Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in the southwestern part of Uganda on the rim of the Rift Valley. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of Africa’s most ancient wildlife habitats dating to over 25000 years ago which makes it one of the oldest national parks in Uganda. Uganda is home to the biggest mountain gorilla population in the world. Bwindi harbors the largest population of mountain gorillas in Uganda.
The covers an area of over 321 square kilometers at an altitude of over 1160 meters to 2607 meters above sea level. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was in 1994 recognized as a World Heritage Site in Uganda by UNESCO. It is currently under the management of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
A brief history of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was first in 1932 divided into two blocks and designated as north and south crown forest reserves. The northern block was designated as the “Kayonza Crown Forest Reserve”, and the southern block was designated as the “Kasatora Crown Forest Reserve” with an area of over 207 square kilometers.
These reserves were later enlarged and combined covering an area of 298 square kilometers. In the year 1942, it was gazette as Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve. In 1964 mountain gorillas were spotted in the forest reserve thus the area was designated as an animal sanctuary. It was under the joint control of the Ugandan government’s game and forest departments. In 1992 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve was designated as Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Major Attractions in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Mountain Gorillas
Bwindi is home to more than half of the entire world’s mountain gorilla population. The other half is in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in DRC. Gorillas are social primates that live in groups known as families headed by one male called a silverback.
Uganda has over 50 gorilla families and approximately 13 individuals live solitary. There are only 25 families habituated in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which can be accessed by tourists in four tracking sectors and these are Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. The gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include the Mubare, Binyindo, Habinyanja, Rushegura, Bitukura, Kyaguriro, Nkuringo, Oruzogo, Bweza, Busingye, Nshongi, Mishaya, Kahungye, Katwe, Muyambi, Mukiza, Bushaho, Bikingi, Kutu, Mucunguzi, Happy, Christmas, Tindatine, Posho and Rwigi.
Birds
Bwindi is estimated to be harboring over 350 bird species, with 14 not recorded in any other park in Uganda. There are 23 of 24 birds that are natives and only restricted to the Albertine region of the Rift Valley which make up over 90% of the total Albertine endemic birds in Uganda.
Some of these include the Neumann’s warbler and blue-headed sunbird. These Albertine endemic birds are more easily sighted in Bwindi than in any other areas of East Africa and over 7 IUCN red data listed bird species are also here. Migratory birds are also present especially from November to April.
Some of the major bird species to see in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include; the African green broadbill, grey cuckoo-shrike, yellow-streaked greenbul, archer’s robin-chat, white-bellied robin-chat, kivu ground-thrush, mountain yellow warbler, grauer’s rush warbler, red-faced woodland warbler, and short-tailed warbler.
Cultural Encounters
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is also home to the Batwa pygmies who were known as the forest keepers. They lived in the grass-thatched hats and survived on hunting small animals in the forest and gathering fruits. They lived peacefully together with the mountain gorillas and other animals in the forest for a long time. When Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was gazetted in 1992, the Batwa were forced out of the forest to the neighboring areas. Their traditional ways of living and dependence on the natural forest for survival are truly a misery worth checking out.
Animals
Other animals in the park also attract tourists from far and wide for leisure and research. Some of these animals like elephants, and 9 other primate species such as red-tailed, L’hoests, blue monkeys, black and white colobus, baboons among others, giant hogs, etc.
Vegetation
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a forest park situated in a dense and thick vegetation thus the name impenetrable. Bwindi has over 331 square kilometers of tropical rainforest with a dense thick vegetation cover. The forest has existed for over 25,000 years more than many other forests that date 12,000 years ago. This makes it one of the most treasured natural forests in the world.
It has supported the existence of a diversity of flora and fauna including endangered animal and plant species that inhabit it.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a thick natural vegetation of over 400 plant species. This has made Bwindi one of the richest tree destinations in Africa. The vegetation distribution in Bwindi is mostly influenced by the altitude of that area. Higher altitudes have afro-montane vegetation and lower altitudes have lowland and midland vegetation cover.
Bwindi generally has mixed forest vegetation. The vegetation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park allows researchers and botanists that come from far and wide to carry out research and study on different species of plants and trees.
