Things To Do In Mabira Forest

Did you know that Mabira forest is one of the largest dense rainforests in Uganda?. Vibrant Holiday Safaris takes you through the forest, found in the districts of Buikwe between Jinja and Lugazi, the forest reserve is located about 20 kilometers away from Jinja and 54 kilometers from Kampala. Mabira forest covers an area of about 120sqm and is home to 311 tree species with ancient trees of about 70 years old also found in the middle of the forest. The outer part of the Forest was about 25 years has been cut down by the local communities living outside the forest.

Mabira forest was isolated in the late 1800s without interruption all the way to Central Africa. Mabira forest is diverse and harbors several animals and birds, the forest is also home to 219 butterfly species, and 316 bird species like the Nahan’s Francolin and the Papyrus Gonolex.79 bird species found in Mabira Forest can also be found in central Africa with animals including Blue duikers, Fruit bats, baboons, Bush pigs, Tree Hyrax, Red Hyrax, Red Tailed Monkeys and various species of snakes.

Mabira forest is a water catchment forest that serves many streams around the area like River Nile, Lake Kyoga, River Ssezibwa, and Lake Victoria. The Baganda people are the dominant tribe around the forest since the forest is of cultural importance to them since the gods of food and rain are believed to be there. The forest also provides medicine /herbs that are used to treat all kinds of illnesses among the people living around the area and the neighboring places.

Mabira became a protected forest reserve in 1932 but before the forest was used for extracting rubber and planting coffee in 1971 and 1979, the forest reserve became a place for poaching, logging, and a settlement area for the locals due to all these activities, the 50% of the forest cover was lost since trees were being cut down.

In 1985, all the farmers who had occupied the forest were evicted and reforestation took place aggressively as implemented by the government of Uganda which got support from inter-governmental organizations and other agencies who did everything possible to restore the forests and the Eco-tourism system to benefit the community living around the forest.

Mabira forest is one of the best Eco-tourism destinations that are in Uganda and there are tourists who come basically to visit the forests. Mabira is one the best place to learn about the natural resources and the endangered species that are found in the protected area. The forest can be explored on foot, motorcycles/bicycles by following the trails that have been marked for tourists to follow. Here are some of the activities that one can engage in during the visit to the Mabira forest reserve.

Bird watching

Mabira Forest Reserve is home to over 315 species of birds with the possibility at least 46% of birds of Uganda are in the forest. Some of the birds include the Afep pigeon, African Dwarf-kingfisher, African pied Hornbill, African Shrike-flycatcher, Black and white casqued Hornbill, Black-shouldered Nightjar, Blue-throated Roller, Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, Cassin’s Spinetail, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Forest Woodhoope, Green-breasted pitta, Grey parrot, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Nathan’s Francolin, Sabine’s Spine tail, Speckled Tinkerbird, White-bellied Kingfisher, White-spotted Fluff tail, Yellow-billed Barbet, Yellow-spotted Barbet, and the Yellow-throated Tinkerbird.

Bird watching in Mabira is great because of the density of the birds in the forest. A grassland trail is a favorite place for the birds since the trail passes through the area with fruiting trees which attracts many forest birds. Since there is a well-marked trail where birders can go alone or move with a guide who will make your experience so exciting.

Zip-lining (forest canopy)

Mabira has a canopy for a zip-line built to pass on top of the trees giving a clear view of the vast forest canopies. The equipment used is from international standards and was got from the United States of America. A group of volunteers from the Peace Corps helped put up the facility and trained Ugandans on how to maintain it. The activity is arranged into two sessions in the morning and afternoon.

The morning sessions of the activity start at 8 am to 12:00 pm with the afternoon sessions starting from 1 pm to 6 pm when accessing the forest canopy, you will be able to view the different creatures like birds, monkeys, and squirrels.

Nature walk

All visitors to Mabria are allowed to have a Nature walk to enjoy the beautiful sounds of the forest and during the nature walk, you can go alone or have a guide who will give you the knowledge and experience about the birds, butterflies, water bodies, plants, mammals, ancient trees. The forest trails are divided into four which are the Red Trail, Yellow Trail, and White Trail which is possible to be completed in one day by bike but most of the visitors choose one or two trails for the start. Mabira has over 312 species of trees that can be spotted while on a nature walk. Some of the Uganda tree species in Mabira include Mililia Exclesa, Cordia Millenii, and Warbughia.

Mountain Biking

Instead of walking through the complex trails, you can hire a mountain bike for completing the trails in one day. When using the bike, you will be able to move further to the neighboring communities where you will encounter primates, birds, giant trees, and the local people in the area.

The best bikes to be used can be hired from Jinja and also Griffin Falls camp also does the same to the guests and rent it at 40,000 Uganda Shillings.

Tracking monkeys

The main attraction in the Mabira forest is the Uganda Mangabey Monkey which is also known as the Lophocebus Uganda but it can also be found in other parts of the country and Tanzania. Since they move a lot in search of fruits especially during times of scarcity so sighting them will depend on the fruit season of the year. There are three groups that have been habituated and open to tourism so tourists are able to do tracking for the Uganda Mangabey Monkey which is liked by an experienced guide who took part in the habituation stages apart from the Uganda Mangabey Monkeys, you can also sight the red-tailed and Vervet Monkeys.

Apart from the mentioned activities, you can also go for butterfly identification, visit the Environmental Research centers, and even camp or picnics. The picnic grounds are so well arranged that you can be able to view the forest creatures like the primates and birds.

There is also a picnic trail that takes 15 to 20 minutes through the forest and the ancient trees. The hotels there arrange for cultural performances by the local people where you will be able to buy artwork and souvenirs.

HOW TO ACCESS MABIRA FOREST

The distance from Kampala to Mabira forest is about 56km and by road, if there is no traffic, it takes about one hour to reach there but with traffic there, it can take about two hours. Those coming from Jinja you can board a taxi heading to Lugazi and stop at the famous Najjembe market.

Mabira Forest is open to visitors throughout the year but there are some activities that are done during a specific period of time in the year. Activities like Picnic and camping are best done in the dry season (December and February). Things to carry during your visit to Mabira include a camera, raincoat, a hut, hiking boots, binoculars, and insect repellents. Vibrant Holiday Safaris is a fully registered tour company that offers all the above mentioned activities in Mabira forest.