Top 5 Activities in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Top 5 Activities in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Top 5 activities in Bwindi impenetrable national park : Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is located in south western part of Uganda in Kanungu district. The national park was gazetted as a national park in 1991 mainly to protect the endangered mountain gorillas and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 due to its rich biodiversity.
Bwindi impenetrable national park is a home of different wildlife species including forest elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, antelopes, primates like the endangered mountain gorillas, l’hoest monkeys, baboons, different bird species, butterflies and plants species.
Top 5 activities in Bwindi impenetrable national park
- Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Gorilla trekking is an adventurous activity in Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will move deep into the tropical rainforest in search of the mountain gorillas. The national park is a home of about 19 habituated gorilla families which are found in four sectors namely Buhoma sector in the north, Nkuringo sector in the south, Ruhijja sector in the east and Rushaga sector in the south.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park starts very early in the morning at around 8:00am with a briefing at the park headquarters. After the briefing you will be sub-divided into groups of 8 people where each group is allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with different trails in the jungle.
Trekking of the mountain gorillas in Bwindi national park takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorillas are located. During trekking you will be able to view other primate species like l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons, variety of bird species, plants among others. once the mountain gorilla family is located you will be able to spend one hour which gives you a chance to observe their habits, take photos, record videos, watch them play, feed, breastfeed, groom young ones among others.
- Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Gorilla habituation experience is another incredible and extraordinary activity in Bwindi impenetrable nation park where you will get a chance to spend four hours with the mountain gorillas under the habituation process.
Gorilla habituation is a process where the wild gorillas are trained to get used to human presence for trekking, the process takes a period of 2 to 3 years to be complete and involves a team of researchers, scientists, park rangers and trackers. Gorilla habituation experience is only done in Rushaga sector southern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park and starts with a briefing at the park headquarters.
Gorilla habituation experience only allows a maximum number of 4 people to visit a group under the habituation process and during trekking you will be able to view different wildlife species including mammals, birds, plant and tree species. Once the gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend four hours with them in their environment which gives you an opportunity to monitor their behaviors, watch them carry out their daily activities, learn about the naming process among others.
- Bird watching in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Bwindi impenetrable national park is a home of more than 360 recorded bird species including Albertine rift endemic species, forest birds and forest birds which makes Bwindi forest one of the birders paradise. During bird watching in Bwindi impenetrable national park which is commonly done along the bamboo zone, Buhoma waterfall trail and Mubwindi swamp trail you will be accompanies by an experienced park guide who will help you to spot different bird species including African green pigeon, African emerald cuckoo,common bulbul, giant kingfisher, cinnamon chested bee-eater, handsome francolin, dwarf honey guide, collared apalis, red throated alethe, Ruwenzori nightjar, red faced woodland warbler, archers robin chat, blue headed sunbird, strip breasted tit, kivu ground thrush, yellow eyed black flycatcher, strange weaver, dusky crimsonwing among others.
- Nature walks/ hiking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Nature walk is an adventurous activity where you will be able to explore Bwindi forest on foot with a well trained park guide and an armed park ranger to protect you from any danger. Bwindi impenetrable national park has several nature walk trails that you can follow during the guided nature walk such as Muyangwa waterfall trail in Buhoma sector, Muzubijiro loop trail, Rushura hill walk, Buhoma-Nkuringo trail, Ivi river trail and Habinyanja trail.
During the guided nature walk you will get up-close and personal with different wildlife species including mammals, primates, view different tree species, colorful butterflies, beautiful scenery, listen to sweet sounds of bird species singing in trees, take beautiful pictures among others.
- Batwa cultural tour in Bwindi impenetrable national park
This is an interesting activity in Bwindi impenetrable national park that gives you an opportunity to interact with the Batwa people who used to live in Bwindi forest before it was gazetted as a national park. Batwa cultural tour begins with a prayer from the Batwa guides where after you will start hiking through the forest where the Batwa used to live.
You will be able to learn about their lifestyle for example how they used to gather honey, food they used to eat, different plants they used to cure illnesses, demonstrate how they used to build huts made of grass and trees, learn how to hunt with a bow and arrow, visit their traditional homesteads, learn how to prepare their local dishes, listen to their ancient stories, enjoy their traditional entertainments among others.
Best time to visit Bwindi impenetrable national park
Bwindi impenetrable national park can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season also known as the peak season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February. During the dry season the park receives little or less rainfall therefore access roads gorilla trekking and hiking trails will be passable compared to the wet season when the trails are muddy and slippery which makes trekking difficult.
How to get to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in southwestern part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means whereby you will drive from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara to the park headquarters which takes about 8 hours drive.
Bwindi impenetrable national park can also be accessed by air transport means whereby you will book charter or scheduled flights from Entebbe airport or Kajjansi airfield to Kihihi airstrip or Kisoro airstrip and then connect to the park headquarters by road.
