The Batwa were hunter-gatherers in Bwindi and the Virungas for thousands of years. When the forests became national parks in 1991, they were evicted without compensation or land. Any honest account of gorilla conservation has to include this.
- Who
- Indigenous forest hunter-gatherers of the Albertine Rift
- Evicted
- 1991, when the parks were gazetted
- Batwa Trail, Mgahinga
- around US$80, half a day
- Community walks
- Buhoma and Nkuringo, Bwindi
- Revenue
- Goes to Batwa community organisations
- Allow
- Half a day, and questions
The history, briefly
The Batwa lived by hunting and gathering in these forests, in a relationship with them that ran for millennia. When Bwindi and Mgahinga were gazetted as national parks in 1991 — the same decision that protected the gorillas — the Batwa were removed and given no land in exchange.
Many have lived since in poverty on the forest margins, with among the worst health and education outcomes in the region. The conservation success that brings you here was paid for, in part, by them.
The Batwa Trail, Mgahinga
Led by Batwa guides across the lower slopes of the volcanoes: how to make fire, set a trap, find medicine in the undergrowth, and finally into Garama Cave, where the community's history is told and sung. It costs around US$80 and the revenue goes to the Batwa.
It is not a performance for tourists in the way that phrase usually implies. It is people telling you what they lost, on the ground where they lost it, and it can be uncomfortable. It is better for that.
Community walks in Bwindi
Buhoma and Nkuringo both run Batwa cultural visits alongside broader village walks. Quality varies with how the visit is organised — some are genuinely community-led, others are closer to staged spectacle. We use community-managed programmes only, and we will tell you if we think a particular one is not worth your money.
Visiting well
- Ask before photographing. Always, and accept no as an answer.
- Do not hand out sweets, pens or money to children. It sustains begging and undermines school attendance. Give to the community organisation instead.
- Ask real questions. Guides are usually willing to talk about the eviction and about conditions now, and the visit is far better when you engage.
- Buy the crafts. It is the most direct transfer of money available to you.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is the Batwa experience exploitative?
It can be, when it is staged by outside operators with little of the money reaching the community. The Mgahinga Batwa Trail and the community-run programmes in Bwindi are structured so that revenue goes to Batwa organisations. We only book those, and we will say so plainly if we have doubts about one.
How much does the Batwa Trail cost?
Around US$80 per person for the Mgahinga trail, which takes half a day. Village and cultural walks in Bwindi are typically US$20–30.
Next
Keep planning
- Mgahinga Gorilla National Park — where the Batwa Trail runs
- Responsible travel — where your money goes
- Conservation — the wider picture
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest — community walks at Buhoma