Cobati Uganda Cobati Uganda                 adopt a community project in Uganda
Maria Baryamujura is an Ashoka Fellow

What we Do

Community Training in Uganda

Our Focus

At COBATI, we link tourism to conservation, cultural heritage, and sustainable rural development to enhance local livelihoods and enrich Uganda’s tourism product. Our primary initiatives are homestead and village tourism and community training.


Founder

Meet COBATI's Founder and Executive Director, Maria Baryamujura.


Projects

Visit the Projects page for an overview of our current, past, and future programs.


  Homestead and Village Tourism


COBATI is spearheading the establishment of a network of homesteads across Uganda. The "COBATI Homestead and Village Stays" were developed in order to let the traveler experience the true feeling of rural Ugandans. There is a network of over ten village homesteads located in Central and South Western Uganda, namely the districts of Mbarara, Bushenyi, which are transitory to seven of the ten National Parks of Uganda, including the Mountain Gorilla sanctuaries of Bwindi and Mgahinga. There are other homesteads in Bombo in the Luwero Dsitrict in Central Uganda.

Uganda road


A host family in the village operates each homestead. These families are usually well-established members of their village. This gives the local villagers an opportunity to earn supplementary income without selling their land to developers or migrating to towns or cities.

There are homesteads in the following villages: Bombo and Ishanyu.


  The Homestead Experience


As a homestead guest, you participate in the activities of the host family and they become your guide during your stay. They will accompany you in your explorations and treat you as if you lived in the village and were not a guest. Guests are also provided meals "local style," meaning meals that the everyday villager eats. A few of the activities offered to the traveler are: village walk, canoeing, listening to traditional stories from village elders, watching how food is prepared under hot stones, weaving, milking, harvesting, games with village children, visiting a traditional healer, forest walking, hill and rock climbing, learning local tradition and history, helping with village chores, and if you are lucky attend a local wedding ceremony!


Nubian Bride


Plan your visit to Uganda and reserve a homestay.

  Community Training


COBATI provides training opportunities to Uganda communities and individuals who are interested in understanding the basics of community tourism and how to participate in its development. Participants are empowered to be able to establish and provide tourism-related services and products from their homes and communities. Our training targets people living en-route and around tourist attractions and unique local features.

We offer tailor-made training and education in basic community tourism and sustainable rural development that focus on a wide range of topics. Please contact us to inquire about training in your community.

Training Topics


COBATI offers training on the following topics.

  • Community Tourism as a tool for income generation and poverty alleviation in rural areas
  • Agri-Tourism – Linking tourism to agriculture
  • Cultural Heritage – Linking tourism to local people and their cultures
  • Heritage Trails – Developing scenic and historical trails
  • Handicrafts and Tourism – Promoting ethnic designed crafts and tapping indigenous knowledge
  • Homestead Tourism – Linking tourism to rural hospitality, local lifestyles and village environment as attractions
  • Support to small and emerging local tourism businesses in rural Uganda
  • Conservation of unique rural features and historic sites as community tourism attractions

Training Experience


COBATI has trained the following organisations.

  • Mgahinga Bwindi Forest Conservation Trust in Buhoma around Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
  • UNDP/Private Sector Development Program in the districts of Bushenyi and Soroti
  • Africa Wildlife Foundation/International Gorilla Conservation Program around Mgahinga National Park in Kisoro District
  • Mbarara District Economic Council
  • Bushenyi District Council
  • Nkuringo Conservation and Development Foundation
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs Uganda
  • Lake View Resort Hotel, Mbarara
  • SNV Uganda
  • Uganda Community Tourism Association
  • Uganda Nubian Consultative Forum