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Nyakagyera Cave
Just under nine miles north from Kabale as you climb the hills towards Kabaraga, which is the highest point that overlooks Kabale, you would stumble across the Nyakagyera Cave. Hardly a tourist attraction because few, if any tourists actually make the tortuous journey over rough, reclaimed wetland areas where no vehicle, not even a boda boda can pass. In fact few residents of Kabale even know the cave exists, nor do they care much! Shrubs have grown to cover its entrance, and eucalyptus trees cover the hill it supports. Below lies a reclaimed wetland where vegetables, Irish potatoes, fruits, and other root tubers grow. |
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 Measuring 62 feet deep, 33 feet wide and 20 feet tall, Nyakagyera Cave's past has never been written down, merely stories float down the ages from the mists of time. As you enter, bats and small birds will fly out leaving an eerie impression, even more so as it's dull and threatening with the beat of a shoe on its floor creating a drum-like sound. If you do visit Nyakagyera Cave be careful not to get bitten by the bats as many carry the Marburg virus.
The stone cave (giving its name to the local village of Omwibare, meaning stone,) was allegedly inhabited by early man from where stones were thrown to kill animals lower down the slopes and the dead animals would be taken inside for feasting. The cave was also used as a place of safety where clan leaders could rest safely and plot against incomers such as those from present day Rwanda who attempted to spread into the area. The Batwa (pygmies) eventually took control of the cave, however they were later forced from the recluse by the ancient Bakiga ("people of the mountains") who now populate the area. The Batwa were forced into the forests where today they are better known as the pygmy people. Today the cave is only home to bats and birds.
To get to Nyakagyera Cave is a bit of a trek. Hire a taxi or get on a boda and enjoy the journey taking in local sights of clay molding, charcoal stove making, women digging, and animals grazing, until you reach reach Kigezi College Butobere Secondary School. It's then on foot for another 5.6 miles until you reach the cave itself to witness an historical site bearing witness to the battles, cultural transitions, and resilience of the people who have called it home over millennia.
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