Nyero Rock Painting in Uganda – Attraction Uganda Safaris
Nyero Rock Painting in Uganda : Nyero rock painting is a wonderful place to visit and learn more about the Uganda’s history as get rewards of the sights on this beautiful rock painting. This is definitely exciting place to visit with hiking, climbing, exploring and meet up with welcoming and knowledge local people. The hike is worth it. You can choose to be a dream trip of your kind and greatly adding it on your bucket list on your Uganda Safari.
Nyero rock paintings is a prehistoric site where one can make a stopover for worth the effort.
The place is quite interesting though it is bit far from the main roads but easy accessible and painting experience is amazingly, staffs and guides are social and friendly. Nyero rock painting a place of more excitement on Uganda safaris, you can choose to make it a stop on your trip to Uganda Wildlife Safaris. The paintings are really humbling and great Safari experience recommended to self-drive travelers visiting Uganda and don’t miss to reach the place in case you’re on the visit to Eastern Uganda tours like; a visit to Mount Elgon national park. Note the visit is really worth it and views is beautiful.
The fact about Nyero rock paintings are great art of touristic attraction, positioned in eastern Uganda in Kumi district, about 250 kilometers from the capital city Kampala. These rocks are among the most interesting and important rock in Uganda.
Historically, Nyero rock painting were first documented in 1913 and later described by researchers as one of the geometric nature. In Uganda there are many interesting rocks and this one here is part of homogeneous tradition often depicted in red pigment, goes a cross east, central and parts of southern Africa. Generally , this art attributes to Batwa known as the hunter gathers who are of pygmy origin and today are in Eastern Africa .Only found in small groups closer to Rwanda –Uganda border and eastern Congo .It is said that ‘’Twa hunter gatherer’’ communities were once lived in the general areas of these rock art sites ,probably moving on due to the arrival of the present inhabitants of the Nilotic ,Luo and Bantu groups .These interesting paintings enriches the cultural identity of the people of Iteso ,Uganda and Africa as a whole.
Nyero rock painting is categorized into six shelters in total and out of them 3 are the main;
Nyero 1- This is one of the main series on the rock with geometric and abstract paintings which may once have been used for sacred rituals like rain making and fertility.
Nyero 2 –This sounds to be the biggest and highest paintings, which were used in ladders over 5000 years ago. Amazingly these paintings are said to be painted by the Pygmies tribes.
Nyero 3- It is a small low shelter can easily be accessed from behind with ceiling painting that includes sets of concentric circles painted in white. It was once a painting symbol adopted by the Uganda Museum as their Logo.
Nyero 4-This is a small shelter that lies on the southwestern part of the hill where there are small traces of red finger painted concentric circles which are two conical shapes and lines.
Nyero 5-This one is positioned on the western side of the hill close to the primary school, it’s a red geometric mofit comprised of a combination of circular and linear shapes created with both a brush and a finger. Unfortunately, certain part of it has been destroyed by natural water erosion.
Nyero 6-This lies high on top of the hill and has a great view of the surrounding countryside and their traces of red pigment forming two finger painted structure of small oval shapes and a slanting L-shape and an outlined cross with a small circle below. The painted surface is open to the rain and morning sun.
The rock paintings were listed to the UNESCO World Heritage Site on 10 September 1997 as a cultural site.
Nyero rock painting are easily reached from the gravel road between Kumi and Mgori.
The paintings are worth rewardable to sight see on visit and slowly wearing away. Though they give insight attraction into living for many years ago and well is it advisable to go with the guards. To access the place, you will need to pay a small fee of UGX15,000 as entry fees per person.
The Nyero Rock Painting Sites are locally believed to have been sacred ancestral areas where in the past, number of people would have visited long distances to make offerings of food, beer and money in time of drought, poverty, barren and for Child birth. It was also regarded as a magical place where ancestor fathers would organize a rain ceremony from. More so, Oral histories have recorded strong attachments to the site as well as individuals and community prayers used to be held seasonally. According to the thrilling images and their associations with long forgotten people may serve to enhance Nyero as a special and Sacred places for local communities.
Book a trip with us today and we arrange for you a very impressive trip combined a visit to Nyero rock paintings as part of the Kidepo Valley National Park or Murchison Fall National Park, Source of the Nile Safari adventure.
