At Kitara Foundation for Regional Tourism we aim much at the comfortable stay of our guests that gives an experience of a lifetime memory. We have established a host family program for travelers and volunteers from abroad in the outskirts of Fort Portal City in the Kitara Region of Uganda. In the host family you will experience love and care by your hosts both in the home and in the community. You will engage in a number of activities both in the home and in the community, an experience everyone wants on such travel to Africa. By all standards, staying with a host family on your travel is far rewarding than staying in a hotel or camp site . In a home you live with people, learn with people, share the same family meals, work with people and get the guidance you need on your travel from your host family.
Location of Fort Portal Home for Volunteers and Volunteers from Abroad
The home is located in Karambi I village, 4km from Fort Portal City Centre along Kasese Kasese High Way to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Located at a place with good view of Rwenzori Mountains especially Karangura Peak at 3012m above sea level.
Hiking to the Karangura Peak of the Rwenzori Mountains from Fort Portal is one of the nature activities that can be done form the home.
Your adventure starts well the moment you reach home, you will get necessary orientation of the trip you are going to have. Your host is your guide, you will ask all the questions in preparation of the travels and have them answered rightly there, so when you hit the road you know what to expect there. When you return from the trip you have the chance to review the trip with your host and guide in order to make a complete story of your trip.
Host families Offer the Best Accommodation Experience
If you’re going to stay in Fort Portal for whatever period on your internship, research, volunteering, adventure, holidaying or just on tour, staying with a host family will offer the best experience. We start with the firmest cliché in the host family industry…a home away from home. Engage with the family in discussions about the main objectives of your travel; talk about history and culture, religion, nature, politics, economic development, security, foods and all interests on your trip.
1. Fort Portal Host Family…Real Home away from Home
Fort Portal People-the Batooro people are generally warm and welcoming so your stay is bound to be great. But all the same, bouts of home sickness are normal during this period hence living with a group of people who keep your company and treat you as part of their family helps to kiss the blues away.
Add the small things like having to use public transportation to get home or sitting around a tally with good company as you laugh at the gags in the local comedy shows…nothing beats this atmosphere.
2. Learn Ugandan languages
You will definitely learn greetings and common terms on civilities as the people of Tooro are generally welcoming and respectful but some terms can be easily learned from a language book or with Google’s help. In a homestay, the learning environment is conducive as guests are exposed to the language banter of their host family and at the same time have willing partners who won’t laugh at your weird accents…unless it’s a really funny one.
3. Prepare and enjoy locally cooked scrumptious meals with your host
This is usually one of the top activities when you visit a new location as it helps one familiarize themselves with the local cuisine. The host family members like it to see you learn a new skill but above all when they eat something that has been cooked with participation of “muzungu”.
In all honesty, it’s a complete waste if you switch continents or countries and still eat the same mediocre grub that is present everywhere. Be a little adventurous and try a dish with a peculiar name like “Kikomando”, “ferinda”, “eshabwe”, “katogo”, “omukaro” or ”Rolex”…and if you do not like it, take heart and pick a new food, since that is what trying out new foods is all about.
4. Explore Uganda in a Host Family
Your host family are a wealth of information which you can tap into to know more about other aspects of the Ugandan culture, tradition and psyche; stuff which you can’t Google but better yet local unique sights away from the main tourist routes. Should you travel upcountry, this is an excellent chance to experience the diversity of Ugandan tribes and food.
Bonus benefit, you have willing participants to include in your photos and there’s no need to tap strangers to help snap a photo of yourself next to the giraffes.
If you plan to make your own travel arrangements, skim through these transportation options in Uganda and make an informed decision.
5. Make friends who will last for a lifetime
And after your stay is complete, your bags are packed and you’re seated at the table after tucking in another delicious dish, this is the time to deliver your heartfelt thanks to your surrogate family, extend an invitation to also visit you when they have the time and promise to visit them when you’re in Uganda again…all in the local language. I believe, they won’t forget you too.
6. Learn the traditional dance
Nothing will give you joy like finding yourself breaking the rib with the local traditional dance. So entertaining, full of love and passion, and above all, so much educative; If you can pick the art of dancing, be sure you will be friend to everyone.
Community engagements
Our guests who come to Fort Portal are hosted in a number of community development projects implemented and coordinated by a host of Community Based Organizations including schools, kindergartens, hospitals, churches, youths projects, sports, children projects, agriculture, women empowering projefts, community health and among other Community projects.
Most organizations here integrate advocacy for the rights of the poor and marginalized groups for equity, respect and local development for improved community’s livelihood in the rural areas.
Most of our partner organizations cater for the concerns, needs and strategic interests plus aspirations of the most marginalized people in the district.
Other organizations are involved in research, community mobilizing and organizing, Capacity building, training, and policy dialogue, advocacy and lobbying for socio-economic structural reforms that enhance development at community level.
