Activities

Nearby Attractions and Things to Do Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge Rushaga

Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge is blessed to be a stone throw away from Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the home of mountain gorillas. It takes only 10 minutes to get inside the park. At Rushaga you have a chance to see gorillas from 7 Gorilla families, including; Nshongi , Bweza, Busingye, Mishaya, Kahungye, newly habituated Bikingi and Bushaho families. It is also possible to drive for an hour and trek Gorillas of the Nkuringo Gorilla family. There is one Gorilla family in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (2 hours drive from the Lodge) which we can arrange for you to track. Note: We can arrange a cultural community entertainment at the Lodge on request. For this and all these activities

Rushaga forest walk A walk to the water falls in Bwindi forest is chance to encounter real forest life and birds. Pygmy (Batwa) Cultural trail and Golden monkey walk experiences can be arranged for you not to miss.

Most notable is the tomb of the most famous kind of the kingdom, Kabalega, who staged several fierce battles with Buganda kingdom and rejected the British colonial rule for a long time.

Community walk We shall get engaged with; Batwa community, Agro-tourism, Three horned chameleon tracking, preparing local foods with the community (if interested), Bat tracking

Nature walk The nature walk goes up to the Rushaga falls but we won’t go through the forest

Birding Birding lovers will find Ichumbi a great starting point for lots of forest birds and a great number of bird endemics. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest has over 350 species. Day excursions can be done for bird watching in Mgahinga and lake mulehe/chahafi.

Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site, located in south-western Uganda, on the edge of the Albertine Rift.

Activities in Masindi town

Budongo Forest Reserve. It is the most extensive and ecologically diverse forest in East Africa with over 465 plant species recorded, is located about 40 km( 25 miles to the west of Masindi on the Masindi Butiaba road). Kaniyo Pabidi Eco Tourism Center is located about 25 km along the Masindi – Paraa road in Pakanyi Sub County, Kaniyo Pabidi Eco tourism center is of equal importance. In addition to forest/ nature and primate walks and bird watching, the area is famous for easy chimpanzee viewing. Busingiro Tourism Center.

It is located in Bujenje County close to Budongo Forest reserve some 40km on the Masindi Butiaba road. Busingiro Tourism Center offers forest/ nature and primate walks and bird watching in Budongo Forest Reserve. The Royal Mile

The Royal Mile is a road stretch constructed by one of the Bunyoro Kitara kings for leisure/ nature walk, is a key attraction for visitors to Budongo Forest near Nyabyeya Forestry College in Budongo Sub County.

While at Kigarama Wilderness lodge you have an opportunity to take part in a number of sustainable activities such as boat safaris, guided nature or village walks, visiting the ankole cows, cycling safari in the park and around the community, horseback riding in the park, sunrise and sunset viewing, also while at the lodge you will often have and opportunity to embrace breath taking panoramic views of the Lake Mburo National Park, coupled with nature overhead and experience wildlife up close grazing at your door step. In addition, you will often have a few of the animals from the park reaching the lodge creating beautiful memorable scenes of adventure.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Kigarama Wilderness Lodge being a small community lodge focused on sustainable tour activities offers you an opportunity to engage with the local community while supporting them socially and economically while embracing and preserving the customs, culture and heritage of the people

VISITING THE ANKOLE LONG HORNED COWS Get up close and personal with the magnificent long-horned Ankole cows. Immerse yourself in the wonder of these unique animals. This is an incredible opportunity to witness the long horns and graceful presence of the Ankole cows

SUNSET & SUNRISE VIEWING The lodge is situated on a hill offering you a perfect spot and an opportunity of witnessing the beauty of nature's daily spectacular views of the sunrise and sunset

BOAT SAFARI The boat safari offers a unique and exhilarating way to explore wildlife and experience nature from a different perspective. As you glide through the waters of Lake Mburo, you will have the opportunity to witness the beauty of majestic animals in their natural habitat up close and personal. From elephants bathing in the river to […]

CYCLING SAFARI Pedal through the wilderness of Lake Mburo National Park and the near by villages, this is filled opportunities of adventure and community engagement

HORSEBACK RIDING This exhilarating experience allows you to immerse yourself in the stunning landscapes of the park while getting up close and personal with its incredible wildlife. As you gallop through the park

GUIDED WALKING SAFARIS Embark on a thrilling adventure of a guided walking safari in the breathtaking Lake Mburo National Park. Immerse yourself in the stunning wilderness and get up close to the diverse wildlife and captivating ecosystem that this park has to offer.

The Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara

The Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitarais the remainder of a once powerful empire of Kitara. At the height of its glory, the empire included present day Masindi, Hoima, Kibaale, Kabarole and Kasese districts; also parts of present day Western Kenya, Northern Tanzania and Eastern Congo. That Bunyoro-Kitara is only a skeleton of what it used to be is an absolute truth to which History can testify. One may ask how a mighty empire, like Kitara, became whittled away to the present underpopulated and underdeveloped kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara. This is the result of many years of orchestrated, intentional and malicious marginalization, dating back to the early colonial days. The people of Bunyoro, under the reign of the Mighty King Cwa II Kabalega, resisted colonial domination. Kabalega, and his well trained army of “Abarusuura” (soldiers), put his own life on the line by mounting a fierce, bloody resistance against the powers of colonialization. On April 9th, 1899, Kabalega was captured by the invading colonial forces and was sent into exile on the Seychelles Island. With the capture of Kabalega, the Banyoro were left in a weakened military, social and economic state, from which they have never fully recovered. Colonial persecution of the Banyoro did not stop at Kabalega’s ignominious capture and exile. Acts of systematic genocide continued to be carried out against the Banyoro, by the colonialists and other foreign invaders. Colonial efforts to reduce Bunyoro to a non entity were numerous, and continued over a long period of time. They included invasions where masses were massacred; depopulating large tracts of fertile land and setting them aside as game reserves; enforcing the growing of crops like tobacco and cotton at the expense of food crops; sanctioning looting and pilaging of villages by invading forces, importation killer diseases like syphilis that grew to epidemic proportions; and the list goes on. Details of the horrific, genocidal acts against the Banyoro are well documented in “Breaking Chains of Poverty”, published by the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom Advocacy Publications; authored by the Hon. Yolamu Ndoleriire Nsamba, Principal Private Secretary to H.M Solomon Gafabusa Iguru I, Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara. This book is a “must read” for anyone interested in the History and welfare of Bunyoro-Kitara. It enumerates Historical events, plus practices, past and present, that made Bunyoro-Kitara “a kingdom bonded in chains of poverty”.

Airports Near by Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge Rushaga

Kisoro Airport, Kabale

Kajjansi Airstrip

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Kisoro

Railway stations

• Kampala Railway Station

Most popular cities Near by Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge Rushaga

• Kisoro
• Kabale
• Kanungu
• Mbarara
• Rukugiri