Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in southwestern Uganda in the highest areas of Kigezi on the outskirts of the Rift Valley, bordered on the west by the Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and on the southeast by Kabale Town, which is the park’s nearest town. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park became well-known around the world due to its large population of mountain gorillas and gorilla trekking; the park is the most visited and provides the most money for the Uganda Wildlife Authority when compared to all other Uganda safari destinations. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covers 331 square kilometres (128 square miles). The park got its name from one of its major tourist attractions, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which got its name from a swamp called “Mubwindi” located in the eastern part of the park, which means a place of darkness because of the history of the swamp making it difficult to penetrate, hence Bwindi Impenetrable meaning “a dark place difficult to penetrate”.

The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has two primary tourist attractions: the forest itself and the endangered mountain gorillas that live there. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is an extremely thought forest in that trails must be cleared every day in order for tourists to climb it, and it can only be entered on foot, hence the forest is known to as the “true African jungle”. Other tourist attractions include the endangered mountain gorillas, which carry 989% human DNA, making them Man’s closest cousin. Bwindi is home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, which cannot survive anywhere other than their natural habitat. These mountain gorillas are habituated, which means they have been educated to behave in the company of humans, making it safe for people to visit as long as the rules and regulations are followed. The park is endowed with a diverse flora and fauna, including over 104 fern species, 200 tree species, over 1000 flowing plant species, 200 butterfly species, 120 mammals, 11 primates, and over 350 recorded bird species, including 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift endemics, 14 of which are found nowhere else in Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 due to its natural beauty, rich diversity in flora and fauna, and the presence of the two African apes, the chimpanzee and the endangered mountain gorilla.
Bwindi National Park, like all of Uganda’s national parks, is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority

History of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was initially designated as a Crown Forest Reserve, with the first block named Kayonza and the second in the southern block named Kasatora Crown Forest Reserve, with a total area of 207 square kilometres (80 square miles). The reserves were eventually united in 1942 and dubbed Impenetrable Central Crown Forest by the Ugandan government’s game and forest department. In 1964, it was gazetted again and renamed Impenetrable Central Forest as a wildlife sanctuary to safeguard its mountain gorillas. The sanctuary only lasted 27 years before being renamed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in 1991, along with Mgahinga Gorilla Reserve and Rwenzori Mountain Reserve, with the primary goal of protecting a variety of wildlife species in the area, particularly endangered mountain gorillas.

Attraction in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Wildlife

Bwindi National Park is home to around 120 mammal species, including elephants, duikers, buffaloes, golden cats, bush pigs, yellow-backed duiker, clawless otter, civet, chameleons, geckos, and 27 kinds of frogs.

Bird Species

Bwindi is inhabited by around 350 recorded bird species. Collared Apalis, Black-billed Turaco, Fraser’s Eagle, Western Bronze-napped pigeon, Grauer’s broadbill, Chapin’s flycatcher, Handsome Francolin, the western green Tinkerbird, white-brown crombec, African hill, and even globally threatened species like the African green broadbill, as well as IUCN red data listed species, make up 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift endemics.

Mountain Gorillas

Mountain gorillas are man’s closest cousin, with 98% human DNA. These animals can only be found in their natural habitat; they cannot thrive anywhere else. These apes are critically endangered; the park houses over 360 of the estimated 800 gorillas in the world. Other primates in the park include baboons, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, De Brazza monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, Potto, and others.

The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, known as a true African jungle due to its dense vegetation and frequent rain, is one of the few woods that have thrived since the last Ice Age. The forest contains a diverse flora and fauna, including 104 fern species, 200 tree species, over 1000 flowing plant species, and 200 butterfly species. The forest is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, adjacent to the Virunga National Park.

Activities in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla Trekking

Gorilla Trekking is the park’s principal activity, and it allows you to get up close and personal with Man’s closest cousin in their natural habitat. This is unquestionably the world’s best wildlife experience, and it should be on your bucket list. Before participating in this exercise, one must be in reasonable physical condition. Trekking begins at 8:30 a.m. at the park headquarters, with a briefing about the activity followed by the activity, which can last anywhere from 2 hours to a full day depending on the gorilla movement and where they nested the night before.

