Uganda’s tourism resource base has from the past years grown from one level to another, after a long exhilarating effort in trying to engage the local communities in conservation programs aimed at boosting the growth and development of tourism in Uganda, individuals have developed new ideas in trying to protect, conserve and preserve some of Uganda’s most endangered species like reptiles.
It is through such enthusiasm that one of the Ugandan citizens, Yasin Kazibwe a reptile expert decided to establish the Reptile Village in between 2002. He is reported to have rescued close to 38 different species of snakes that he relocated to the habitat between 2003 to 2008. The Reptile village is located in Entebbe, Katabi in Bunono Village – 3km off Entebbe-Kampala Highway next to a large Papyrus Swamp adjoining Lake Victoria.
Taking your Uganda safari tour to the reptile village in Entebbe will offer you a golden opportunity to come close to a total of over 50 reptiles with twenty reptile species which are on direct display on the site. These include: the boom slangs, skinks, chameleons, cobras, monitor lizards and tortoises. This tour will offer you a unique chance to touch and spend time with Africa’s most poisonous snake – Gaboon Viper, one of the very lazy species with an intricate camouflage that allows them to blend into the surrounding vegetation, looking just like fallen leaves. The Egyptian Cobra kills more people in Africa than any other species, and is particularly aggressive. The Green Mamba a specie which is highly venomous and spends most of its time in trees and bushes, while another snake the Green Tree Snake looks identical to the Mamba but is not venomous and unfortunately gets killed because of its color and arboreal habits. Get to learn more about reptiles and their habits/defensive mechanisms.
Explore the two famous basins on the site; one with an open basin which is home to the non-climbing species and the other basin is habitat for four distinctive species of tortoises. The interesting part of the site is that it caters for travellers with their young children on tour. They will enjoy the thrilling experience of watching these slow but fun animals as they feed on vegetables. The guides on site will walk you down the area where the color changing chameleons are protected. One can enjoy the sights of the swampy areas which are habitat to different reptiles, birds and monkeys at the extreme edges of the site’s compound.
Tourists can take a tour to the swamp area, and enjoy adventurous activities like sport fishing as well as canoe cruising in the man-made river stream which is three kilometers, and also one can undertake wet land walk to explore the areas around the Reptile Village, along the way enjoy sights of different bird species as well as wildlife.