Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks are surrounded by local communities. Some tribe like the Batwa used to stay in the above-mentioned parks before they were gazetted into national parks. After tracking the mountain gorillas, spend some time with the communities around and see different kind of life. The Batwa of Bwindi has many to offer to the tourists, they sing their traditional songs, Dance, they tell stories, they demonstrate their kind of life how they used to stay in the forest.
A visitor can go ahead and visit community development around, schools, hospitals and etc. other local people around Bwindi are the Bakiga, they also have unique culture and they are so welcoming people. They do traditional activities on different lodges and also around the parks.
In Bwindi Buhoma region, there is a community organization called Ride for a woman. The organization exists to support local women struggling at home with issues associated with HIV, domestic violence and poverty. More than 300 women from 11 villages now use or work at the Ride 4 a Woman community center, where they can learn to pedal sew, weave baskets, dance, sing and drum; learning new skills, making a living and making it possible for their children to gain an education.
The organization also offers microfinance, helping women to help themselves and support their families. To date over 100 women are actively engaged in the Ride 4 a Woman Microfinance Program.
This retreat in the local community offers local women a place to stay, something to eat and a wage while they learn new skills.
At Ride 4 a woman, women do activities like pedal sew, Traditional cooking, basket weaving, Kiga Dance, and authentic experiences. This place also has accommodation facilities to offer and the restaurant.
After gorilla trekking visit the ride 4 a woman shop and buy yourself souvenirs to take back home these include cushion covers, clothes to hair accessories, computer and iPad cases to purses and handbags, all products are to the highest standard giving you lightweight, quality gifts to take home to friends and family.
They have expert basket weavers, innovating and exploring with design and shape every day and offering large to small decorative baskets, coasters, table-mats and more. All income from the shop is put straight back in to support the women of Buhoma through the work of Ride 4 a Woman, which offers women of the community new skills and jobs, access to Microcredit, a safe drinking water supply and shelter in time of need.
The Batwa experience in Mgahinga also offers similar activities like in Bwindi National Park, they do music, dance, entering the forest and show the Garamba cave where they will show they used to hide in here, hunting skills, harvesting honey, getting fire and etc.
Also, other parks offer community-based activities like Ruboni community near Rwenzori national park, Boom women group in Murchison falls national park, the Iki unique culture in Northern Uganda near Kidepo Valley National Park, Bagishu with Mbalu cultural invent, Nyero paintings in Eastern Uganda, The batwa of Semliki etc.