Boma cultural village in Semuliki national park

Boma cultural village in Semuliki national park is a good stop for anyone who wants to spend time with the local Batwa. Boma cultural village is located at the boundaries of Semuliki national park and it’s known as the home of the batwa pygmies. Semuliki national park is one of Uganda’s smallest national parks located in Bundibugyo district in western Uganda. The national park has a total area of 220 sq. km that comprises lowland tropical forest.

Boma cultural village is the right place to visit for tourists who want to learn about the Batwa traditions and way of living. The batwa pygmies initially lived in Semuliki national park together with animals until the area was gazetted by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The Batwa pygmies used to get food, medicine, back cloth, and perfumes from the forest of Semuliki national park.

Semuliki national park was first gazetted as a game reserve in 1932 but later in 1993, it was upgraded to a national park. When the Uganda Wildlife Authority gazetted the park, it evaded all the people who were living in the forest or visiting the forest. Among these people were the Batwa pygmies who had been staying here for hundreds of years ago.

When the batwa were evicted from Semuliki national park, they were shown areas around the park boundaries to settle. Today, there are so many communities of the batwa around Semuliki national park, and tourists who are interested in seeing these short people can visit them any time they visit the park. Among the villages around Semuliki national park where tourists can find the Batwa pygmies is Boma cultural village.

Boma cultural village is one of the famous villages visited by tourists who are interested in knowing more about the Batwa. Boma cultural village is slowly developing and you will see this after taking a walking tour around the village. This village is located near Semuliki national park and a few minutes drive will take you to the village.

Visiting Boma Cultural Village

A visit to Boma cultural village is done by tourists at any time of the year any time of the day. What tourists do or their driver guides do is community with the park authorities in advance so that they prepare accordingly. A local guide from the Boma cultural village in most cases leads the tourists to Boma cultural village. This is because they know much about the village, Batwa people, and help in translating for easy communication.

When tourists arrive at Boma cultural village, they are welcomed by the local people. These people are very happy and welcoming and they are always ready to tell their stories. Tourists are always welcomed by the traditional dancers who are good at entertaining people through dance and drama. After the warm welcome, tourists are then allowed to have some rest and they prepare for a small tour around the community.

Touring the Batwa community is normally led by the local guide and this one takes you around the different homes that are found in the community. At every home, you meet different people with different stories as well as things they do for a living. By the time you finish visiting different homesteads, you will know what these Batwa people do to earn a living.

Among the homes you visit at the Boma community include the homes of elder people. The elder people have better stories of long ago when they were still living inside Semuliki national park.  The elders will tell stories of what they ate in the jungle, the plants they used as local medicine, the animals they killed for meat, and how they used to kill them and they will also tell you how they used to manage staying together with animals.

The Boma cultural village was made for the Batwa people who were evicted out of Semuliki national park therefore tourists who are visiting this village should expect more of the Batwa pygmies. Some of the batwa pygmies in this village are not as short as those of long ago and this is because of intermarriage with the people they found outside the park.

Still, at the Boma cultural village, tourists can visit different businesses that are run by the local people and support them. Some batwa make African crafts such as handbags, shoes, necklaces, and much more which they sell to visitors and get money to earn a living. After the visit, the local dancers will again entertain you through dance and drama. They will then escort you to your safari car happily and thank you for visiting them.

Boma cultural village is one of the areas you can visit for cultural tours in Semuliki national park however there are many others where you can meet other tribes. The Batwa are the most loved because they are short and they lived inside Semuliki national park. It’s said that the batwa of Semuliki are still allowed to enter the jungle and get food as well as herbs for medicine. They are however not allowed to hunt animals because this would reduce the population.

Semuliki national park is one of the areas where tourists can meet the Batwa pygmies and these are visited at the Boma cultural village. Visiting the Batwa people will leave you satisfied because they are really amazing and welcoming people. They are good entertainers and good storytellers which will give you an opportunity to know what happen long time ago while they still lived in the forest.

Apart from visiting Boma cultural village, tourists can visit Semuliki national park and take part in activities like chimpanzee trekking, bird watching, nature walks, and also visit the hot springs. Semuliki national park is located in western Uganda next to Kibale forest national park and Rwenzori Mountains. Getting to the park takes 4 to 5 hours from Kampala via Mityana, Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, and Bundibugyo where the park is located.