No words can accurately describe the experience of standing within 15 feet of a 400-lb. silverback mountain gorilla. Travelers to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, home to half of the world’s mountain gorilla population, may use words like “mystical,” “majestic” and “sublime” in telling of the great apes and the moment of being in their presence. Nevertheless, they often return home in a silence that will remain as powerful and profound as when they trekked through the misty mountain rainforest.

The Bwindi Impenetrable forest itself carries an aura of mystery and wonderment. It is known as “Impenetrable” for its dense undergrowth and its towering canopy of colossal trees, which are shrouded with creepers and vines, mistletoe and orchids. Besides the gorillas, wildlife watchers may spot a boundless variety of creatures, from groups of chimpanzees to the exotic turacos birds. Located in the southwest corner of Uganda, the forest became an UNESCO World Heritage site a decade ago, and it has quickly become a model for eco-tourism in Africa, albeit sometimes a controversial one.

Bwindi is a sanctuary for 330 of 600 mountain gorillas in the world, with the other half in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Until recently, political unrest and violence have marred those two countries and cut off tourism to gorilla habitats. Thus, Uganda has become the king of the mountain for such tourism.  

As a relative newcomer to international tourism in Africa, Uganda has become a pioneer in eco-tourism, focusing on low volumes of tourists for extended stays and at higher costs. Gorilla trekking is ideal for that niche market, known as low-impact tourism. Tourists must travel in small groups and they are only allowed to observe the gorillas for one hour. You must be 15-years-old or older as well to go on the gorilla trek, as younger people present more of a risk for disease transmission.

The costs of such a precious venture remain premium with a large percentage of such profits going towards conservation and communities around Bwindi. Uganda also has some of the most eco-friendly lodges and camping facilities such as the Gorilla Forest Camp in Bwindi.

In many ways, Uganda has become a fascinating testing ground for the balance struck between conservation, sustainable community development, and tourism.

The International Ecotourism Society defines eco-tourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” The principles of such tourism include minimal impact, environmental and cultural awareness and respect, positive experiences for visitors and hosts, direct financial benefits for conservation, and financial benefits and empowerment for local people.

Unfortunately, eco-tourism has come to be defined crudely by some as just “nature tourism” in general, disregarding its sustainable and community-driven aspects. Even many tour operators and travelers who fully recognize eco-tourism as a sustainable and fair means to environmental conservation often neglect the second half of that definition. 

Eco-tourism conserves the environment and “improves the well-being of local people.” The vision behind that concept is many sided, seeing tourism profit sharing as not only as just for those communities surrounding such natural gems as Bwindi, but also as an economic incentive to promote conservation in such communities. 

Furthermore, full-fledged eco-tourism includes the traveler’s deeper awareness of cultures and communities in which they come into contact. It’s fair to say that, ideally, eco-tourism and cultural tourism share the same roots and must be intertwined for true sustainable tourism and development. 

A good start, but. . .

While Uganda has gained international notoriety for its eco-tourism, it has drawn some criticism for not keeping that balance between conservation and community empowerment balanced enough.

For example, when Bwindi became a World Heritage Site, the Pygmy Batwa tribe in the forest were seen as a threat to the gorillas and subsequently expelled from their homelands without receiving any of the profits from the tourism. (As of recently, the Batwa are finally being included in some of the profit sharing and cultural tourism programs around Bwindi with another surrounding tribe, the Bachinga.)

Further research about eco-tourism and cultural tourism are clearly needed. It is still early, however, as Uganda continues to develop such programs. Besides the Bachinga and the Batwa near the Bwindi forest, Uganda has rich cultural history admired throughout East Africa and the world.

For example, the Busoga tribe lives along the Nile River, not far from Lake Victoria, the very source of Africa’s great river. They are revered as fine musicians and make massive xylophones upon which up to six people play interlocking rhythms with accompanying fiddling and singing. Cultural tours allow travelers to join in the music-making and dancing. Other activities include hunt for lungfish in rice paddies, traditional cooking, learning about Busoga traditional and herbal medicines, and listening to stories and wisdom from the likes of a spirit healer.

The Buganda tribe, from which the country takes its name, also has a royal music tradition, and their ancient religious and other sites draw many a curious traveler each year. (The Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi became Uganda’s most recent addition to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2001.)

In traveling to such sacred sites or playing music with so skilled musicians, travelers will inevitably fall in love not only with East Africa’s resplendent wildlife and lands, but also with its people, engendering sustainable tourism, culturally and ecologically, for years to come.

And so with hope and commitment from the traveler, the conservationist, and the East African, Uganda will remain, as Sir Winston Churchill once wrote of it, “the pearl of Africa”.