Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a large tropical rain forest located along the edge of the Albertine Rift on the western branch of the East African Rift in southern Uganda. The forest spans the districts of Kanungu, Rubanda, Rukiga, and Kisoro. It was gazetted as a national park in 1992 and covers a total area of 321 sq. km. The forest was gazetted with the aim of saving mountain gorillas, which were in danger of going extinct at the time. Bwindi Gorilla Park is known for its extraordinary biodiversity, with more than 160 tree species. The vast stands of bamboo that are dotted within the greater forest hardwoods are the source of its name.
Direct foot access is significantly hampered by the bamboo and dense ground cover of ferns, vines, and other plant growth. Historians and neighbours claim that the Batwa people, an indigenous pygmy community known as the forest custodians (pygmies), are the earliest inhabitants of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Before being designated as a national park in 1992, this verdant woodland had existed for more than 4,000 years.
Bwindi gorilla park is Uganda’s leading mountain gorilla destination, if not in the whole world, followed by the three gorilla parks that make up the Virunga conservation area, including Volcanoes National Park, Virunga National Park, and Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi Gorilla Park has 23 gorilla families, 2 of which are reserved for habituation in Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors. Currently, Bwindi Gorilla Park inhabits over 459 mountain gorillas in their natural habitats, which draws visitors from different parts of the world.
Top Natural wonders of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Mountain gorillas
Mountain gorillas, which inhabit various parts of the forest, are renowned residents of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Ruhija, Buhoma, Rushaga, and Nkuringo are the four sectors that make up Bwindi Forest. These areas are home to mountain gorillas, attracting thousands of visitors from around the globe. Because they are thought to be near ancestors of humans, mountain gorillas draw a lot of tourists from all over the world. The majority of visitors visiting Uganda ultimately go on trekking or habituation safaris in the dense forest national park of Bwindi. Tourists can participate in the activities that enable them to witness mountain gorillas in their natural environments on these safaris.
Wildlife Species
The dense forest of Bwindi is home to a variety of wildlife species, including bird species and mountain gorillas. Trekking and nature walks are examples of forest activities where these are observed. Forest elephants, side-striked jackals, enormous forest hogs, chimpanzees, olive baboons, monkeys, chameleons, and various frogs are among the creatures that inhabit the dense forest of Bwindi.
Bird species
It is estimated that roughly 23 of the more than 350 bird species found in the thick forest of Bwindi are indigenous to the Albertine Rift. When birdwatchers engage in bird-watching activities on a safari in the dense forest of Bwindi, they can observe the majority of these bird species at various park locations.
Local birders who are familiar with the best trekking routes and birding locations are the ideal people to see birds in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The Ansorge’s Greenbul, Purple Breasted Sunbird, Ladgen’s Bush Shrike, Willard’s Sooty Boubou, Pin-tailed Whydah, Nuemann’s Warbler, Grauer’s Swamp Warbler, Stuhlmann’s Starling, African Olive-pigeon, Giant Kingfisher, African Citril, Mackinnon’s Shrike, and Little Grebe are among the bird species found in Bwindi.
Other bird species include Black Bee-eater, Ross’s Turaco, Regal Sunbird, Dusky Crimsonwing, Archer’s Robin-chat, Red-chested Fluff Tail, African Goshawk, Diederik Cuckoo, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Blue-headed Sunbird, Red-capped Robin Chat, Cape Wagtail, African Flycatcher-chat, Grey Crowned Crane, Dwarf Honeyguide, Great Blue Turaco, Papyrus Canary, Hadada ibis, and Grey Wagtail, to name a few.
Best time to visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
The best time to visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is during the dry season. It happens between June and September and December and February, when there is an abundance of sunshine and little to no rainfall in the park. The park’s roads are suitable for driving through, the foliage is sparse, the trekking routes are dry and easier for visitors to walk through, and there are pleasant views of the mountain gorillas.
Visitors can still explore the various sights in the dense forest of Bwindi during the rainy season. The park experiences a lot of rainfall and little sunshine during the rainy season, which runs from March to May and October to November. When tourists visit during the rainy season, they discover that the roads are in bad condition, the trails are muddy, and the foliage is tall, making it difficult to see the wildlife.
Accessing Bwindi Gorilla Park
In a single day, visitors can go by plane or car to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Luxury travellers and some others who detest long-distance travel use air transport. Bwindi is served by a number of airline operators, including Bar Aviation Uganda and Aerolink Uganda. Visitors can fly to Kisoro in the south of the park or Kihihi in the north from Entebbe Airport and Kajjansi Airstrip.
From Kigali or Entebbe, visitors can travel by road to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. By crossing into Uganda via the Katuna or Kyanika borders and travelling to any of the park’s sectors, visitors can reach Bwindi from Kigali in three to four hours. Travellers can drive from Entebbe to any of the Bwindi sectors via Mpigi, Masaka, Lyantonde, Ntungamo, Kabale, or Kisoro.