Bwindi Community Visit is one of the villages you can visit during your visit in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The three-hour walk circles the Buhoma area of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. You get the opportunity to learn about the daily lives of those who live close to the forest by taking this walk.
The community walk offers an opportunity to learn about a different culture, and visiting the Buhoma community allows you to show your support for the locals who live close to the mountain gorilla protected area. Walking begins in Buhoma neighbourhood. You can start early in the morning or in the evening after your gorilla hike, and you’ll join a professional guide who will provide you with information while you stroll through the neighbourhood.
You will make a halt at the women who weave baskets while others manufacture handicrafts; you might buy one and this will be warmly welcomed. The stroll is beneficial since you get to see firsthand how resourceful these locals are and learn from their way of life. Another stop will be at River Muyaga, where visitors can witness women washing clothes by hand rather than using a washing machine and take in the vibrant butterflies. There will also be a stop at a banana plantation where visitors can observe the brewing of bananas and the distillation of one of the local gins, known as Waragi.
Uganda produces and grows a lot more Bananas compared to other countries and you can as well test the local brew made in Bwindi. You will visit the waterfalls in the center of the farmland, The 3 hours are rewarding with opportunity to get information and knowledge about the community directly to supporting the community.
Visiting the Batwa People
One of the experiences and excursions you should try to partake in is the Batwa adventure. The Batwa Pygmies, who were considered to be the original inhabitants and caretakers of this tropical rain forest, lived in this forest for a number of years prior to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park being gazetted as a national park. Following Bwindi Forest’s designation as a national park in 1993, the Pygmies were forced to leave the forest and relocate to other communities and cities. The Batwa pygmies relied on forest resources for their livelihood for a very long period. They used to use spears to hunt forest creatures in order to obtain meat and gather fruits and plants for food.
They could use plants for medication and collect honey. They used climbing plants, leaves, and trees from the jungle to build houses. In other words, it is undeniable that the Batwa Pygmies coexisted peacefully with the forest and its inhabitants, which included birds, chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, and forest elephants. The Batwa were driven from the forest and their way of life was altered when Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was gazetted and designated a world heritage site. As a result, their lives were put in risk because they lacked land outside of the park and did not know how to live elsewhere.