Gorilla Trekking And Batwa Visit In Mgahinga National Park
The mountain gorillas of Mgahinga National Park are less visited offering one of the authentic gorilla trekking experiences. The vegetation is lush green draping the slopes of massive massifs and several other highlands.
A walk in Mgahinga forest is like living in the modern day garden of Eden and opportunities to enjoy this experience are getting slimmer as days go by. A multitude of birds including those on the IUCN red list are residents of Mgahinga forest as over 115 birds have so far been recorded as residents of the park. Some of the birds to spot in Mgahinga forest include Shelley’s crimsonwing, Rwenzori Turaco and more.
Beyond the mountain gorillas, Mgahinga forest is home to the endangered golden monkeys and several other primates. Botanists have plenty species to identify in the pristine forest as it has survived generations accumulating a long list.
Visiting the Batwa community is an opportunity to know more about the secrets of Mgahinga forest, how they managed to live with these giant apes, where the gorillas co-existed with human.
The Batwa were evicted from their ancestral homes in the forest which was their sole provider in order to give way for to the conservation the mountain gorillas. This left many homeless while other occupied area close by where they are still marginalized.
A visit to the Batwa community is one way to support their projects such as an opportunity for some of their members to have an education, medical services, build water sources and more.
Nature based adventure destinations world over are getting rarer to find as they are being replaced by modernization and desertification is taking charge of most of these places. Mgahinga National Park is one of the few destinations that still hold wildlife conservation.