Situated within Buhooma sector, this community-based group provides tourists with several Village walks that include a number of farming activities and visit to the Caves and magnificent waterfalls. Nyundo residents have suffered a great deal of climate change hence making the locals to cultivate on the steep hillsides of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest much as they always experience change in rain patters, forest mist and immense soil erosion making the plants to fail at some seasons.
It is for this reason that the local community members came up with a project to preserve their land to respond to the effect of climate change. The locals decided to conserve their land and allow the forest to grow and from that time, the mist seen in other parts of Bwindi Forest has also returned to Nyundo area.
Don’t miss to visit Nyundo community while on a safari in Uganda where you will explore how the locals go by their day to day life and activities. While here, you will learn about the different skills and activities such as preparation of millet bread, local ways of making ghee and yoghurt and craft making among others. Not only that, you will get the chance to visit the traditional healers (also known as the local doctor) who uses local herbs (out of plants and trees) to treat people from common ailments in addition to the traditional birth attendant (also the local midwife).
This village walk also avails the opportunity of interacting with the local villages and learn more about them and even exchange ideas with the locals. In addition to the mentioned activities, you can get the chance to hike along the Democratic Republic of Congo border and enjoy the phenomenal views of the waterfalls and the King’s bath place believed to be where the former Kings would bathe.
On your way back, you will visit the blacksmiths who mould metals into different objects such as Pangas, knives and saucepans. Also visit the cattle farms to learn how to feed and milk the cows, visit the beekeepers to learn how bees are kept including how to Harvest honey, visit the local banana and Waragi distillery as well as exploring the banana plantations. This community-based project emphasizes the development of sustainable agriculture, reduce on poaching and logging as well as providing more income to the locals so as to conserve Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
In most cases, tourism is an important sector that provides an alternative source of income for most of the abandoned farmlands so as to allow the forest to re-grow and conserve the local environment. All the locals involved and beneficiaries within Nyundo Community Eco-trails are natives of Nyundo Village hence the income remains among the local community members. Cultural intricate skills, performances, traditional healing and farming are included in almost all the Cultural trails within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or beyond hence promoting and maintaining local cultural practices.
One of the most interesting things is that Nyundo Community Eco-trails project funds an on-site adult literacy program that maintains a well stocked library and offers adult literacy classes for local community members. Therefore, supporting and participating this Eco-trail means an increase in the incomes of the 30 group members in addition to extending economic benefits to more than 200 people of the village.
In conclusion, Nyundo Community Eco-trails is one of the fascinating cultural encounters within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park that allows tourists to visit the village blacksmiths, the cattle farm, the beekeeper and banana plantation.