A visit to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park take you through unforgettable cultural experience. They offer typical community interaction with local residents-offering you a great opportunity to have real life experience of locals while in their communities. The experience involves visiting homesteads and on Rwenzori Mountains National Park safari in particular, visits are made to the Bakonzo communities.
With addition of cultural encounters, visits to Rwenzori Mountains guarantee holidaymakers more than exceptional mountaineering adventures. The cultural tour or encounter with locals is amazingly one of the incredible experience worth your visit to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
Go cultural safari in Rwenzori Mountains National Park and walk with Bakonzo villagers via their homesteads at the base of the Rwenzori Mountain ranges. Here are the best ways to explore and experience the distinct cultures of the Bakonzo while on Rwenzori Mountains National Park safari.
Ruboni Community Camp
Visit the Ruboni-Rwenzori to explore the peaceful farming village of Ruboni where about 2000 Bakonzo live at the base of the Mountains of the Moon/Rwenzori Mountain ranges. A cultural tour at Ruboni village lets you walk with local residents, watch their musical and dance performances, food preparations. Also, the tour includes visit to the traditional healer, blacksmith, participate in basket weaving, meet the elderly for interesting stories told by them.
There is also an option of taking a walk on the rocky River Mubuku. Ruboni takes its name from River Mubuku waters and the word Ruboni is translated in Lukonzo as crystal clear water. Visitors follow the stream and along the way, meet the locals as they collect firewood, harvest crops. In addition, you will be keeping an eye on some of the amazing bird species native to the area including cinnamon chested bee-eaters, Rwenzori turacos, as well as reptiles like the three-horned chameleons; squirrels, primates such as red tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys.
Rwenzori Turaco View Camp Site
The Rwenzori Turaco View Camp Site is one the best places to start your cultural or community walk while on safari in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park. This area introduces enthusiastic cultural tour travelers to Mihunga village, a small village that offers the amazing views of the snow-capped peaks. The Bakonzo are said to have lived in this area for about 300 year and without electricity/running water but they have managed to adapt to the situation.
A cultural experiences here are conducted by locals from Mihunga community tourism group, turaco view and they have the best knowledge about the history, cultures, traditions etc of their village. The cultural encounter here includes visiting the traditional healer, watch him as makes the best use of the herbs for treatments. There is also a chance to take a walk with a local guide along the surrounding forest and expect to keep an eye on sunbirds, bee-eaters, primates like colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys and enjoy the incredible views of the portal peaks.
Bulemba-Ihandiro trail
The Bulemba-Ihandiro cultural trail is 6 to 7 hours’ walk trail taking enthusiastic cultural safari holidaymakers via the scenic valleys, cultural sites at the base of the Rwenzori Mountain ranges. All the cultural walks along this trail are led by experienced local guide and the walk includes visit to the traditional healer. He will be illustrating some of the powers and later, proceed to the local blacksmith. On this trail, there is also opportunity to engage in basket weaving as guided by the local residents.