MARAMAGAMBO FOREST

This forest, which stretches at the foot of the escarpment marking the eastern boundary of the park, is home to many chimpanzees, but unlike their congeners in the Kyambura Gorge, they are hardly accustomed to the presence ofHomo sapiens, and there are currently no plans to observe them. You will, however, be able to hear their distinctive and emblematic call. Although little developed for tourism, the Maramagambo forest is easily accessible. Various species of primates (Hœst's cercopithecus, guéréza colobus, baboon, samango, ascagne...) and birds (bulbul, souimanga, forest flycatcher, white-naped pigeon, Rwenzori touraco...), as well as a few small antelopes, enjoy the twig and undergrowth. Three guided walks (from 2 hours to half a day) are organized from the UWA rangers' lodge, to discover the forest biodiversity. The program includes walks around lakes such as Nyamusingire, and a visit to a cave occupied by bats (Egyptian flying foxes) and four pythons (another nearby "cave" is home to cobras...). Chiroptophobes need not worry: a secure observation platform has been built in the cave to avoid any contact with the aforementioned flying foxes, identified some fifteen years ago as the natural reservoir of the Marburg virus. As the local ants are particularly voracious, flip-flops, Bermuda shorts and tank tops are not really recommended...