Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary

Bigodi wetlands sanctuary is managed by Kibaale Association for Rural and Environmental Development (KAFRED) on behalf of the community. This sanctuary is one of the most successful community based project initiated and managed by Ugandans. The wetland is 8 kilometers long and is an important wildlife corridor for Kibale Forest. The local community benefits through schools, clinic, roads and other community services given free to its members. The community now appreciates conservation of biodiversity and the benefits of ecotourism.

 

We set off for Bigodi at 12.30pm. En route, we found moulds of elephant dung which provided the only evidence of the presence of the rear Forest Elephant. We arrived at the booking office at 1 pm and after paying a fee of 10,000 shillings (5 US Dollars), we met Ivan our guide. We were then provided with a pair of boots and binoculars. Ivan was very knowledgeable about birds, plant species and primates. The trail in Bigodi takes about 3 hours we opted to do half trail as our Itinerary was very tight.

  On the way to the trail we passed by a group of children who had gone to fetch water from the swamp. We then came across a tree hosting a very large colony of the Great Blue Turaco; Ivan told us this sanctuary holds the largest colony of the Turaco in the world. It is aptly named “The Home of The Blue Turaco”.

 

As we started the trail the temperatures dropped significantly and visibility decreased to a few meters. After walking for 15 minutes our guide told us to stop and pointed to some trees, showing us monkeys which we failed to see; all we see were moving branches. Further into the wetland we saw different species of monkeys like Grey cheeked Mangabey, Olive Baboons, Black and White Collobus, Red tailed, Vervet and Blue tailed monkeys. We were told that there are other mammals like bushbucks, sittings and otters.

The binoculars came in very handy for birding. We saw and identified 10 species during our one - hour excursion. We saw the black winged grey bishop, Emerald Cuckoo, King Fisher, Grey winged Robin Chat, Blue Shrouded Robin Chat, Yellow vented bulbul, Long Crested Eagle. The swamp in the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary was dump but it could also flood and get soggy in the dry season. To overcome some difficult areas places, board walks ways were made. There also tree houses that are used as pavilions for avid bird watch towers

 

On return from Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary we had lunch at Kibaale Primate Lodge set off for Queen Elizabeth National Park, on our way we met a large community of Baboons and Chimpanzees playing along the road, we passed by Ndali Crater lake and finally got to Simba Camp at 5.30 pm.