Rushaga, Bwindi, Uganda
The trek is one morning. The village is the rest.
Days out with the people who live around Bwindi: coffee, weaving, the Batwa trails, music. Book direct and the money stays in the villages next to the park.
Days out with the people who live around Bwindi: coffee, weaving, the Batwa trails, music. Book direct and the money stays in the villages next to the park.
Most people come to Bwindi for one morning with the gorillas. Stay for the people who live beside the forest.
We help with permits, lodging and the trek itself. Then we show you what else this corner of Uganda has to offer.
Most visitors trek, sleep, and leave. The families around the park see very little of that money. We work with local guides and groups to offer days out run by the people who live here, so guests meet them properly and the payment goes straight to them.
We also help with gorilla permits and lodging, and we plan the whole trip if you want one person to deal with.
013 hoursWalk the farm, pick, dry and roast on a clay pot, then drink what you made.
Walk with Batwa guides who explain how the forest was used for food and medicine.
Sit with local women and learn the weave. Take your basket home.
04Ask usA local group sings, drums and dances. Stay for the questions afterwards.
05Ask usBanana beer brewing, tea plantation walks and community walks with a local guide.
Ask us. We arrange these around your dates.
Times are typical. We fit them around your trek day.
They perform in a clearing at the forest edge. It is not a stage show. You stand close, you feel the drum in your chest, and afterwards they will talk to you if you ask.
Silver Twesiime was born in Rushaga, the village at the edge of Bwindi. Uganda's troubled years meant he did not start primary school until he was 13. He went on to become a teacher.
He built Nshongi Camp in the village where he was born, beside the park gate where the gorilla treks begin. Family comes first for him, and his daughter Gloria is part of this story too.
Silver is a philanthropist, and he does a great deal for the local community. He supports the local school and many other projects around the village, including these two.
We keep this simple on purpose. This is the order it moves in.
We are based in Rushaga, in the south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. For longer trips we also plan Queen Elizabeth, Lake Bunyonyi, the Rwenzoris, Mgahinga, Kibale, Murchison Falls, Lake Mutanda, Lake Mburo, Semuliki and Kidepo.
Rushaga, Lake Bunyonyi, and a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Message us on WhatsApp for the quickest answer. Tell us how many people, how many days, and whether you already have gorilla permits.