It was a memorable day as we participated in the community walks, when I learnt that communities are making paper out of Elephant dung. The breath taking scenery, the rich culture, the delicious organic foods and the very welcoming people were all invaluable and worth experiencing. Our base was Nyanziibiri eco-campsite, In Rubirizi district. The location of our holiday was on the escarpment area neighboring queen Elizabeth National park.
We started our day with a community guide introducing the people and culture of the area. Then we proceeded to the villages where the residents showed us their true way of life. It sounded such a happy and accommodating neighborhood for the Elephants, bush pigs, baboon and all other wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National park.
These lakes were the gate to our happy day. The walk started by taking our way through the land between the twin lakes, Lake Kamweru and Lake Kyema, traditionally known to be brothers. From the interpretation of our guide, these lakes have a very strong attachment to the local people cherishing the Bunyaruguru culture. Listen to this story first hand when you visit the area and you wont regret the time.
The full day tour with multiple community experiences took us through the homes, farms and breathe taking scenarios over the craters on the escarpment. Other experiences we took include the cave tour, Mukorobozi trail, the paper making tour where the community collects the elephant dunk from their gardens and use it to make paper for sale. The elephant dunk paper was among the many trip highlights and I would encourage everyone to go and see how innovation can turn challenges into profits, as the community which used to cry due the elephants that raid their crops, now smile when the Elephants pay them millions through their dung
Finally, we retired to a well-deserved dinner at the Nyanziibiri Eco campsite. Made from organic foods and vegetables harvested from the campsite gardens and the tilapia fish freshly caught from Lake Kamweru, where our tour started.