BTTM II students always have a study tour to various areas of the country to appreciate and understand Uganda’s tourism offerings and conceptualize some of the courses they offer in class. This time, students offering a course unit of Principles of Tour Guiding visited Entanda Cultural Adventure, Semiliki National Park, Amabeere Caves, Kigere spot, Kyeganywe Hill, craters, and Mount Rwenzori National Park. This was meant for students to understand and appreciate what Tour guiding in Tourism is all about from a very practical point of view. While at Entanda Community Adventure, students received guest lecturers from the community guides who equally explained what Community Guiding is about, how to embrace it, the sacrifices to be made in order to shrive and how community guiding must be handled. Equally sustainable tourism principles were emphasized for a typical guide and as a result, student’s planted 20 fruit trees named after their respective group names. This is part of the program to restore nature.

Students also visited the famous True Birders Haven, Semiliki National Park. The experience as you drive to the park is a topic of study on its own, students were educated about the terrain and land forms, formation, the people in the area, norms and mannerism. While at the Park, students received a lecture from the experienced Uganda Wildlife Authority guides, who taught students about nature guiding, expectations and gave a clear over view of what it entails. Students covered a topic about nature walks in the forest, the Do’s and Don’ts, what to carry and availed more knowledge about what a guide should know while embarking on such an experience. The male and Female hot springs were visited and appreciated, birding lectures given as part of the park’s offering.

Students visited the Amabeere Caves commonly known as “Amabeere Ganyina Mwiru” in Nyakasura area, Kabarole District. These caves are historical, and this destination was visited for students to appreciate historical guiding techniques. The students received a historical guiding lecture as they visited around the Caves. The story was narrated and as part of the area’s offering, the students also encountered a first hiking experience up to the Kyeganywa Hill, where Fort Portal can be seen clearly, lakes Nyabikere, Saka and Kigere can also be seen in an aerial view.

The students also visited Mount Rwenzori National Park, “The Mountains of the moon” in Kasese, where a briefing about hiking the Mystical Challenge was made, what was required, who was eligible and not, the Do’s and Don’ts, terrain, expectations and how to handle one self while Hiking the Rwenzori’s. Students then embarked on the 8-10-hour hike, through the thick forests on the Mahoma Trail. Different natural resources in the park exhibited a very good experience, such as the clean waters flowing majorly to River Mubuku, the Three Horned Chameleon, vegetation, cold misty weather, some people among others. Students hiked to Lake Mahoma, others to the first resting hut reached in 3 hours slowest, and others on the second camp reached in 8 hours.

Overall, students gained a very good field experience about Guiding in Uganda, many discovered there potentials and others chose which field to join if they chose guiding as their career.