Organizations here have increasingly realized that addressing poverty and other socio-economic deprivations among the rural communities requires an integrated people-centered development approach and philosophy.
About Fort Portal City
After Fort Portal City was launched as a Tourism City on 1st July 2020, the city has become a centre of travel and work experience for people from abroad. This is adding to the economic growth of the area.
Uganda’s tourism increased highly in the 2018/2019 financial year whereby 1,505,669 International tourists were registered and over $1.6 billion was received from international tourists, making the country’s tourism sector the top foreign exchange earner. Of this total number of tourists, over 70% visited Western Uganda, a region that accounts for 75% of Uganda’s Natural Tourism destinations.
Fort Portal Tourism City at the foot of Rwenzori Mountains is currently known to be the cleanest town in Uganda and a gateway to various nature destinations including National Parks and a variety of cultural and religious destinations. It is famous for the stalagmites and Nyakasura waterfalls linked to the rich Chwezi culture.
Beautiful people, beautiful nature, unique environment and serenity are some of the descriptions that spark people when they set foot in Fort Portal, the now famous Uganda’s Tourism Capital.
Fort Portal City, also Tooro kingdom’s capital is a gateway to some of the most beautiful sceneries and unique environment nature has to offer on earth giving you access to numerous crater lakes, hills, mountains, endemic fauna and flora and one of the most beautiful, serene and hospitable people you can find, the Batooro that comprise the majority of the population.
Fort Portal has in the last couple of years been sought as Uganda’s pearl of Tourism since it’s strategically located in the heart of most of the major tourism sites and activities in Uganda found in the Albertine region prompting the government to consider it in the National Development Plan. Fort Portal is now referred to as a tourism or tourist city. In simple terms, a city is a place where people live that is larger or more important than a town or an area where many people live and work.
The true definition of Fort Portal as a city entirely lies in “Tourism” thus the Tourism City title. By nature, location, environment and people, Fort Portal is unrivaled as being the heart of most of Uganda’s tourism sites and activities. Fort Portal is in other words the Tourism Capital of Uganda due to its natural instatement.
Fort Portal is strategically located in the heart of major tourism sites including the snowcapped mountains of the moon, commonly known as Rwenzori Mountains, Semuliki national park, Uganda’s largest Queen Elizabeth National Park, is home to gorillas and chimpanzees and a host of other primates, is a Centre of over 60 incredible crater lakes, the Mwenge and Kibaale natural forests featuring over 400 species of birds, other animals and 1000s of flora species.
Fort Portal beholds of the most complete and all-inclusive climate with balanced weather throughout the year favoring stable farming and human settlement all year round.
Serenity and hospitability are the phenomena that make up tourism; all these are completely by nature found in Fort Portal with the Batooro people who are naturally hospitable, beautiful and the most peaceful ethnic group in Uganda creating a whole exciting welcoming tourism environment capped by the endless and numerous tourist activities and sites.
Fort Portal due to its tourism city phenomenon will over the years be a unique metropolitan area with a blossoming hotel and hospitality industry holding hundreds of thousands of tourists at any single time from across the world boosting lots of other local businesses including majorly the transport and agriculture/food sectors;
Fort Portal is expected to be a fully-fledged tourism city by 2040 according to the government’s national development plan will be easily attained with increased government financing and focus on infrastructure development and providing incentives to intending tourism investors both local and international.
Fort Portal stands out to be unrivaled as the tourism destination in Uganda which provides huge potential for employment of the young workforce hence increasing the per capita income of the local households.
Amenities that make Fort Portal special tourism applause
All major Roads from Fort Portal to other major towns and tourism sites are tarmacked namely; Fort portal-Kasese, Fort Portal-Ntoroko, Fort Portal-Bundibugyo, Fort Portal-Kampala, Fort Portal-Mbarara and Fort Portal-Kamwenge road making those places easily accessible from Fort Portal
Located in the centre; all the major tourism sites are not more than an hour away from Fort Portal at an average of 80KM/hr making it possible for to and fro journeys daily from Fort Portal
Serene, peaceful and tranquil; Fort Portal has not experienced any form of violence and threats in many years making it the most secure place to settle for any tourist in Uganda.
The welcoming and hospitable nature of the Batooro people keeps any visitor comfortable giving a home away from home feel to tourists and volunteers from abroad spending days or months among the Tooro communities
With Fort Portal’s nature and environment, lots of fun activities can be created in different places in addition to the usual clubbing, bar going, ball games and athletics.
Fort Portal is geographically located in the windward side of Rwenzori mountains hence the most favorable weather there is
Fort Portal is also located on a high rise making it a no flood zone despite heavy rains evenly distributed throughout the year making it even safer.
