Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the world’s most explored destinations for gorilla trekking. The park is home to endangered mountain gorillas and the largest population of these apes has been habituated.
The Location of Bwindi
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is found in the Southwestern side of Uganda along the edge of the Rift Valley. The park has its boundaries spread covering the Southwestern district of Kabale, Kanungu, and Kisoro. It is closely lying at the border of Uganda and the D.R. Congo.
Bwindi was gazetted in 1991 and its establishment was primarily to offer refuge to mountain gorillas and other wildlife that reside in the park’s different habitats. In 1994, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it occupies 331sq.km of land area. This is largely consists of a vast montane forest which dates back to about 25,000 years.
Within Bwindi National Park’s varying habitats, there reside over 120 species of mammals, 200 butterfly species, 360 species of birds, amphibians and reptiles. The park lies at an altitude of 1160 and 2706 meters. The iconic attractions in Bwindi are the mountain gorillas which makes it a preferred gorilla trekking destination in the world.
Vegetation cover
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is set in the misty Kigezi highlands. Its varying altitude features distinct vegetation/floral species. The park holds more than 1000 flowering plants, 100 ferns, 220 tree species and others. It is one of the Uganda safaris parks that are located in the rugged or steep slopes, and also feature scenic water bodies, especially rivers.
Wildlife
Bwindi is a biologically diverse protected area, home to over 120 species of mammals and include among others chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, baboons, forest elephants, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, forest duikers, jackals and others.
Birds of Bwindi
About 360 species of birds are estimated to live in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and include 23 Albertine rift endemic species. The birds of Bwindi include Kivu ground-thrush, Grauer’s swamp warblers, red-throated alethe, Archer’s robin-chat, Fine-banded woodpeckers, African wood owl, Doherty’s bush shrikes, Western green tinker bird, black-breasted barbets, Regal sunbird, African green broadbill, Chapin’s flycatchers, Great blue turacos,
Chestnut-throated apalis, Standard-winged nightjars, Short-tailed warblers, Bar-tailed trogon, handsome francolins, Montana oriole, Turner’s eremomela, Cream-banded swallowtail, African giant swallowtail, and more.
Tourism Activities in Bwindi National Park
Gorilla trekking
Gorilla trekking is a unique wildlife experience and it is done on foot. A group of trekkers are allocated a habituated family of mountain gorillas to visit and the trek starts at 8:00 am after briefing about rules for gorilla trekking. There are 4 sectors for gorilla trekking in Bwindi alone and 20 habituated gorilla groups. The trekking regions of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo.
The gorilla trekking sectors feature habituated gorilla groups and one group is tracked by a maximum of 8 (eight) guests. The gorilla families in Buhoma sector include Katwe, Habinyanja, Rushegura and Mubare; Rushaga’s gorilla groups- Kahungye, Mishaya, Busingye, Bikingi, Nshongi, Mucunguzi, Bweza, Kutu, and Rwigi. Nkuringo sector gorilla groups Christmas, Nkuringo and Bushaho while at Ruhija sector; Kyaguriro, Oruzongo, Mukiza and Bitukura. Trekking with Bwindi National Park mountain gorillas require you to have a valid gorilla permit and one permit costs USD800 per person.
Gorilla habituation
Gorilla habituation is distinct from normal gorilla treks. During habituation, semi-habituated mountain gorilla families are visited and the target goal is to make them get used to human presence. The gorilla habituation permits are issued at USD1500 per person and guarantees guests 4 hours of a close encounter.
Birding
Birding tours in Bwindi introduce birders into the lush Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and other habitats on a search for birds. This park holds a variety of Albertine rift and forest bird species. These include chestnut-throat apalis, Grauer’s swamp warblers, Archers robin chat, African wood owl, standard-winged nightjars, black-breasted barbet, handsome francolins, collared apalis, great blue turacos, Western green tinker bird, Kivu ground thrush, red-throated alethe, regal sunbird, short-tailed warblers, Chapin’s flycatchers, African green broadbill, bar-tailed trogon and more. These are spotted in the park’s distinct habitats including Bamboo zone, Mubwindi swamp and water trail, etc.
Hiking/nature walks
Hiking is one way that guests can immerse themselves in the dense Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The amazing bit about hiking is that you explore the rich habitats in the park on foot and encounter wildlife at a close range. There are many nature walking trails to explore on Uganda tour in Bwindi and include bamboo trail, Kashasha river, Habinyanja, waterfall, Muzubijiro and more.
Batwa experience
The Batwa experience offers typical of authentic African cultural experience. It takes guests through the ancient lifestyles, traditions, norms and practices of the Batwa pygmies. The Batwa pygmies lived in Bwindi Forest for thousands of years till 1991 when it was designated as a Park.
Cycling
Cycling/biking is a thrilling safari experience taking visitors through Bwindi Forest on a bike. You ride around on a bike with a chance to see several butterflies, primates, birds and floral species. This is a local initiative and conducted by Ride 4 a Women Organization where you will hire the bikes from.
When to visit Bwindi Forest National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Park is open to all guests throughout the year. However, the best time to get to the park for a holiday is during the dry months of the year –long and short dry months. The long dry months start from June to September and December to February. The wet season is characterized by heavy rain and it is not favorable for adventure activities like gorilla trekking that involve hiking through the steep slopes and dense vegetation.
The accommodation in and around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Budget, midrange and luxury lodges are distributed throughout Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. They include Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Mahogany Springs, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Sanctuary Retreats Gorilla Forest Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Silverback Lodge, Engagi, and Nshongi Camp.
Getting there
Traveling to Bwindi is possible starting from Kampala/Entebbe or Kigali –this is for guests opting road transportation. From Kampala or Entebbe, you drive via Masaka-Mbarara-Kabale route and takes 8 to 9 hours. From Kigali, connecting to Bwindi takes 4-5 hours and involves border crossing via Chanika or Katuna border. By air, guests do save time, about 2 hours depending on the weather. Flights set off from Entebbe Airport/Kajjansi airfield to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip.