Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Uganda’s most sought destination, it is known for its resident species the mountain gorillas, toppled with its angelic beauty and a virgin area, the forest is one of the oldest biodiverse Afromontane forests of the country said to have survived from the ice age era, the misty thick forest has developed over time rich in tree species with an undergrowth of ferns, climbing plants and marshy swampy areas these protect mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. The national park covers an area space of approximately 321 square kilometers rising between 1,160m-2607m above sea level, it was gazette in 1993 as a way of protecting the critically endangered mountain gorillas a subspecies of the eastern gorilla beringei, by the 1994 The park was declared a UNESCO world heritage site and is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park straddles the edge of the Albertine, the forest grows along the hilly landscape of western Ugandaits roots are traced to a large forest that is believed to originally have occupied most of the southwestern corner together with some parts of Rwanda and the democratic republic of Congo, the forest comprises of a unique type of vegetation growing in different zones these aredistinguished by altitude,it is a major water catchment area in the region, there are many rivers and beautiful waterfalls like the “Bagyenda” fallsthat originate from the park, the dense rainforest is filled with life wildlife, butterflies and birds example Mountain gorillas, black and white colobus monkeys, mountain duikers, giant forest hogs, forest elephants, white-cheeked monkeys and over 250 species of birds.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is bisected into 4 sectors including Nkuringo, Buhoma, Ruhija, and Rushaga, The Buhoma sector is the very first place where trekking of mountain gorillas was done in 1993 the group was called the Mubare gorilla group. Trekking mountain gorillas is a thrilling memorable experience it is almost every traveler’s dream and a highlight on bucket lists, the national park hosts half of the world’s remaining population of Mountain gorillas, they live in the forest freely and not in captivity, gorilla families live in a group of up to 20 members, the alpha male silverback is the leader of the team which usually comprises of females, black backs, juveniles, and babies, the young infant gorilla is taken care of until the age of 2 years. The gorillas have been habituated to maintain their daily duties in human presence, the activity takes place beginning in the morning from 8:00 am, it takes 2-8 hours trekking depending on how far gorilla families have moved along the trek is a chance to see the many plants and birds of the forest.
Gorilla habituation is another experience of the Bwindi impenetrable national park, this process is meant to engage and get gorillas used to the presence of humans, unlike gorilla trekking the activity takes the whole day accompanied by a group of experienced researchers and guides, a maximum of 4 tourists are allowed to do this activity, it begins earlier like at 6:30 am while following gorilla rules and regulations as per the Uganda wildlife tariff. Other things to do in Bwindi include a visit to the Batwa community, they are the last group of short people in Uganda, they used to live in the forest however due to conservation policies they were evicted and hence continued living around the park, they are also known as the keepers of the forest who will show you the dense forest through their eyes and how they used to survive in the national park.
Guided nature walks in the forest and Birding, there are well-distributedtrails through the forest to amazing waterfalls, and richness in biodiversity, there are many birds that have been recorded in the forest some of which are endemics to the Albertine and particular regions for example the African green broadbill to the Ruhija sector of Bwindi.
Bwindi is situated in the western part of Uganda, it is approximately 9 hours’ drive from Entebbe charter flights can be arranged to the national park to land in Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip. There is available accommodation ranging from luxury to the best budget, if you are planning a gorilla safari it is important to choose accommodation where your gorilla permits have been purchased.