Fort Portal is located in Kitara region with a long historic background raising from the time of the Batembuzi Dynasty, Chwezi dynasty to the current Bito Dynasty the rulers of Tooro Kingdom
Fort Portal and Tooro as a region has an exciting cultural background hosting over 15 tribes of natives and a vast religious background with over 7 religious denominations hence a rich area for both cultural and religious tourism
Adventure trips you can take during your Fort Portal Home Stay
Kitara Foundation has planned a number of One Day Adventure Options to different adventure sites that are hidden from most travelers. For visitors who want to spend more than one day we always make combined destinations for a good and satisfying experiences. Based on visitor interest, we formulate itineraries that suit your time and need. All options start from Fort Portal City and end back in Fort Portal City
Option 1: Ssempaya Hot Springs in Semulik National Park to Amabere ga Nyinamwiru Caves of Bacwezi, featuring views of Western Rift Valley Escarpments, Hike to Kyeganywa Hill for Crater Lakes View. https://kitararcc.com/2023/12/06/unveiling-the-enchanting-fort-portal-a-journey-to-remember/
Option 2: Mahoma Waterfalls: Begins from Amabere ga Nyinamwiru caves to Mahoma Waterfalls for water massage, featuring Crater Lakes such as Lake Nyinambuga (one on the Uganda 20k note) and Rwetera Tea Plantions. https://kitararcc.com/2023/06/23/a-trip-to-the-african-hydrotherapy-massage-of-mahoma-water-falls-in-uganda/
Option 3: Trip to Nyakahondogoro Caves (the last home of Bacwezi in Uganda) up in Mabanga Hills of Ibanda District. Featuring Kibale National Park, Equator line crossing, Historical sites of Sir Harry Gault (the British Administrator who was speared to death on his visit to Sir Julia Kibubura of Kibubura Girls School-the first female Chief in Uganda). https://kitararcc.com/2023/12/13/tooro-visits-ankole-on-an-enchanting-adventure-travel-to-the-last-home-of-bacwezi-in-the-ancient-kitara-empire/
Option 4: Rwagimba Hot Springs; Starting from Amabere ga Nyinamwiru Caves, Hike to Kyeganywa Hill for Crater Lakes View end from Rwagimba Hot springs for a warm water shower. https://kitararcc.com/2023/06/23/the-mystical-challenge-to-rwagimba-rwajimba-hot-springs-in-uganda/
Option 5: Visit to the Cycads Village in Kitagwenda. Includes a hike thru the two Cycad Villages of Kyotamusana and Karubuguma, Hiking Mpanga Gorge with Mpanga River waterfalls. Featuring scenic views of Lake George, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Source of Kazinga Channel, Kibale National Park, Rwetera tea estates, Crater lakes. https://kitararcc.com/2024/02/06/captivating-adventures-to-the-africas-cycad-villages-of-kyotamusana-and-karubuguma/
Option 6: Hike to Kiima Waterfalls at Mapata Village in the Rwenzoris Kasese. The trek features four magnificent waterfalls each located with a staning cave, all in one village of Mapatha, coffee farms, an encounter of the Rwenzori mountain, Bakonzo cultural entertainment and local foods, scenic views of Ankole area. The hike is a tough one but worth it. https://kitararcc.com/2024/02/05/the-challenge-to-kiima-waterfalls-in-mapatha-village-in-the-mountains-of-the-moon/
Option 7: Hike to Sebwe Waterfalls in Kisamba area of Rwenzori Mountains. A challenging hike to the biggest waterfalls in the area. The trip from Fort Portal to Sebwe falls in Kasese features the Tooro Royal palace Karuziika, the Karambi royal tombs, Hima cement factory, River Mubuku and others. https://kitararcc.com/2024/02/09/hike-to-the-stunning-natural-sebwe-waterfalls-in-the-rwenzori/
Option 8: Trip to Rwamwanja Community of Long Horned Ankole Cows: A visit to the oldest indigenous cattle breeds of Africa is one of the most African interesting experiences. The trip features Kibale National Park home of Kimpanzee, and also the Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement. For a number of activities you can engage in find it here; https://kitararcc.com/longo-horned-kitara-cows/
Option 9: Trek to 500m high over the steep north Rwenzori ridge known as Bwamba Pass. A fascinating trail through isolated mountain villages that ends in bamboo and thick forest at the top of the mountain, with spectacular views of Fort Portal city and the superb rift valley views on the other side. https://kitararcc.com/2024/02/12/fascinating-bwamba-pass-trail-of-karangura-community-in-the-rwenzori-mountains/
If you want an experience in Volunteer work on a community project of your choice, or you are looking for a travel experience that connects you to people and nature, Fort Portal offers you the best you need. Contact us, send us an email at contacts@kitararcc.com or Call us or Whatsaap at (+256) 392156562 or (+256)772888149
Kitara Foundation for Regional Tourism 