Community of the month
Bagalayaaze Heritage Site
This heritage site hosts the tombs where the mother of Kabaka Mwanga II was laid to rest at the beginning of the 20th Century-a historically important site for the Kingdom of Buganda.
Today, the community uses the site as a cultural center where they celebrate the kingdom’s people and history.
The site is located 1Km along Kitezi road off Gayaza road from Mpererwe Trading centre taxi stage, about 25minute drive from Kampala. The site
Visitors to the site enjoy traditional dance performances, storytelling, traditional food preparation and tasting, crafts and recycled paper making demonstration, bark cloth making demonstration as well as use of the botanical herbs garden.
The guide to this site Ms. Rita is very passionate about her work and welcomes all visitors with a warm smile and prepares for you tasty traditional cuisine the likes of Matoke, finger licking Luwombo-the tasty beef sauce, Gee nut sauce, sweet potatoes, cassava among others.
You will also be amazed by how Jim Jim a helper at the site interprets and demonstrates the making of the traditional bark cloth from the Ficus tree. This type of cloth is a valued traditional regalia of the Buganda kingdom and its continued existence portrays how much the people in this community hold dear their culture.
Visitors access the site at a minimal fee of UGX 5,000 which caters for the entrance, storytelling as well as visit to the botanical garden. However, Traditional food preparation and tasting, Traditional dances, Bark cloth demonstration and Paper making demonstration are at an extra fee.
Kindly ask more information and prices on the particular activities you would like to participate in before visiting through UCOTA. We invite you to visit this unique site with great history as we continue to promote authentic tourism experiences….beyond wildlife!!
By Catherine Ndwiga
Community of the month