When you meet them, you will be given a full hour to spend with them in their natural habitat, watching how they play, feed, breastfeed, communicate, and wake up. This is the most rewarding Safari activity in the world. Please keep in mind that the activity should be led by trained park guides, and everyone must get a trekking permit. Before embarking on a trek, wear hiking shoes, a long-sleeved shirt, long trousers and a raincoat because it is almost constantly raining.

The park’s second main activity is gorilla habituation, which allows visitors to help researchers teach unhabituated gorillas how to adapt to human presence without disrupting their natural behaviour. You will spend 4 hours with them, as habituation takes longer than walking, and you will observe them during their daily activities such as de-nesting, feeding, copulating, and breastfeeding until they build a new nest and retire for the day.

Bird Watching

Bwindi National Park offers one of Africa’s finest montane forest birding. The park has four trails used for birding, including the Buhoma Waterfall trail, the bamboo trail leads to Rwamunyonyi peak, the highest peak and notable spot for birding, and the Mubwindi swamp trail in Ruhija could lead you to the endemic and localised African green broadbill. Other species to spot include Collared Apalis, Black-billed Turaco, Fraser’s Eagle, Western Bronze-napped pigeon, Grauer’s broa
Cultural Encounter
Visit the Batwa people who lived in the forest before it was gazetted; they were evicted and now live near the park. These locals will walk you through their history of how they used to survive in the forest, their lifestyle, how they identified and used plants for medication and food, how to make fire traditionally, and enjoy local meals, storytelling, local dances, and music. It is important to note that this activity is led by individuals who are most familiar with the locals.

Mountain Biking

Biking is another interesting activity offered by Ride 4, a women’s community support group, to enhance your enjoyment of your safari to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This activity is done on a 13-kilometer trail along the Ivi River beginning in the Buhoma Northern sector of the park, and thus far, it is the trail that provides the best biking experience. As with most activities, you must participate with a competent guide.

Visit Lake Mutanda.

Lake Mutanda is located in the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and provides a relaxing sunset boat tour, as well as exploration by dugout canoe.

Best Time to Visit the Park

The park is open all year, but the ideal time to come is during the dry season, which runs from June to August and December to February, when the roads are passable due to the murram. Trekking is easier during the dry season since there is less vegetation cover. The peak of rainfall occurs between March and April, making hiking difficult because it is always likely to rain, making the forest muddy, and the vegetation is thick, preventing proper sightings of wildlife, despite the fact that everything is cheap during this season to draw people into the park.

How to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is accessible via both air and road transport.
By Road: There are numerous routes to the park, and some of them are.
Tourists can approach the park via Kampala-Kabale town-Kanungu town-Buhoma HQ. This route is currently the shortest and simplest to travel to the park, taking approximately 390 km on a tarmacked road to Rukungiri and then 82 km on a murram road to the Buhoma Park Headquarters.
The park is also accessible via Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Mweya sector-Kihihi town-Buhoma headquarters; it is roughly 160 kilometres from Mweya and 64 kilometres from Ishasha.
By Air: Scheduled and chartered flights take around 1 hour and 10 minutes, making it the quickest mode of transportation to the park but the most expensive.

There are various regular flights to airstrips near the park, like as one from Entebbe International Airport to Kisoro Airstrip for tourists travelling to the park’s southern sector, after which they will drive to the park by a murram road.
A daily flight from Entebbe to Kihihi airfield, followed by a drive to the park via Murram Road.

Accommodation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a variety of accommodation options ranging from luxury to mid-range to budget, including Ruhija gorilla Safari, Silver Back Lodge, Engangi Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Buhoma Community Rest Camp, Broadbill Forest Camp, Agandi Lodge, Bakiga Lodge, Buhoma Community Haven Lodge, and Bwindi View Lodge & Campsite, among others.