Who are the Pygmies Batwa people? The Batwa people are found around the Echuya forest reserve in Kisoro and kabale districts, which are located in the habituated areas of southwestern Uganda. Uganda is a country blessed with very many cultural bases and a cultural tour in Uganda never complete without visiting the batwa people. The batwa people are commonly referred to as pygmies and they are famous because of their short stature and tourists interested in visiting the Batwa communities can go to the Great Lakes regions which are found in countries like; Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda.
The Batwa people are now considered as one of the minority cultural groups in the whole world and these people are always named according to the areas they live in for example; Barhwa or Bambuti in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Batwa or Abayanda in Uganda, Twa in Rwanda and the Abaterambere in Burundi. The Batwa people from Uganda were commonly known as hunters and they were good at gathering fruits within the forests where they lived. However, unfortunately, later the Batwa they lost their homes and the livelihood in the forests where they lived after the forests being gazette as game reserves and national parks.
The Batwa people have an estimated number of 3500 individuals and make up a total population of 5% in Uganda. They live in small huts, which are made of grass and sticks. These people happened to lose their homes within the forests and find other homes outside the forests after turning them into game reserves and they were established as national parks such as Mgahinga Gorilla national park, Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Semuliki national park which resulted to chasing away the Batwa people. The batwa who used to be hunters, their way of lifestyle changed and they adopted to other means of survival such as cattle keeping, farming and entertaining people in order to earn a living. However, some of them stayed in the national parks, they are now employed as rangers, and local guides that lead tourists who wish to explore the forests on their tours since they are more common with every part in the national parks.
The Batwa people are very social and hospital people who welcome their guests with warm smiles and hugs and always entertain their visitors with their traditional dances and folk songs and they also always apply their knowledge they learnt they lived in the forests to making herbal medicine that heal various diseases and it can also see in their tracking methods and hunting skills.
The Batwa Cultural Experience in Uganda.
Tourists who would love to understand more about the Batwa people can opt to go for the Batwa cultural experience. During the cultural experience, tourists always pay visits to the Batwa local homesteads where they get to interact with the local people living within the Batwa communities and get to learn their daily way of lifestyle. The Batwa people always welcome their visitors entertaining them with their traditional dance performances, which their guests are free to join in, dance with the local people, and sing their folk songs. Visitors also do not miss out listening from the story tellers where they get to learn about the history of the Batwa people. During the Batwa cultural experience, tourists watch how craftswomen and men make the local crafts and aircrafts and this activity is very exciting and fun where visitors get to experience and learn more. However, the Batwa Cultural experience can also be combined with other activities that visitors can engage in such as; Golden monkey trekking, birding, Gorilla Habituation, Gorilla trekking and many others.
The Batwa Trail Experience in Uganda.
The Batwa Trail Experience is an activity that involves tourists hiking through the designated trails within the forests. In June 2011, the Uganda Wildlife Authority established the Batwa Trail into the tourism industry and it activity is majorly done in the Rushanga sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Semiliki National park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The tourists who involve in this activity are required to pay a fee of 10 USD in Semiliki National park, 40 USD in Rushanga sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National park, and 80 USD in Mgahinga Gorilla National park, Who are the Pygmies Batwa people?
The Batwa trail experience can be combined with activities like; the hike swamp in Semuliki national park, guided nature walks, birding, golden monkey trekking, and gorilla trekking.
Where to stay while doing the Batwa tail experience and Batwa cultural Experience.
Tourists who travel to Uganda to do the Batwa trail experience or engage in the Batwa cultural experience can find accommodation facilities in places like; Mutanda Lake Resort, Clouds Gorilla lodge, Kisoro travelers rest in, Gorilla safari lodge, Bunyonyi safari lodge, Bunyonyi overland resort, UWA Bandas in Tororo Semliki among others.
The Best Time to go for the Batwa Trail and the Batwa cultural Experience.
Tourists travelling to Uganda can visit in Mgahinga Gorilla National park and Bwindi Impenetrable National park at any time throughout the year but the best time for them to visit is during the dry season in the months of June- August and December to February. During this period, there are less rains and the trails are less muddy making it easy for the tourists to penetrate through the forests since the trails are always combined with gorilla trekking activities.
In conclusion, Uganda is grateful for the creation of the Batwa trail and the Batwa cultural experiences due to the fact that the cultures of the Batwa people are being showcased to the whole world which an advantage to the Batwa people because they are no more misunderstood by other people whereby tourists always learn about their cultures and their way of lifestyle as they get to understand them better.
Book with our trusted tour operators and companies such as Achieve Global Safari your Gorilla trekking tour and get to experience and explore in the Batwa trail experience and Batwa cultural experiences in Uganda the Pearl of Africa.
