Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is located in South Western Uganda. It is the best known destination for Mountain Gorilla trekking though there are other activities you can participate in. It is the best park in Uganda where you can go for gorilla trekking.
About Bwindi Gorilla National Park
Discover an exceptional wildlife familiarity with visiting the south western Uganda where stand an olden(over 25000 years) outstanding green luxuriant bandage of massive thick tropical rain trees situated across the fault scarps of the western arm of the great east African rift valley nearby to the Albertine region – the Bwindi Impenetrable forest. Derives its name due to its impenetrable (thick) nature of dark, knotted flora over concavely and complex ridged mountainous landscape.
Bwindi Impenetrable national park has three parts: the northern part or Buhoma in Kanungu district, the southern part or Rubuguri in Kisoro district and the eastern part or Ruhija in Kabale district.
This tropical rain forest is found in South Western Uganda. It is arguably the best destination for mountain gorilla trekking in Central Africa. Bwindi impenetrable forest is a UNESCO World Heritage site situated in the southwest corner of Uganda . The park is 331 square kilometers and impresses with a truly theatrical landscape and bio-diversity , this is a region of volcanoes, jagged valleys, waterfalls, lakes and dramatic mountain ranges. Birders come thousands of miles to see the more than 350 species that live within the area.
There are also rare forest elephant, giant forest hog and eleven kinds of primates , including red tailed and blue monkey, black and white colobus, baboons and chimpanzee . you can also find forest duiker antelopes and bush buck antelopes as well as over 200 species of butterflies.
History of Bwindi
- Meaning of Bwindi – Why Is It Called the Impenetrable Forest
- Why Visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest consists of 331 square kilometers with a thick rain forest which is found in the Bakiga Land. The native people of this forest are the Bakiga people who speak lukiga language and the Batwa people who still occupy some part in the forest.
Weather & Climate
During the morning hours, Bwindi is cold. The same coldness is also experienced at night, meaning that Bwindi is cold during morning hours and cold at night. The annual temperatures range from 7°C to 20°C. This therefore calls for warm clothings to be put on since the forest reserves up to 2390 mm of rain every year. Usually, this is centered during the two seasons the park experiences. These are the wet seasons of March to May where short rains are experienced and during the months of September to November where the rains are very heavy.
Biodiversity in Bwindi
The forest is noted to be a habitat of 90 – 120 mammals including several primates, reptiles, butterflies and birds among others. Primate species that can commonly be spotted include mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, black and white colobus, blue colobus monkeys , grey –cheeked mangabey, L,Hoest’s monkeys, baboons amongst others.
Though amongst primates, the white tailed black and white colobus out numbers others, the celebrity primate is the mountain gorillas where by the forest is recorded to inhabit more than half of the world’s totals.
Also this thick jungle is ranked to be the number one birding spot harboring over 350 different bird species of which 23 species are the highly localized Albertine Rift endemics for example the commonly referred to as ground hornbill.
Things to Do
In Bwindi Impenetrable national park, you will participate in Gorilla trekking activity. This is the most paramount activity within this park. You will also participate in Nature walks within the Forest. This will offer you a great experience as you will see a number of bird species and butterflies within the forest. The birding experience will make you participate in photography which is one the tourism activities tourists prefer doing during their safaris.
Gorilla Tracking
Bwindi is a home to 480 mountain gorillas, just over half the world’s population of this critically endangered ape. The gorillas are completely wild but have become used to seeing a few humans after years of habituation. Many of the expert guides have been involved in this process since the beginnin , and are able to explain the complicated etiquette involved in meeting a giant silverback . This is an opportunity afforded only to select few, as just eight visitors are allowed to view each group everyday.
There are currently 18 habituated mountain gorilla groups open to tourism;
Mubare , Habinyanja and Rushegura near Buhoma
Bitukura and Oruzogho near Ruhija
Nkuringo , Mishaya, Nshongi and Kahugye in Bwindi south.
Tracking through dense forest with steep slopes means that participants do need to be physically fit. Once the gorillas are located , you spend a maximum of an hour with them before returning back to camp. Please note only children aged 15 and above can track the gorillas. Guests taking part in this activity must have permit.
Gorilla Permits
Permits must be purchased in advance . Permits are sold for a specific person for specific day, and currently cost US$600 each ( subject to change ) To reserve a permit , a deposit is required . As a company , sanctuary Gorilla forest camp is able to invoice for the
entire permit price at once to save on the very high bank fees that are changed in Uganda on incoming foreign currency payments.
Getting There
To readily access this park, you will be driven a distance of 9 hours from Uganda’s capital city Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where you will participate in this lifetime activity. You can also take an alternative shuttle from Entebbe where Uganda’s International Airport is found. This will take you about one and half hours to arrive at Bwindi Impenetrable forest.