Culture and birding vacation in Uganda

Environment

This is a Birding and Cultural Safari adventure that takes you across Uganda to over 10 destinations and we ensure that you participate in the conservation efforts geared to saving the endangered species of the wild in Uganda. This trip is directly involved in wildlife conservation in that we plan for our guests to visit research and conservation areas during their safari like the Pian-Upe wildlife reserve in the Karamoja sub region of north eastern Uganda.
En-route to the Bwindi forest from Queen Elizabeth National Park we get to support the Chimpanzee community project for conservation of the Chimps in this region. This work is solely done by the local people with the help of donations from visitors touring the region.
We also get to use renewable energy most of the time since most of the places we stay at use solar power. All places we choose to stay in during the Gorilla tracking experience use solar power for lighting, charging, and boiling water. They also use Eco-toilets which are also environmentally friendly.
This safari involves driving long distances both to the destinations and during game drive therefore we always find ourselves moving with packed food and drinks. This we do using plastics recyclable bottles especially for water and other beverages and paper packs for food that are also biodegradable. This is good for our environment and keeping our surrounding clean.

Community

Visit the communities of Karamoja region, nakapiripiriti, kotido and kabong whereby you get to see the local people and support their culture and crafts which they normally sell in their shops. These crafts are locally made and are sold cheaply than the ones sold in the city; also you get to see how they are made.
The remote community of Mubako in Murchison falls Park is a cluster of traditional thatched huts around a clearing, where villagers gather to escape the midday sun under the shade of a large tree. Mubako’s small craft shop sells carved wooden sculptures and hand-woven items made by community members. At dusk, the local cultural groups perform vibrant songs and dances around the campfires of local lodges, accompanied by the beautiful sound of the adungu. Originating from this region, this instrument is made of cowhide and twine, and the harmonies of the various-sized adungus against the backdrop of a Nile sunset are magical. There are few economic opportunities in this region and the climate makes farming hard, but with the money generated through tourism, the community can buy produce from local markets, pay school fees and support a nursery for 90 children.
During Gorilla tracking and village walks, we encourage the visitors to use local porters or helpers to carry their luggage and this provides direct employment to the local community since they are paid a wage directly for their service
In the regions of Bwindi, Nkuringo or Buhoma, there are local libraries and craft shops owned by local people and our visitors get an opportunity to walk through these places and support the people. Also there is a Batwa Experience program where you will get to step back in time to see how the Batwa lived for millenia in the Bwindi forest and the income generated at the site returns to the Batwa to strengthen their entire community through the Batwa Development Program (BDP), a community collaboration to help the Batwa help themselves.
We also get the opportunity to visit local schools like in Ruhija and clinics that need support from tourists like donation like in Bwindi Nkuringo. During the free day we visit either a school or their local clinic and part of the tours fees you pay is contributed to support the children with stationery, clothing and medicine for the community.