Rich in biodiversity and beautiful scenery, the wetland is a birder’s paradise with about 138 species.
Located outside the park in Magombe Swamp it also hosts eight species of primates including the black-and-white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed, L’Hoest’s and blue monkeys, and olive baboons.
Bushbucks and mongooses can also be found here. The sanctuary was set up to preserve the exclusive environmental features along with the wetland and is managed by the local community.
Most come to this area of Kibale Forest to visit the Chimpanzees and other Primates in Kibale Rainforest and yet there is much more to do and see and Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary.
The verdant vegetation of Bigodi Wetlands is simple a sight in itself – Wild Palms, Polita Fig Trees and the ever dominant Papyrus among the many other plants, flowers and trees you will see here.
Currently the community based conservation group is managed by John Tinka who happened to be a former guide ranger at Kibale national park and a group of women do run the entire management.
The women in here have created the Bigodi Women Group that consists of 40 members presently, who make good-looking beads using re-cycled paper plus additional materials got from this swamp like raffia plus phoenix-palm leaves used in weaving baskets and making bags respectively. A number of their local products are also exported to as far as Europe.
This area is recognized for extensive array of biodiversity among which are several primates species like the red colobus monkey, baboon, black & white colobus monkey, blue monkey grey cheeked, mangabey, vervet monkey, red tailed monkey and the L’Hoest monkey.
Additional Mammals such as chimpanzees, Sitatunga, mongooses, bush pigs, otters plus bush bucks, also visit this swamp coming from the adjacent Kibale National Park.
Bigodi wetland provides a perfect encounter with local communities that dwell in this area, comprising of Batooro and Bakiga presenting a great and true experience through meeting and interacting with the neighbouring communities.
This exposes visitors to a true image of the welcoming members, patient and creative communities and their projects like Bigodi secondary school, water project, health centre, church, Bigodi women group project, arts and craft, and very beautiful souvenirs, including African made beads, mats, baskets mainly to improve the standards of living of the natives around Bigodi wetland sanctuary.
The Bigodi is a paradise for bird watchers. Actually skilled birders can spot up to fifty new species on a bird list. Today, 138 species of bird have been recognized within the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.
These could include the White-spotted Flufftail, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Yellow-billed Barbet, Western Nicator, Grey-winged Robin-chat, White-tailed Ant-thrush, Brown-backed Scrub-robin, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Superb Sunbird, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Bocage’s Bush-shrike, Black Bishop, White-breasted Negrofinch and Black-crowned Waxbill among others. On among the major bird species within the sanctuary is the grand Blue Turaco.
Bigodi wetland is a must visit place on you tour safari to Kibale national park, in addition, you can a well as do butterfly watch as you move along the trails.