Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is one of Uganda’s oldest rainforests with more than 25,000 years of age. This  protects the World’s most famous Gentle Giants, the Mountain Gorillas and it is one of the largest areas in East Africa which still has Afro Montane lowland forest extending too well within the Montane Forest Belt.

The Park harbors 120 mammal species like Elephants, duikers,  yellow-backed duiker,  buffaloes, golden cats, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, black-fronted Duiker, clawless otter, side-striped jackal, civet, numerous bats, rodents and 350 bird species like handsome francolin, purple sunbird, red headed blue bill, African blue cuckoo, regal sunbird, breasted sunbird, Rwenzori turaco, Shelley’s crimson among other bird species.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is home to almost half of the World’s remaining population of Mountain Gorillas which gives a great opportunity for Gorilla Trekking and Habituation in the park’s sectors like Nkuringo, Buhoma, Ruhija and Rushaga.

Nkuringo Sector

Nkuringo is one of the famous sectors for gorilla trekking and it is located in the Southern region of the Park. This sector  the second to be established in 2004 and is famous for sheltering one of the most popular dominant silverbacks in the Impenetrable Forest, Rafiki, who died at the hands of poachers during the June 2020 pandemic lockdown.

Nkuringo Sector has 3 Gorilla groups available for Trekking and 1 other group is going through the Habituation process and soon it will be availed for the Habituation Experience.

Gorilla Groups in Nkuringo Sector Include;

Nkuringo Gorilla Family

Bushaho Gorilla Family

Christmass Gorilla Family

Posho Gorilla Family (Is going through the Habituation Process)

 

Rushaga Sector

Rushaga is located in the Southern region of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and it is one of the sectors with the highest number of gorilla groups. This region is popular with Tourists for its Habituation Experience where Tourists are allowed to spend 4 hours in the presence of these Gentle Giants. This sector of the park is unique in that you enjoy the vistas of the Great Virunga Mountains as well as un-interrupted views of the forest canopy and also Lake Bunyonyi the deepest Lake in Uganda.

Gorilla Groups in Rushaga Sector include;

Busingye Gorilla Family

Nshongi Gorilla Family

Bweza Gorilla Family

Mishaya Gorilla Family

Bwigi Gorilla Family

Mucunguzi Gorilla Family

Kahungye Gorilla Family

Bikyingi Gorilla Family

 

Buhoma Sector

Buhoma Sector is located in the Northern Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. It is the most visited sector of the impenetrable forest with the highest number of visitors. Buhoma was the first to host the first group of Gorilla Trekkers when Mubare gorilla group was opened for tracking in 1993.

Buhoma sector has 5 Habituated groups available for Gorilla Trekking and they Include;

Mubare Gorilla Family

Rushegura Gorilla Family

Habinyanja Gorilla Family

Katwe Gorilla Family

Muyambi Gorilla Family

 

Ruhija Sector

Ruhija Sector is located in the Eastern part of the Impenetrable forest and is easily accessible from Buhoma and Kabale. The only sector in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park where elephants are seen, as well as monkeys and antelopes. The sector is the quietest sector with a few mountain gorillas but with un-matched views of the forest ridge all the way to the Virunga Mountains.

Ruhija has 3 Habituated Gorilla families seen during Trekking and they include;

Oruzogo Family

Bitukura Gorilla Family

Kyaguriro Gorilla Family

 

Activities in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

This old Rainforest boosts of several activities one can engage in during their visit and they include;

Gorilla Trekking

This is the most famous activity in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and ranks this park as being the best Destination for Gorilla Trekking. This Impenetrable forest harbors over 459 Mountain Gorilla Individuals making it home to almost half of the World’s remaining population of Mountain Gorillas. Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi can be done in 4 Sectors which are Ruhija, Buhoma, Nkuringo and Rushaga and upon finding these Gentle Giants, you enjoy a full 1 hour in their presence while watching how they go about their day to day life.

Sharing over 98% of their DNA with humans, gorillas display similar human characteristics and they are headed by a Silverback who select places for the group to eat and sleep. Basically, though most people think that gorillas are scaring, they are indeed gentle and peaceful animals. These great apes are highly intelligent and have been observed using tools and communicate using a variety of vocal sounds.

 

Gorilla Habituation

This activity is quite similar to Gorilla Trekking though here, the time spent with the Mountain Gorillas is 4 Magical Hours and this enables Tourists to engage with them so that they get used to human presence. Bwindi has 21 Habituated Gorilla Families which can be tracked only in Rushaga Sector.

 

Batwa Cultural Experience

The Batwa are the Indigenous people who inhabited the Impenetrable forest before it was garzetted as a National Park. They used to eat the same food with the Mountain Gorillas considering them as part of their forest family. During your visit to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, you won’t miss visiting the Batwa as you will be able to learn how they used to hunt the small animals, encountering their traditional houses built in huts made of grass, visiting the caves thus impacting on Tourism due to their Creativity and Hospitality to Visitors.

 

Bird Watching

Bird Watching is one of the sought after activities in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park since the Forest is a Birder’s Haven and it harbors over 350 bird species. About 23 of these species are Albertine rift Endemics and 14 species are recorded nowhere else in Uganda. Some of the Bird species in Bwindi are African Green Hornbill, Short-tailed warbler, Rwenzori Nightjar, blue headed sunbird, purple sunbird, red headed blue bill, African blue cuckoo, regal sunbird, breasted sunbird, Rwenzori turaco, Shelley’s crimson among others.

 

When to Visit

The best time to visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park are June to August and December to February because they are the dry months and best to track Gorillas.

 

How to get to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Bwindi accessed by both Road and Air transport means.

By Road

This park accessed via Kampala-Kabale road and it is about 7 to 8 hours drive.

By Air

Bwindi Impenetrable National park as well be accessed using a private flight from Entebbe or from Kampala at Kajansi airfield to the Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrips.

 

Bwindi Entry Gates

The forest has 4 Entry gates which are;

Rushaga gate

Ruhija gate

Nkuringo gate

Buhoma Gate

 

Accommodations in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Bwindi has a variety of Accommodations to choose from ranging from Luxury and Mid-range to Budget Accommodations and they include;

Luxury Accommodation

Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp

Gorilla Resort

Mahogany springs camp

Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge