All About Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site 1994. It is in southwest Uganda and occupies 32,000 hectares of land. It is mainly covered by an impenetrable forest. The forest was proclaimed as the impenetrable forest reserve in 1932, its official name until 1991 when it was gazetted as a national park and named Bwindi. Realizing that this local name has less allure to tourists than the colonial name, UWA expanded it to be the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Bwindi forest is a home to roughly half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Looking deep into the expressive brown eyes of these gentle giants is surely the most exciting and poignant wildlife encounter that Africa has to offer. The national park has 90 mammal species, including 11 primates, of which the black and white colobus, with its lovely flowing white tail, is prominent. The forest birding ranks with the best in Uganda, with 23 highly localized Albertine rift endemics present.

Getting there

By Road Bwindi can be reached from QENP (Mweya)- Kihiihi- Buhoma. This route passes through QENP southerly Ishasha sector, providing a chance for the tourists to stopover and search for the famous tree- climbing lions.

• From Kampala – Kabale- Kanungu- Buhoma ( 5-6 hours’ journey)
• Kampala- Ntungamo- Rukungiri- Kihiihi- Buhoma (5 hours’ journey)
• The kabale- Ruhija- Buhoma, (5-6 hours’ journey)
• Kampala- Kibale- Nkuringo (6-7 hours’ journey)

By Air travelers can fly from Entebbe or Kampala (Kajjansi airfield) to the modern tarmac airstrip at Kisoro. Planes can also be chartered to the grass Kayonza or Savannah airstrips. Bwindi is well served by three airfields at Kayonza and Kihiihi for the northern sector and Nyakabande in Kisoro for those going to track gorillas in the southern sector (Nkuringo, Nshongi and Mishaya).

Tourism in Bwindi focuses on gorilla tracking at four locations: Buhoma in the northwest of the park, Ruhija in the east, Nkuringo in the southwest and Rushaga in the south. Slightly more than half the world’s mountain gorilla population is resident in Bwindi: an estimated 408 individuals living in 15 troops. Given the focus on gorillas, it may come as a surprise to learn that Bwindi harbours at least 120 mammal species, more than any national park except Queen Elizabeth. 11 types of primates, including a healthy chimpanzee population and substantial numbers of L’Hoest’s, red- tailed and blue monkeys, as well as black and white colobus and olive baboon. A total of 350 bird species have been recorded in Bwindi, a remarkably high figure when you consider that, unlike most other national park checklists, it includes very few water- associated birds. Of particular interest to birders are 23 species endemic to the Albertine Rift, and at least 14 species recorded nowhere else in Uganda, among them being the African green broadbill, white tailed blue Flycatcher, brown necked parrot, white bellied robin chat and Frazer’s eagle owl.

When to visit the park

Tourists can visit the park any time during the year, although conditions in the park are more difficult during the rainy season. The park is in a remote location, and the roads are in poor condition. Tourist accommodations include a lodge, tented camps, and rooms run by the community located near the Buhoma entrance gate

What to see and do

Gorilla trekking

Gorilla trekking is the main attraction as to why people visit the park. Gorilla trekking can be challenging and one needs to be reasonably fit before undertaking to venture into the activity. Registration and briefing at Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga visitor receptions commences at 7:30 am with general briefings conducted at 8:00am. The gorilla trekking safaris starts at 8:30 am and can last from a few hours to a whole day depending on where the gorillas were left the previous day.

A maximum of 80 gorilla tracking permits are available each day. Permits cost US$600 per person per visit. Only one group of tourists can visit the mountain gorillas each day and once you’ve found them, you’ll have just one precious hour in their company but the actual time spent with the gorillas for observation and photography is only one hour. Gorilla trekking safaris can be done throughout the year. Permits must be pre- booked at the UWA office in Kampala.