Bwindi Impenetrable National park is located in South-Western Uganda, at the junction of the plain and mountain forests, Bwindi Park covers 32,000 hectares and is known for its exceptional biodiversity, with more than 160 species of trees and over 100 species of ferns, the park was established in 1991. The park has many types of birds and butterflies can be found there, as many endangered species, including the mountain gorillas. The park is managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Attractions in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Mountain Gorillas.
Mountain Gorillas are the main and the major attraction among the endangered species of wildlife in the park because they are exciting creatures. The park is a home to half of the world’s surviving mountain gorilla population that are habituated by 12 gorilla family groups distributed into the forests of Buhoma, Ruhija and the Rushaga sectors and can be tracked at any time of the year, the park allows 8 tourists to a gorilla family group per day, the mountain gorillas in the park can inhabit the forested mountain slopes.
Primates.
Rather than the mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable national park is a home to the chimpanzees, and at times these can be sighted but with luck you can spot them in a distance and other primates in the park includes the black and white monkeys, colobus monkeys and many more.
Waterfalls.
The park, contains forest which is water catchment area being a mountainous, there are water falls within the park at different locations and the best way to explore them is through hiking, nature walks while following their origin. The waterfalls in the park includes the Kashasha River, Munyaga river fall, Ntegyero. The waterfall trails can be followed from buhoma to Nkuringo along as you spot different butterfly species, birds, animal species and flower species.
Local culture.
The Bwindi Impenetrable national park is a former home of the Batwa tribe of Uganda, the Batwa used to inhabit the forest and survive on it. The Batwa currently live outside the forest, visiting the Batwa, offers tourists a great experiences as tourists discover their unique cultural practices and way of living which gives them an idea of what the life of a typical rural Ugandan look like, the Batwa originally are great hunters.
Bird species.
The park has more than 350 species of birds and contains 90% of the Albertine rift endemics like Shelley’s crimson wing, Chapin’s fly catcher, African green broad bill. The experienced birdwatchers can spot 100 species of birds per day, the best bird views for the birds in the park is Ruhija and Buhoma. The bird species in the park includes red headed bluebill, African blue plus the African Emerald Cuckoo, Common bulbul and many more.
Wildlife.
The park boasts a number of animal species like the elephants, duiker, buffalos, golden cats, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, black-fronted duiker, yellow-backed duiker, clawless otter, side-stripped jackal, civet, numerous bats and rodents and many more which makes your Uganda wildlife safari a wonderful one in Bwindi Impenetrable national park.
Activities done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Gorilla Trekking.
Gorilla trekking is the main activity and it has attracted many tourists country wide and world wide to Bwindi Impenetrable national Park. Gorilla trekking is done by hiking the impenetrable forest while searching for the mountain gorillas with the guidance of the park rangers, trackers. The park has 19 habituated gorilla families that can be tracked in the four different sectors in the park namely the Buhoma gorilla sector in the northern part has 4 habituated families, Ruhija gorilla in the east of the park has 4 habituated gorilla families, Nkuringo gorilla sector in the south has 3 gorilla families then Rushaga gorilla sector in the south with 8 habituate gorilla families, the Gorilla permits are highly demanded before the activity, prior bookings are done as well.
Bird watching.
Thepark is a birding haven that offers the amazing bird watching that is the park has over 350 bird species, 23 bird species are endemic to the Albertine Rift. The bird species that can be spotted during the bird watching includes short-tailed warbler, blue-headed sunbird, Rwenzori night jar and many others.
Batwa cultural experience.
The tourists during their visit in Bwindi impenetrable national park experiences the lives and practices of the Batwa, the Batwa people during the cultural experiences shares their hunting activity, cooking and many others, the Batwa people depend on the forest as they are used with animals.
Forest walks.
Forest walks through the trails in Bwindi Impenetrable national park takes place as the tourists explore and learn the forest with the help of the guide. The Munyaga river trails takes the guests to the beautiful waterfalls in the park as they are exploring various features of the park like the bird, animal species. The activity takes about 3 to 4 hours.
Mountain biking.
Mountain biking is mostly done from Buhoma sector which gives the best biking experience to the tourists which are provided by the Woman community group who offer them on rent and organize the best guided biking experience in the park.
Gorilla Habituation.
Gorilla Habituation is where the travelers walk through the impenetrable forest with researchers collecting data and learning about the mountain gorillas and their families, this spends 3 to 4 hours with the gorillas once encountered and they get to learn of the behaviors of the family and interact with them.
Lake Mutanda Visit.
Lake Mutanda is hidden gem situated within the mountainous terrain of southwestern Uganda in Kisoro district, it is one of the picturesque lakes in Africa surrounded by giant hills and is found within an exceptional landscape of lush and luxuriant sprawling highlands.
Buhoma community walks.
Buhoma community walk takes 3 hours around the Buhoma region in Bwindi impenetrable national park, this walk gives you a chance to learn about the day to day life of the local people who live near the forest.
Best to visit Bwindi Impenetrable national park.
The best time to visit Bwindi Impenetrable national park is between June and August and then again December through February, these are the driest months, with the best chance of sunny skies and clear days perfect for gorilla trekking although showers are always possible.
Where to stay in Bwindi Impenetrable national park.
There are various accommodation facilities in Bwindi impenetrable national park ranging from Budget, Mid-range, Luxury, as includes Bwindi lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla forest camp, Buhoma lodge, Clouds mountain gorilla lodge, Mahogany springs and many more.
Entrance fees of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
| Category | Foreign Non Residents(USD) | Foreign Residents(USD) | East Africa Citizen (UGX) |
| Adults | 40 | 30 | 20,000 |
| Children | 20 | 10 | 5000 |
| Ugandan Pupils and/Students(Groups) | 3000 | ||
| Tertially, Institutions/Universities | 5000 | ||
| Uganda Wildlife Clubs | 2000 |
How to get to Bwindi impenetrable national park.
Bwindi impenetrable national park can be accessed by both the road and air means of transport from Kampala to the park.
By Road transport.
Bwindi impenetrable national park can be accessed from Kampala through Mbarara about 6 to 8 hours’ drive or from Kabale town to the southern just 1 to 2 hours then to Butogota, just 17 kilometers from the Buhoma entrance gate. A 4×4 vehicle is needed through the rainy months, a daily bus service leaves Kampala for Butogota through Rukungiri and Kihiihi.
By Air transport.
One can fly from Entebbe Airport, or Kajjansi airfields to the up to date tarmac airstrip found at Kisoro like Kihiihi plus Kayonza for the northern area in addition to Nyakabande found in Kisoro for people going to track mountain gorillas in the southern area.
Bwindi Impenetrable national park is known for its species diversity and a home to the majestic mountain gorillas, the park is inhabited by about 600 mountain gorillas which makes up almost half of all the mountain gorillas in the world.
