The Tooro Botanical Gardens

Are you interested in discovering some of the indigenous trees and plants as well as the organic farming projects growing flowers, herbs, medicinal plants and natural dyes in Uganda? Then the Tooro Botanical Gardens should not miss on your itinerary for places to explore within western Uganda, especially if you are visiting Kibale Forest National Park or the Tooro Kingdom. It is a perfect stop and conveniently found on the main road from Kampala City.

The Botanical gardens is a local NGO founded in 2001 and situated within Fort Portal in western Uganda and usually undertakes several reforestation programs using indigenous species of trees in partnership with some of their local partners. Most of the workers at the Tooro Botanical Gardens are experienced in propagation of several indigenous species as well as maintenance of the medicinal plant garden and undertaking education Programs.  The site was established in 2001 to help in conserving trees and several species of flora that were at risk of extinction within the western side of the country.

The Mission of the Botanical Gardens is “to promote community-based conservation of natural, botanical and ecological resources within the Albertine region while its vision is to “promoting a society with a well conserved green environment.

Presently, the Botanical gardens are flourishing and extend for over 100 acres of land, not only pays attention to conservation of the species but also deals in scientific research and education of the locals and tourists that visit the site. Additionally, Tooro Botanical Gardens also ensure and contribute to sustainability in Agriculture and collaborates with the Sustainable Agriculture Trainers Network (SATNET). Several exhilarating activities can be enjoyed by tourists who visit the Tooro Botanical Gardens and these include morning and afternoon bird watching, guided nature walks in the company of well informed staff and strolling around the gardens to explore the beauty of the site especially the fruits, flowers and medicinal plants.

There are numerous nature/hiking trails to take through the stone gardens and explore some of the butterfly breeding sites and tree nurseries. As earlier mentioned, birding is one of the activities never to miss within this site because it offers opportunity of sighting the Ludher’s bush-shrike, woodland kingfishers, Scaly francolin, waxbills, black-faced Rufous warblers, Flycatchers, sunbirds and Hammerkop among others.

When you visit Tooro Botanical Gardens, don’t forget to see the numerous reptiles that found home within the site especially the ponds. Tourists that visit this site also get the chance to enjoy the view of the newly-built tree houses.

Conclusively, the Tooro Botanical Gardens is an important site known for its excellence in maintaining, growing and displaying collections of numerous Albertine Rift Valley flora for scientific research, medicinal, conservation, culinary, recreational, horticultural and aesthetic purposes. It is an ideal site for relaxation and leisure with a number of serene places for unwinding and being with family members and friends or just relishing the beauty of Mother Nature with attractions such as medicinal plants, butterflies, birds and reptiles among others.