Kumi Travel Guide

A few Kilometres east of the town of Kumi and just past the village of Nyero is the site of the Nyero rock paintings.

No one seems to know when exactly this series of paintings were first painted but was in existence when the Teso arrived in the area around 300 years ago. It is possible that the paintings existed hundreds of years before that and possibly a thousand years ago.

There are 3 different sites. Site 1 has some damage where some old dear tried to remove the paintings by scrubbing them away. This site was initially protected by a wall and a wire mesh screen but the site was used as a base by rebels of the UPA (Ugandan Peoples Army) in the early eighties and the wall is now half demolished letting you have full access to the site.

Site 2 is the most impressive with a huge rock face covered in red painted circles, what look like two men in a boat and possibly seed pods and animals.

Site 3 is only viewed by getting on your back and looking up at the ceiling of this narrow cave. The white circles of what look like a sun is apparently the moon with legs!!!

The two guides that work at the site and employed by the government told me that they have many visitors but when I looked at the visitor’s book the last entry was 4 days previous.

When I asked a boda driver to drop me at the best place in town for a meal and a beer this is where he dropped me at the Home Again Guest House. After an afternoon of walking around Nyero rock paintings the beer here tasted well sweet!