My favourite guided excursion in Uganda since it opened in the 1990s, the swamp walk at Bigodi – centrepiece of a lauded community project bordering Kibale National Park – remains a great place to look for a host of localised forest and swamp-dwelling birds, from the spectacular great blue turaco and yellow-billed barbet to the vocal but elusive papyrus gonolek. On my most recent visit, the fringing forest also threw up excellent views of four diurnal primates: red colobus, black-and-white colobus, red-tailed monkey and the endemic Uganda mangabey.

Despite the construction of several wooden walkways, the path can be sticky and muddy underfoot, so take up the offer of free gumboot usage. The walk is best undertaken in the morning, followed by lunch at the fabulous new Bee Hive Bar & Bistro opposite.

Philip Briggs, TRAVEL AFRICA January 2019 edition (Briggs is author of Bradt Uganda Guide, the definitive guidebook to Uganda)

Step into a gem of biodiversity as you explore the Bigodi wetlands with KAFRED and partake in a range of exciting activities that promote the conservation of natural and cultural heritage while directly benefiting the local people. Scroll down for full details.

KAFRED offers a variety of nature walks and village walks led by trained local guides. KAFRED is the creator of Bigodi’s swamp walk

Twitchers, where are you?

Enjoy interpretive Guided Nature Walks (2-3 hours) at the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary with KAFRED

Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary (formerly known as Magombe Swamp) is home of 8 species of primates including the endangered Red colobus, the Uganda endemic mangabey, Red tailed monkey, I’Hoest’s monkey, Black & White colobus and many others. Magombe swamp is a haven for other mammals including Sitatungas and Bushbucks. The swamp has open canopy and the animals are easy to view and photograph compared to other forested habitats. Local and knowledgeable guides will escort you through the lush vegetation as you view the wildlife from the forest pathways. Board walks are constructed to help cross the swamp to form a complete circuit.

Take part in interpretive Village Walks (3 hours) with KAFRED

Go on a tour through the village of Bigodi (“home of two tribes”). Visit a traditional healer, learn about coffee farming and brewing and hear stories from wise elderly men and women as to what they face as a developing community of rural Uganda. Along the way you will be given the chance to experience the Uganda school system and Bigodi Tourism Town Council, a hub of rural life and activity.

Would you like to try traditional Kitooro food? Watch local dancers? Buy handicrafts? Stay overnight in a community home?

*With advance booking, KAFRED walks can be punctuated with a number of add-ons:

• Traditional meals. Indulge in a traditional Kitooro lunch of fresh, organic food under a thatched roof, with warm company to the background melodies of song birds.
• Dance & Drama. Sit back and watch local dancers and dramatists give traditional and educational performances.
• Handicrafts. A local women’s group will demonstrate their meticulous crafts skills, using environmentally sustainable materials like agricultural residue and recycled paper to make baskets, and other crafts items. Baskets come in many shapes, sizes, and patterns and are available for onsite sale as well as export.
• Homestead Tourism. Spend a night living the Kitooro way, in a community members’ home. Rooms and traditional meals provided. Food is organic and stories and dancers as complements.

All of the above activities must be booked in advance please.

Who is KAFRED? And how do tourists support their community?

Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development (KAFRED) is a community based organisation that strives for the conservation of biodiversity and the development of its local community through ecotourism and other environmentally sustainable business.

Since 1992 KAFRED has been actively promoting conservation by reinvesting tourism revenues into diverse community development projects. When the community feels a direct benefit from conservation, local people feel motivated to conserve the wild lands for the future generations. Be assured that the money you pay for KAFRED’s tourist activities will benefit a wider community and is not shared by individuals.

Examples of community projects funded thanks to tourism revenue include:

• Construction and management of Bigodi Secondary School.
• Support of Bigodi Health Center III
• Employment and guide training for locals
• Training women in handcraft product development and marketing of crafts
• Establishment of a fund for families affected by crop raiding animals (such as elephants or primates)
• Support of a school conservation education program – UNITE – in collaboration with North Carolina Zoo
• A scholarship programme for students from families that can’t afford further education.
• Help to initiate other local business endeavors such as Bigodi beekeeping and fish farming

How to get to KAFRED

Bigodi Town is located 6 km south of the Kibale National Park visitor centre at Kanyanchu, and 36 km south of Fort Portal on the Fort Portal – Kamwenge Road. As you ascend to Bigodi Trading Center, KAFRED will be a well-signed establishment on the right-hand side just before the Beehive Bar and Bistro.

How to book KAFRED walks and other activities

Nature walks and village walks can be booked in advance or in person. Traditional Kitooro lunch, dance & drama performances and homestead stays must be booked in advance.

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