The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park contains a large primeval forest located in south-western Uganda in the Kanungu District. The Bwindi forest is on the edge of the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, at elevations ranging from 1,160 to 2,607 metres.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Situated in southwestern Uganda in Kisoro, Rubanda and Kanungu Districts, Bwindi impenetrable national park is famously known as one of the top mountain gorilla destinations, the park shelters almost half of the remaining mountain gorillas in the wild.
Only three countries in the Virunga Massif, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda shelters the endangered mountain gorillas and Bwindi is the largest host with 21 habituated family groups.
The vast park covers about 331 square kilometers dominated by both lowland vegetation and montane vegetation.
Bwindi is home to over 500 gorilla individuals out of about 1000 that are remaining in the wild and is highly dominated by tropical rainforests. Bwindi is also widely known for its extraordinary biodiversity, the park harbors about 160 tree species and over 100 fern species.
GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK.
All tourists on Uganda safari at least have a clue about Bwindi and they are always curiously yearning to get to explore this spot. The park hosts half of the remaining mountain gorillas in the wild with 21 habituated gorilla group families to choose from.
It is internationally recognized as the best home for mountain gorillas in Africa and the whole world at large, while it has always been receiving visitors from all parts of the world which has highly contributed to the country’s revenue.
The most famous gorilla sector in the park is the Buhoma gorilla sector, the oldest and the most visited gorilla sector situated in the northern part of the park. Buhoma sector harbors about 5 habituated gorilla families including Mubare, Muyambi, Rushegura, Habinyanja and Katwe.
Gorilla trekking is the most popular activity in Bwindi and the park is one of best places to have a one on one encounter with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park kicks off in the early hours of the morning with a briefing at about 8:00am before visitors are led to the trekking trails by the park rangers.
Each gorilla family group is tracked by one group of visitors consisting of eight members only. Once the mountain gorillas are tracked, visitors are only given a maximum of one full hour to sight and learn about these beautiful apes in their natural habitats.
Visitors on Uganda gorilla trekking safari tours believe this is a lifetime experience and unremarkable one.
BIRD WATCHING IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK.
The park has exceptional biodiversity with about 160 tree species and one of the right spots for birding activities. Even during the treks, several rare bird species can be sighted in the park.
Bwindi impenetrable national park shelters about 350 bird species including the 14 rare bird species and migratory bird species. Some of the bird species in the park include blue headed sunbird, Rwenzori night jar, eagles, to mention but a few.
VISITING THE CALM LAKE MUTANDA.
This beautiful lake is situated in the southern part of the park and the cooling nature of the fresh waters can be felt just on the shores of the lake. Visitors should anticipate the extraordinary sunset views on Lake Mutanda. The lake also harbors very many islands ready to be explored.
HOW TO GET TO BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK?
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can easily be accessed from Uganda’s capital city, Kampala. While the flights take only one hour from the county’s airport, Entebbe International Airport to Kihihi air field then a ride to the park in just less than an hour.
It takes about 8 to 9 hours to drive from the airport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by road, quite tiresome but very rewarding.
THE BEST TIME TO VISIT BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can actually be visited all year around. However, the dry seasons of the year remain the right time for visiting the park. This is because the drier period favors almost all activities unlike the wet rainy season.
Bwindi National Park is famous for being a home to about 50% of the remaining mountain gorillas in the wild and its exceptional gorilla trekking experience while the activity is highly affected during the rainy season.
During the wet season, the trekking trails are muddy with lush and dense vegetation that makes the trails hard and inaccessible hence not very many trekkers engage in the activity during this season.
The drier season of June, July, September, December and February is the right time for visiting Bwindi impenetrable forest. During this period, the trekking trails are clear and can easily be seen as a result of reduced short vegetation, less muddy and no floods at all.