Located in the southwestern part of Uganda in Kisoro district, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is one of the places one needs to visit. The forest was gazetted in 1993 to protect the so many attractions that were there at the time, especially mountain gorillas. Currently, the park harbors 11 primates, 350 bird species, and 120 mammals in the thick impenetrable forest.
Why visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
To encounter mountain gorillas
Mountain gorillas are some of the endangered animals in the world and they are found in a few places Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park being a few of them. Mountain gorillas are some of the things that can force tourists to visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. These beautiful primates roam around the impenetrable forest of Bwindi.
Mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park have been habituated and others are still going through habituation to enable thousands of tourists from across the globe to visit them. By visiting this park, tourists have an opportunity to be part of the activities that make gorillas get used to the human presence around them.
Gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation are activities tourists can be part of to see the endangered mountain gorillas in the natural habitats of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Trekking comes with 1 hour around fully habituated gorillas while habituation comes with 4 hours with semi habituated gorillas. The activities enable tourists to be around the gorillas, learn about their habits, take photos and videos.
To spot birds
One of the best birding places in Uganda is Bwindi impenetrable forest national park which hosts over 350 bird species with over 23 species being endemic to the Albertine region. Birders on a safari to Uganda need to visit this park to see some of the bird species that live within the impenetrable forest.
Birding in Bwindi is mostly done in Ruhija and Buhoma neck which have the best spots for watching bird species. The best birding guides and local guides can help birders to spot more than half of the bird species recorded within the park. Different birding trails such as Mubwindi trail, Neck trail, Ivy river trail, and Buhoma waterfall trails among others are used during bird watching.
Birds to look out for in Bwindi include shelley’s crimsonwing, grauer’s broadbill, handsome francolin, cinnamon bracken warbler, dwarf honeyguide, strip breasted tit, white-tailed blue flycatcher, great blue turaco, white starred robin, bar-tailed trogon, western green tinkerbird, red-faced woodland warbler, regal sunbird, black-faced apalis, red-headed malimbe, brown capped weaver, grey chested kakamega, and red-headed bluebill to mention but a few.
To interact with the Batwa Pygmies
Cultural visits are another activity that tourists can do while in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Bwindi impenetrable forest national park was home to the Batwa not until 1993 when the government evicted them from the forest to give animals their freedom. On a safari to Bwindi, tourists can visit the homes of the Batwa pygmies to interact with the locals.
Cultural visits to the Batwa pygmies come with an opportunity to learn about the history of these people and how they used to live in the jungle. The elders will tell how they used to survive while in the jungle. They are traditional dance groups that entertain tourists through dance and drama.
When to visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
The best time to visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is the dry season which occurs from June to September and December to February. This is a period when the park has good weather characterized by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine.
During the dry season, tourists get an opportunity to find dry and passable trekking trails which makes it easy for them locate the mountain gorillas. The vegetation is short and scattered giving trekkers a clear view of the mountain gorillas and other attractions within the park. The roads leading to the park are in good condition enabling tourists to reach on time.
During the rainy season, tourists can still visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park to see the different attractions found there. There is plenty of rainfall and little sunshine at the time which affects most of the activities. The walking trails are muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of attractions, and roads leading to the park are in poor condition.
Where to stay in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has four sectors and tourists stay in accommodation of the sector they are visiting. Tourists should know that there are budget, mid-range, and luxury accommodation facilities in different sectors. Accommodation includes Bakiga Lodge, Gorilla Leisure Lodge, Nkuringo Bwindi Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Bweza Lodge, and Rushaga Havens Lodge among others.
Accessing Bwindi Forest National Park
Accessing Bwindi Forest National Park by air: Tourists can get to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in a single day using road transport or air transport. Air transport is the quickest way tourists can get to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Tourists fly from Entebbe/Kajjansi to Kisoro airstrip for tourists visiting the southern sector and Kihihi airstrip for tourists visiting the northern sector of the park.
Accessing Bwindi Forest National Park by road: it takes tourists 9 to 10 hours to get to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. From Kampala/Entebbe, tourists drive through Mpigi, Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, or Kisoro to any of the sectors of the park. The road transport journey to Bwindi is long however it comes with great views of different attractions along the way.