Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Situated in Southwestern Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the most famous safari destination in Uganda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the endangered mountain gorillas. The park’s name “Bwindi” means “a place full of darkness” referring its dense foliage. The park comprises of a rugged landscape with varying altitude from 1,160 to 2,607 meters above sea level, its location within the Albertine Rift, a region renowned for its exceptional biodiversity, contributes to its richness of life.

A Uganda safari to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers a unique opportunity to experience the majestic gorillas in Africa up close, the park stands out among the top places to visit in Uganda as an incredible destination for wildlife enthusiasts.

Covering 32,092 hectares, Bwindi is one of the oldest surviving habitats weathering even the last Ice Age when most of the other forests vanished. The part is dominated by lush rainforest stretching across a steep ridges and valleys, seamlessly merging Afromontane lowland forest into East Africa’s montane forest belt.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a haven of nature’s abundance, boasting an incredible collection of wildlife species. Over 120 mammal species call this park home, including endangered mountain gorillas, elusive forest elephants, and playful chimpanzees. For birders, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park hosts over 350 bird species and the park’s flora is equally impressive, with over 1,000 flowering plant species, including 163 tree species and 104 fern species.

Mountain Gorillas

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to approximately 459 mountain gorillas, representing nearly half of the world’s total population of these critically endangered great ape species.

With four gorilla trekking sectors – Ruhija, Rushaga, Nkuringo and Buhoma, Bwindi has 20 successfully habituated gorilla groups open for gorilla trekking. Each of these sectors offers a unique and exciting glimpse into the lives of these gentle apes in their natural habitat.

Undoubtedly, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the best place to see mountain gorillas in Africa.

Wildlife in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Beyond mountain gorillas, Bwindi hosts other fascinating mammals including forest elephants roaming the dense undergrowth, chimpanzees thriving in the canopy and other several primate species including black and white colobus monkeys and blue monkeys.

In total, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park hosts around 120 mammal species.

Birdlife in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi is a haven for bird watchers, with approximately 350 bird species recorded within the park’s boundaries. Most of these birds are endemic or rare, such as the African green broadbill and Grauer’s swamp warbler among others.

Birds in Bwindi include Little grebe, Pink backed pelican, Black headed heron, Cattle egret, Purple heron, Hammer Kop, Marabou stork, Sacred Ibis, Hadada Ibis, Hottentot Teal, Northern pin tail, black kite, African fish eagle, Palm nut vulture, Brown snake eagle, African goshawk among others.

Safari Activities to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla Trekking

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the best place to see the endangered mountain gorillas, the park hosts half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and 20 habituated gorilla groups open for gorilla trekking and visitors can visit one of these groups.

To take part in gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park you must purchase a gorilla permit prior to your gorilla trek. Only 8 people aged 15 years and above are permitted to visit each gorilla family in Bwindi.

Gorilla trekking experiences starts early in the morning with briefing at the park headquarters where a senior ranger guide from Uganda Wildlife Authority takes you through rules and regulations. Then head into the forest in search for the gorillas, the trek takes approximately 2 to 6 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas and where they spent their previous night. In the duration of one hour you will spend with the gorillas, you will watch them go on with their life the forest, as they feed, play and groom each other.

A gorilla permit in Uganda costs USD 800 per person. 

Gorilla Habituation Experience

For visitors interested in spending more with the mountain gorillas, join the gorilla habituation experience only offered in Bwindi Forest in the whole world. This experience allows visitors to spend more hours (four hours) observing these primates instead of the standard gorilla trekking.

Gorilla habituation experience offers visitors a chance to join researchers and scientists in the process of habituating mountain gorillas to human presence, along the experience scientists share information about the gorilla habituation process and current issues relation to gorilla conservation, get to identify the gorillas individually by their names and characteristics.

Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park costs $ 1,500 per person. Only four people take part in this experience and a semi-habituated gorilla family is trekked.

Bird watching

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a prime birding destinations in Uganda and was named as Africa’s number one birding spot by Africa Bird Club.

Bwindi hosts over 350 bird species including 23 Albertine Rift endemics and 14 of which are not recorded anywhere else in Uganda. Some of the birds you will witness in Bwindi Forest include the African green pigeon, blue-headed sunbird, African harrier hawk, Grauer’s broadbill, and the regal sunbird dancing amidst the foliage. The air resonates with the calls of the handsome francolin, the cinnamon-chested bee-eater, and the majestic crown hornbill among others.

Hiking

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park hosts a great biodiversity and visitors can experience it on hiking and nature walks. There are several trails running through the park allowing visitors to marvel at the forest and its creatures like birds, butterflies and primates.

One of the incredible trails used on hiking and nature walks in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park starts from Buhoma to Nkuringo, from Nkuringo to Lake Mutanda and then from Nkuringo to Kisoro. These trails go through amazing scenery and provide opportunities to interact with the locals.

Batwa Cultural Experience

A Bwindi safari is not complete without a visit to the Batwa people, these forest people are believed to be the oldest indigenous tribe in Uganda. For over 5000 years they stayed in the forest harmoniously with mountains until they were evicted when the forests were designated as protected areas to protect the endangered mountain gorillas.

Visiting the Batwa people offers a unique opportunity to be with a true indigenous African tribe and learn about their ancient culture and way of life. While with the Batwa, visitors are entertained by local dances and drama, witness their skillful hunting, visit the medicine man among others.

Best Time to Visit Bwindi

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a year-round destination, however the best time to visit is during the dry seasons from June to August and December to February. This period is often considered the best time as the park experiences relatively less rainfall, resulting in drier trails and easy accessibility to the gorilla trekking areas.

Where to stay in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers a range of accommodation options ranging from budget, midrange to luxury. These include

• Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
• Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp
• Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge
• Mahogany Springs Lodge
• Mutanda Lake Resort
• Buhoma Lodge
• Engagi Lodge
• Chameleon Hill Lodge
• Rushage Gorilla Havens Lodge
• Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort
• Bakiga Lodge
• Gorilla Valley Lodge

Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a very accessible park from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda and one can get there by air or road.

By Air – This is easiest way to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, there are domestic and charter flights from Entebbe International Airport to either Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrip, the closest airstrips to the park. The flight usually lasts around 1 hours and 10 minutes and they are operated by Aerolink and Bar Aviation among others.

By Road – Traveling by road is the most common way to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The journey from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda takes 9 to 10 hours, covering approximately 550 kilometers. Also you can access Bwindi from Kigali, Rwanda which is about 3 to 4 hours.

From Kampala, there routes are used to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park including Kampala to Kabale to Buhoma, Kampala to Ntugamo to Rukunguri to Kihihi and Kampala to Kabale to Nkuringo.