Travel Guide to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Travel guide to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Situated in Kanungu district in the southwest of the country, on the border of the rift valley, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the most visited national parks in Uganda. The 321 square kilometer national park was gazetted in 1991 primarily to preserve and safeguard the endangered mountain gorillas. Because of its exceptional biodiversity, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was designated a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in 1994.
Forest elephants, buffaloes, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, duikers, primates like endangered mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, and blue monkeys are among the 120 mammal species that call Bwindi Impenetrable National Park home. Grauer’s broadbill, chapins flycatcher, attractive francolin, black-billed turaco, mountain masked apalis, royal sunbird, western bronze napping pigeon, and more than 350 other bird species may be seen in the park.
Activities in the Inaccessible National Park of Bwindi
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Gorilla trekking is the main activity of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is home to half of the world’s mountain gorilla population. The four sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park—Buhoma in the north, Rushaga in the south, Ruhija in the east, and Nkuringo in the south—are home to mountain gorillas.
At the park headquarters, gorilla trekking begins early in the morning with a briefing on the laws and regulations to be followed. Following the briefing, you will be split up into groups of eight, and each group will be paired with a park guide who is familiar with the jungle’s pathways and a habituated gorilla family to hike.
Because gorillas like to roam about in search of food, hiking with them in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park may take anything from thirty minutes to seven hours, depending on where you are. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Travel Guide.
You will be able to see many bird species, plant and tree species, animals, and other primate species while hiking. Once the mountain gorillas have been located, you will get the opportunity to spend an hour with them in their natural environment, where you may see how they feed, nurse, and groom their young, snap pictures, and film recordings.
Gorilla habituation
The wild mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are educated to get used to human presence for hiking purposes via an exciting practice called “gorilla habituation.” The gorilla habituation process takes two to three years to complete and is limited to the southern Rushaga section of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The habituation process begins very early with a briefing at the park headquarters.
Following that, you will begin walking into the jungle accompanied by a group of scientists, researchers, park rangers, guides, and trackers. During the full-day gorilla habituation experience, you will be rewarded with views of other animal species, such as birds, primates, and mammals.
After the gorillas are found, you will be able to spend four hours with them in their natural habitat, which will enable you to observe and track their habits, watch them go about their everyday lives, and snap pictures to share with your family back home.
Birding
There are 350 known bird species in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, including 23 endemic species of the Albertine Rift, forest birds, and migratory birds. Among other places, the Buhoma waterfall trail, the bamboo zone trail, and the Mubwindi swamp train in Ruhija are popular spots for bird viewing in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
An experienced bird guide will accompany you while you go bird watching and will help you identify various bird species, such as the handsome francolin, short-tailed warbler, African green broadbill, grauer’s warbler, pink-footed puffback, African olive pigeon, African paradise flycatcher, mountain wagtail, cassins flycatcher, white-headed saw-wing, barred long-tailed cuckoo, wallers starling, white-throated greenbul, yellow-fronted canary, Ruwenzori batis, grey-crowned crane, buff-spotted woodpecker, cape wagtail, helmeted guinea fowl, African goshawk, African pygmy kingfisher, black bee-eater, and more.
Nature walks
Visitors may get up close and personal with many animal species on an exciting nature walk at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. They can also take in breathtaking views of the waterfall, trees, birds, and more. The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers a variety of hiking trails, such as the 4- to 7-hour-long Mubwindi Swamp Trail in Ruhija Sector, the 4- to 7-hour Bamboo Trail in Ruhija Sector, the 4- to 5-hour Kashasha River Trail in Buhoma, the 3- to 4-hour Muzabajiro Loop Trail in Buhoma, the 4- to 6-hour Habinyanja Trail in Buhoma, the all-day Ivy River Trail in Buhoma, the Munyanyage Waterfall Trail in Buhoma, the Rusizi River Trail, and the Rusura Hill Trail in Buhoma Sector, among others.
Cultural encounters
Interacting with the Batwa, or Pygmies, who once inhabited Bwindi Forest before it was designated as a national park, is a thrilling experience. A nature walk through the forest is the first stop on the Batwa cultural tour in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Here, you can learn how they used to hunt small animals and gather honey, see how they lived in grass-huts, see various plants that were used to treat various illnesses, speak with medicine men, visit their traditional homesteads, learn how the women make local food, hear their traditional songs and stories, and more.
When to go to the impenetrable national park of Bwindi
Although it is possible to visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park at any time of year, the ideal time to go is in the dry season, which runs from June to February. Access roads, hiking routes, and gorilla trekking pathways will be dry and accessible during the dry season since there is less rainfall in the park. This makes trekking easier, according to the Travel Guide to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Because March through May and November are the greatest times of year to see migratory and colorful bird species, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park may still be visited during the rainy season.
How to go to the impenetrable national park of Bwindi
The southwest region of Uganda is home to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is accessible by road. From Kampala or Entebbe, you must go via Masaka, Mbarara, and Kabale before arriving at the park headquarters, which takes between eight to nine hours.
Additionally, visitors may travel to Kigali International Airport in Rwanda and then link to the park headquarters via the Cyanika border in Kisoro or the Katuna border in Kabale district.
Booking regular or charter flights with Aerolink Uganda from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Kihihi Airstrip and then connecting to the park headquarters by road is another way to reach Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Accommodations in the impenetrable national park of Bwindi
During the safari, you may stay at any of the many lodging options in the impenetrable national park of Bwindi. Among the lodging options are Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Wagtail Safari Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Mist Lodge, Cuckooland Tented Lodge, Gift of Nature Lodge, Bwindi Jungle View Lodge, Eco Marvels Gorilla Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Buhoma View Bandas, Buhoma Haven Lodge, Engage Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Gorilla resort, Nshongi camp, Ruhija gorilla friends lodge, Silverback lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Gorilla resort, Buhoma Community Rest Camp, and more.
