CULTURE-BASED TOURISM

The hotels in the area offer more or less the same cultural "experiences". These include a tour of the villages and hamlets around the lake, visits to local markets (in Rutinda on Mondays and Fridays, but also in Kyevu, in the southwestern part of the lake), or the discovery of rock shelters (used by the locals in the past as a place of refuge during periods of political unrest). You will also meet blacksmiths who work with metal using traditional techniques. You will see them blowing and hammering in order to make various ironworks (from spoons to machetes and hoes...). It is also possible, in particular through the Edirisa organization, to go to the Kyabahinga peninsula (opposite Rutinda) to have a sip ofobushera and to share the botanical knowledge of a healer. Finally, most hotels organize excursions to the western shores of the lake and to the edge of the Echuya forest to meet the Twa Pygmies. This meeting is usually quite short and is usually a show for the tourists with traditional dances... If you wish to avoid this "folklorization", the best is to opt for the Batwa Today program set up by Edirisa. During several hours, you will have the right to a Twa guide who will make you discover the Echuya forest as well as the history and customs of the Batwa.