Mgahinga National Park is among the top destinations to visit in Uganda for wildlife safaris and it’s commonly known for the shy endangered Mountain Gorillas who are residents.
This park is located in the Western part of Uganda near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park inclusive of the Virunga Massif. It’s characterized with both Montane and Bamboo forests where Golden Monkeys are residents.
If you hope of seeing the Batwa people while in Uganda, take gorilla safari in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and it is the right place to witness these people history and norms.
These Batwa people were local hunter and gatherers who are believed to have migrated from the Ituri Forest Reserve of Democratic Republic of Congo in search of wild animals for hunting and they settled around Echuya Forest Reserve in Kisoro district.
Echuya Forest Reserve is located in the most densely populated area where, the average land holding per household is 0.8 ha and population density is 353.9 persons per km2.
According to the National Population and Housing Census, Batwa population in Uganda was 3500. Other than Batwa, the forest is surrounded by Bakiga, Hutu and Tutsi who comprise a bigger percentage of the population.
Bakiga are commonly referred to by Batwa as Bairu. Batwa comprise about 5% of the population. Their households are scattered in various settlements in villages located adjacent to the forest.
They include: Murubindi, Kashasha; Gitebe-Kanaba, Biizi – Rugeshi–Murora, Mukasaayi that comprises two settlements, Karengyere – Rwamahano and Kinyarushengye.
These Batwa people were local hunters and gatherers who used forest reserves for their Shelter by sleeping under big tree branches, caves plus small huts constructed out of tree leaves and shrubs.
These people were un civilized, in the past used back cloths as their wearing gears and they used local tools to process these clothing’s out of the tree capings of certain specified tree species, they also used tree leaves as their medicine for curing diseases.
These people due to their staying in Forests used to fear people from the civilized societies who used to visit them in the forests.
After the enforcement of Conservation programs, National parks like Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park were gazetted and these people were evicted from forests by the responsible authorities which made them feel discriminated by the government claiming to be seen valueless.
After great sensitization to these Batwa people by the required authorities about the importance of Wildlife they are now upgrading into civilized people, they are now collaborative and welcoming very excited to share with people from different societies.
You can do this Batwa experience only in Mgahinga National Park where you visit these people in their local communities and share with them through engaging in their cultural performances.
It costs $80 USD per person to engage in this experience and its un exceptional to meet these local Batwa people in their Communities such that you experience their normal way of living in their territories.
While in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park after your Batwa cultural experience you can also do gorilla trekking where you visit these shy endangered Mountain Gorillas in the jungle plus golden monkey tracking in the bamboo forest side.
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