Enjoy the Batwa cultural experience to learn more about the Batwa people who lived in the Bwindi forest for centuries. The Batwa were the original people of the forest. They were here for thousands of years before the Bantu People, the cultivators of the land, arrived.
The Batwa People, who are also known as the pygmies, were hunter-gatherers and lived in the forests of southwest Uganda and beyond. They left a small ecological footprint on the forest and lived in harmony with nature. You can visit the forest, even outside of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. You will see the Batwa People and learn more about their traditional ways of hunting and gathering.
Learn about and interact with the local Batwa People. This full-day activity involves a three-hour walk followed by about an hour spent with the Batwa people. You can then walk back to your lodge or campsite within two hours.
More About Batwa Cultural Experience and Batwa People
The Batwa cultural experience includes a music performance, a visitation by the goddess, a hunting and gathering demonstration, and an opportunity to see how they used to live. The ‘Twa’ tribe who is also known as the Batwa are the oldest inhabitants of the Great Lakes region of central Africa.
They speak the same language as the Hutu and Tutsi groups of Rwanda. Like most of the tribes in Africa, they have moved from place to place. As a result, they can be found in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Statistics show that by the year 2000 their numbers were approximately 80,000 people, making them a significant minority group in these countries. The first records of the Batwa were made by the Egyptians over 4,000 years ago. They described them as short-statured people living near the ‘Mountains of the Moon’, extolling their abilities as dancers and storytellers.
The Batwa cultural experience takes place in the Buhoma area, but if you are in south Bwindi you can visit the Buniga Forest to see the Batwa people there. Besides this experience, there are a number of other attractions in Bwindi impenetrable national park.