Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is not only credited for its abundant mountain gorilla population, but also its remoteness, unmatched beauty and biodiversity which make it Uganda’s premier destination.

The impenetrable forest of Bwindi hosts 120 species of mammals, including primates such as monkeys, chimpanzees, baboons, and over 460 mountain gorillas, 400 species of plants,

The park is located in the southwestern region of the country in Kanungu district and sits on an altitude of 1,160 to 2,706 meters above sea level. This protected area consists of various sectors offering excellent gorilla tracking experiences including Rushaga sector, Buhoma, Ruhija and Nkuringo sectors.

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is famous for its impeccable gorilla trekking experience. Gorilla trekking is a process of hiking to the tropical rainforests in search for the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat in lead of an experienced park ranger guides. The Gorilla trekking adventure is a daily activity which starts at 8:00 am with a briefing at the park headquarters, followed by allocation of the family you will track. The number of visitors is limited to 8 per day per group of gorillas because the primates need to be kept safe. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers the best gorilla experience because of it hosts over half of the total gorilla population in the whole world.

The trekking time varies basing on several reasons such as the fitness of the trekkers, and the location where the gorillas spent their night. You also need to note that the national parks are not fenced and the gorillas can move freely across borders. On finding the gorillas, a maximum of 60 minutes is allocated to spend time with them. Visitors are allowed to take nice photos and short videos with non-flash cameras or phones. After seeing the mountain gorillas, visitors trek back to the park headquarters where they are awarded certificates and then transfer back to their respective lodges or next destinations. The minimum age to track mountain gorillas is 15 years and you should have secured a gorilla permit in advance before the day of tracking.

Gorilla Habituation Experience (GHEX)

Gorilla Habituation Experience involves training mountain gorillas to be able to stay or get used to people. The habituation process takes 3 years and is done by trained rangers, conservationists and researchers. Unlike Gorilla tracking, Gorilla Habituation is a 4 hours experience with the mountain gorillas learning and exploring their behaviors in depth.

The number of visitors who participate in this unique experience is limited to 4 daily.

The Batwa Cultural Experience

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was home to the Batwa (also referred to as the Pygmies). The Batwa originally dwelled in the old forest peacefully in harmony with nature and therefore called the “keepers of the forest”. Their source of food was hunting and gathering fruits and plants also for medicinal purposes.

When Bwindi Impenetrable Forest became a national park and UNESCO World heritage, the Batwa were evicted form the park and that marked a new life for them as they were homeless and could run to extinction. While the tribe of the Batwa was at the point of extinction in 2001, the American medical missionaries, Dr. Scott and Carol Kellermann stepped in to their rescue. They improved the lives of these indigenous people by purchasing land for them and establishing life improving programs for them such as building a school and hospital for them as well as improving water and sanitation.

Currently BDP (Batwa Development Program) manages and works closely with the Batwa community to ensure that their indigenous rights are respected and also benefit from the impenetrable forest of Bwindi, a famous tourist attraction.

The Batwa Cultural Experience was created by the Batwa to educate their children and to share their amazing culture and traditions with the rest of the world. A day spent with the Batwa offers you an opportunity to participate and enjoy the following activities:

• Walk and hike in the forest with the forest keepers. In company of a Batwa guide, you will have a chance to explore the forest and its inhabitants through their eyes.
• Have a glimpse of how they lived and hunted in the local way. Appreciate your hunting techniques with a bow and arrow under the guidance of the Batwa.
• Visit a homestead of the Batwa and learn the local way of cooking by women as well as serving a meal. Have a chance to taste the local food.
• Learn the African traditional way of healing from the medicine man. Know the different forest plants and their benefits.
• Enjoy and dance to the traditional and ancient legends and traditional songs.

Birding

Bwindi N/Park is a birder’s haven, hosting up to 360 bird species and during a birding tour, you have plenty of birds to search for including several of Albertine rift endemic species. The bird species to be identified while on bird watching trip are enormous including the red-throated alethe, Western green tinker bird, Archer’s robin-chat, Fine-banded woodpeckers, common bulbul, African blue & white-tailed flycatchers, short-tailed warblers, African emerald cuckoos, strange weavers, Shelley’s crimson wings, black-faced rufous warblers, cinnamon-chested bee-eaters,

African wood owl, dwarf honey guide, handsome francolins, mountain masked apalis, black-billed turacos, bush shrikes, western bronze napped pigeon, Neumann’s warblers, and more. The important birding spots in Bwindi include the bamboo zone, Ruhija sector, especially along Mubwindi Swamp trail, Buhoma waterfall trail, and others.

Guided nature walks

Nature walks in Bwindi are done in the different trails each exposing nature lovers opportunity to encounter the park’s diverse animal species including primates, bird species and flora. The available trails to explore on a nature walk include Rushura, the Ivy River trail, Mubwindi swamp, Munyanga waterfall trail, Bamboo trail, Kashasha River trail, Habinyanja trail and more.