Nkuringo Cultural Center

Nkuringo Cultural Center (NCC)

NCC is a community based Organization found in Uganda(Africa) North of Kisoro District Neighboring Bwindi National Park (link world Heritage Site).

After a long tiring day during gorilla tracking, birding and nature walks in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, tourists can relish some of the interesting cultural activities within the Nkuringo Cultural center. Tourists who visit this Cultural center can engage in a guided village walk during the day to encounter some of the local community members, to learn about their lifestyle in Rubuguri and engage in the making of handcrafts. After this, you can visit the nearby primary school so as to explore the region’s most popular and sough after cultural attraction-“The invigorating kikiga dance” where dancers dance like they are lifted by some force of gravity.  The Cultural Center can be contacted on +256 414 501866 and +256 772 657700 or access their website www.nkuringoculturalcentre.org for more information and for bookings.

Tourist industry

Through the Tourist Industry, the Cultural Centre creates work opportunities and promotes creativity like handcrafts, performing arts, bird watching, canoeing, hill climbing and village walks. This creates an alternative income to gold, timber, meat and honey they used to get from the National park.

Due to the terrain of high hills and heavy rainfall that washes away fertile soils, agriculture alone may not be sufficient to sustain the communities around the National Park.

Through community tourism the local inhabitants get an increased understanding of how much biodiversity especially gorillas mean for their survival as an important aspect that they can conserve if they want a future.

Pygmies

NCC brings a sense of self-estem, pride and confidence among the pigmies who were evacuated in their habitat (Bwindi), which also was their sole dependance. Their beautiful music, Dances is exhibited in the Centre for them to earn a living.

NCC focuses on a project of Batwa Conservation Trust (BCT), which promotes on Education, prevention of malaria and AIDS among the pigmies. The Batwa are endangered tribe since their population may not reach 4000 in the whole country and they face extinction with HIV, which now has claimed some of them.

SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES FOR TOURISTS

What do we offer for tourists?

• Catering
• Accommodation ( Only two Banda’s)
• Canoeing
• Hill climbing
• Camping
• Village walks
• Bird watching

Cultural day tours:

• Blacksmith and Herbalist Expedition
• Byakugaba Scenic Point exploration
• Ruhezamyenda Excursion
• Rubuguri Village walk

BYAKUGABA SCENIC POINT EXPLOLATION

Byakugaba Scenic Point is the only highest point at boarder of  Bwindi National Park where you can view clearly the Virunga range and be able to count the seven ranges. Mt Muhabura, Mgahinga and Sabyinyo have the best expedition for hiking. We  also view the western rift valley overseeing lake Mutanda and the landscaping to the rift valley. Despite its best scenic point it has a variety of flora and fauna in the pocket forests that exist in the farm. Byakugaba Eco tourism Site is the integration of farming and tourism in conservation. The best way to view the national park is when you are in the south of the site. The high altitude of  Byakugaba gives it a chance to have different avi fauna.

In addition we travel to Murujogo Batwa village for a complete interaction with the forest people who were evacuated in the forest after being a National Park. Thereafter we will share their cultural experience through cultural performance and exhibition of their Handcrafts.

RUHEZAMYENDA CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

Today we will travel outside the Cultural Centre and visit Bubare Batwa Village. On the way we enjoy the spectacular view of Bwindi National Park. The interaction with the forest people who preserved Bwindi for millennia is paramount. We will learn about local culture as our host (pygmies)’ answers some questions and demonstrate some of the activities they used to do in the Forest before they were evacuated. We will be able to buy some hand crafts created by them including the gorilla curvings, baskets and Cultural performance for them to earn a living.

We shall canoe on the meandering Ruhezamyenda River as we search for birds like Kingfisher, Grey crowned Crown Hadada ibis. We travel back to the cultural centre for Cultural Exhibition.

RUBUGURI VILLAGE WALK

(Experiencing the first homesteads in the area)
We will start from the homesteads near the Cultural Centre and sit in their homestead for a complete African interaction. One homestead arranges accommodation in their on request to share an over night together. While on the tour the culminating point will be the enjoyment of banana brewing process of Ruhita Ekiika (society) which exhibits African creativity. We will walk to the Caves that were the first families homesteads and learn some stories of their first experience.

We will interact with St Josephs Secondary Vocational Community School which was initiated by Rubuguri Super Star Actor  and thereafter we experience the  performance of Nkuringo elderly group and Rubuguri super star.

TROPICAL NATURE WALKS

Nkuringo Cultural Centre organizes Bwindi Tropical National Park Nature walks which have a lot of Flora and Fauna of Albertan Rift. We will be also be accompanied on the nature walk by the pygmies who inhabited the Forest for millennia.Bwindi National Park because they are conversant with impenetrable since they belonged to it. While on the nature you will enjoy the tropical primates.