The village guided tours and their descriptions

village walk:

• Information: 3-4 hours, moderate walking, with private guide, in the village, visiting households, Credit card accepted.
• Key highlights/ attractions: cultural encounters, local homesteads, art and crafts, people experiences of life, rural street life
• Description: An opportunity to walk through the rustic villages on the foothills of Rwenzori Mountains. This walk happens in the hills and plains overlooking river Mubuku you will see the local trades. Meet the Ugandan indigenous people while you participate in their daily way of life, cooking, craft making, farming, traditional healing and listening to the local stories of life on these beautiful mountains.

Buraru Forest walk:

• Information: 3-4 hours , moderate walking with slight climbs, walking in nature, neighboring Rwenzori Mountain National Park, Credit card accepted
• Key highlights/ attractions: Plants and trees, chameleons, birds, rivers, insects and butterflies, reptiles medicinal plants, food crops
• Description: On this trail, nature is in a abundance. On a lucky day, you may spot monkeys, Rwenzori Turaco bird, and the small animals such as chameleons and other reptiles. it is like walking in a dreamland with the forest sounds from the insects and rivers flowing from the Rwenzori glaciers.

You can also find the interactive version of the Ruboni village map here

Makongothe Hill climb walk:

• Information: 3-4 hours, climbing from 1603 to 2300 m, complex and demanding, Credit card accepted
• Key highlights/ attractions: scenery, residential homes with gardens, birds and insects, medicinal plants, food crops
• Description: The trek exposes astonishing beauty of Ruboni village as you view the Mubuku valley extending from the Rwenzori glaciers to lake George in queen Elizabeth National Park. On a clear day, you will be able to view margarita peak from the top of the hill. It is also possible to take an overnight on the hill and take the clear morning and evening Mountain and sunrise views.

Makongothe Overnight hill trek:

• Information: Overnight activity, wildness camping experience, climbing from 1603 to 2300 m, complex and demanding, Credit card accepted
• Key highlights/ attractions: scenery, residential homes with gardens, birds and insects, medicinal plants, food crops, night panoramic views, campfire, morning sunrise and mountain views
• Description: After an early lunch, you will trek from Ruboni village to the hills on north of river Mubuku. Trekking uphill is a moment to enjoy this beautiful scenery offered by the Rwenzori Mountains. The trek is through a mix of homesteads, farms and savannah vegetation with chances of spotting birds, insects and other small creatures. As you get higher, the scenery gets more fascinating. You will set camp on the top of the mountains. On a clear sky you will have an opportunity to view margarita peak and Lake George at the same time, especially in the evening and morning.

Banana farming tour experience:

• Information: 1 – 2 hours, on the farm, hands-on experience, short /flat/ moderate  walk, Credit card accepted
• Key highlights/ attractions: local homestead experience, practical farming, tasting different banana food products.
• Description: the story of the bananas will experience how much one single crop can do in the life of the village people. From food, building materials, art and crafts, animal feeds, games and sports, irrigation and water supply. At the end of the tour, you may move to learn why the farmers started producing wine out of the bananas.

Traditional story teller visit:

• Information: 1-2 hours, slight climbing, homestead visiting, listening activity, Credit card accepted
• Key highlights/ attractions: listening to the local dialect and experssions, learning the local indigenous culture, local building architecture,
• Description: Meet the local story teller in his home and learn how he educates the young and old members of Ruboni village. listen to the local stories and experesions as they have been used by the local people for hundredsof years in the rwenzori foothills. You will listen to the different stories that shape the traditional culture of the Bakonzo people and how it has managed to move over generations. The naming story, traditional marriage, conservation stories and other entertaining cultural tales.

Bakonzo Black smith visit:

• Information: 1-2 hours, moderate walk through the village, hands-on activity, visit for all ages. Credit card accepted
• Key highlights/ attractions: Seeing essential tools being made by hand, making own tool, purchase some made tools,
• Description: Traditionally, tools in Ruboni village are used to till the land, grow crops, used for defending of the family, build houses, cure diseases, hunting and many other roles. In the past, the villages never accessed tools. Until now, not all people in the village can afford modern tools, yet everyone in the village must own these tools to survive. You will appreciate the role of the blacksmith when you participate in making some of the tools that he makes and sales to the local community members.

Coffee farming and making experience:

• Information: 1-2 hours, on the farm, homestead visit, Credit card accepted
• Key highlights/ attractions: following coffee from planting to making a cup of coffee, participating in the coffee making, learning the uses of coffee by the local family, seeing the coffee trees in the garden,  hands-on use of local household tools and equipment, buying some coffee beans to take home
• Description: A practical story of how coffee is planted, farmed, harvested and processed until you take that fresh organic cup of Rwenzori coffee. You will participate in the traditional methods of making the coffee drink from the farm to the table, just as the bakonzo have done it for years in the most nature friendly approaches. At the end, you can buy some of this precious drink to bring to your loved ones.

Vanilla farming experience:

• Information: 1 hour, on the farm, hands-on experience, short /flat/ moderate walk, Credit card accepted
• Key highlights/ attractions: local homestead experience, practical farming, and pollinating a vanilla flower by hand, learning how to cure vanilla, making vanilla extract, buying some vanilla for use at home.
• Description: One farmer takes you through a journey of her day of work on the vanilla orchid, as you practice this tedious work of planting, tending pollinating and harvesting vanilla. Learn how every pod is pollinated by hand as you follow the full journey of growing this orchid from vine to making the best flavor for your confectionery or perfume back home. After going through the curing experience, you may buy some for taking as gifts to your loved ones.

Banana wine making experience:

• Information: 1 hour, all activities at a home, hands-on experience, short /flat/ moderate walk, Credit card accepted
• Key highlights/ attractions: learning the background of banana wine, learning the process of making banana wine, tasting banana wine, buying some banana wine to take away, interacting with the family members about their life aspects.
• Description: The banana is doing wonders in the lives of the locals in Ruboni village, and you will see how this innovation  is  now producing a great wine out of the bananas. On the visit, a farmer will tell you a background of why they have started making wine from bananas, tell you the stages of making wine and allow you to participate or test the ready wine. At the end, you may buy a bottle to take a way.

Ssebwe water falls trek:

• Information: 4-6 hours hiking, trek from 1232m to 2080m.a.s.l. located inside the park and requires park entrance fees, Hilly terrain and demanding, guided trek
• Key highlights/ attractions: rewarding views of the Valleys, the rift valley floor plains, Hima town, and the crater lakes in Kibale National Park, plenty of fresh water rivers, feeling the ice-cold waters, walking under the natural rain forest, a lovely view of the falls with roaring sounds, the rich green vegetation, birds and primates, meeting the happy local people of the mountain side
• Description: It is a family of seven cascading waterfalls and rapids. It is viewed through openings in the green equatorial rain forest of Rwenzori mountains National Park. the trek goes through the local community. Common sight is the crop garden of coffee and Cassava the warm smiles and waves of the locals as you pass them. The falls are so massive that, from a distance, you can already enjoy their views and roaring sounds as they thump and roll over the rocks.

Rwenzori trekking activities:

• Information: Multi-day treks into the mountains (1-6 nights options) trekking the mid and high mountains, up to 5109, requires park entrance fees, sold in a package covering all, peak climbing requires technical equipment, cashless payments only,
• Key highlights/ attractions: Climbing margarita peak at 5109, seeing snow at the equator, great scenery five vegetation zones, unique Rwenzori turaco bird, primates, chameleons, glacier rivers, a rich selection of plants and flower life,
• Description: This is a collection of trekking options. It offers from a one day to multi-day treks on the low and high mountain peaks including margarita peak standing at 5109m above sea level. Ruboni tourism village is the base camp to these Mountain treks offered by different providers in the village. The starting point of these treks is at the park gate. They include the 7 days 6 nights margarita trek, the 3 days mahoma trek, the one day nature walk to Nyabitaba and any other days of choice.