Lake Mutanda
Lake Mutanda is a small freshwater lake located in the south part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Its fresh waters offer an opportunity to tourists who like an adventure to swim. Lake Mutanda offers a scenery view of Virunga mountain ranges in DRC and at an altitude of 1,800m, it is a great place to hike. It is also drained by River Rutshuru which flows northwards to Lake Edward.
Butterflies
The rain forests and the montane climate in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park make it a favorable place for butterflies. It is estimated that over 310 butterfly species live in Bwindi and of these, 8 species are endemic to the Albertine region of the Rift Valley.
Some of the butterfly species found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include; the cream-banded swallowtail, African giant swallowtail, sponges lamella, and potential alba. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park also harbors over 51 reptiles. Among these, there are over 14 snake species and 14 species of lizards plus 20 species of amphibians.
Major Activities done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Gorilla Trekking
Gorilla trekking involves hiking through dense thick vegetation and mixed forest in search of mountain gorillas. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park alone has over 50 gorilla families scattered across different regions or sectors across the park. 25 of these families are habituated and available for trekking. The sectors in Bwindi Include; Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo.
Trekking includes walking through steep hills, dense forests, rivers, and water streams before finally encountering a gorilla family. Trekking offers a one-time opportunity for tourists to go deep into the forests and see how gorillas behave. Each gorilla family is trekked by 8 people a day and they are given an hour with the gorillas after finding them.
Gorilla Habituation
Gorilla habituation is also a major activity in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It involves gently introducing wild mountain gorillas to the sight and presence of humans. This is done for research purposes, care as well as conservation purposes. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has 25 habituated gorilla families in over four regions in the park.
Bird watching
Bird watching or birding is another activity carried out by tourists in Bwindi. Birding in Bwindi is best done on a professionally guided forest walk with tourists for an opportunity to view different bird species. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to over 350 bird species and 90% of Uganda’s Albertine rift endemic birds, 23 of 24 endemic birds are found here.
Among the bird species here, 14 have not been spotted anywhere else in Uganda. There are different trails in the park designed to help birders while carrying out their activities. Birding mainly occurs along the major trail of the Buhoma waterfall trail, along the bamboo zone, and the Mubwindi swamp trail found in the Ruhija region of the park. River Ivy trail is also recommended for bird lovers and it is the longest trail in the park.
The Batwa cultural experience
Batwa pygmies lived peacefully together with the gorillas in Bwindi before it was gazette in 1992. Undertaking an adventurous Batwa cultural experience will reveal to you a unique discovery of the secrets of the forest with the forest keepers. Hiking through the Batwa trail in the forest will expose you to the traditional ways of these beautiful people.
A guide of the Batwa pygmies will lead you into the jungle ways of survival by hunting using unique traditional techniques and weapons, and fruit picking among others. A walk through the forest with the Batwa medicine man picking herbs will expose you to the experience of a lifetime. A tale of the ancient legends by the Batwa elders and their traditional songs will leave you amazed.
Forest walks and hiking
Natural walks in Bwindi offer an amazing opportunity for tourists into the calm breezes of the forest. Hiking through different trails in the forest will expose you to different hidden attractions in the park such as the monkeys, birds, butterflies, waterfalls and lakes among others. The Park offers a wide range of hiking trails that are used by tourists who visit the park.
These trails make it easy for tourists to move out of the comfort of their vehicles and embark on adventures while walking on foot. Some of the hiking trails in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include; the Kashasha trail, and the Ivy River trail, among others.
Mountain biking
This is an activity that has been recently introduced in the park. This activity of biking involves exploring the park while cycling on a mountain bike. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has about 13 kilometers of cycling trail around the forest on the shores of Ivy River. This is a very exciting and healthy activity that takes about 6-7 hours.
Community walks are also carried out, especially around the communities of the Buhoma sector of Bwindi expose you to the daily lives of these local people.
How to Access Bwindi Impenetrable National Park?
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can be easily accessed either by road or by air. Road transport is the most popular means of transport to get to Bwindi. The park is about 501 kilometers from the capital city Kampala and it about 9 to 10 hours depending on the route you use.
Traveling to the park by air transport is the quickest way to travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Traveling by air has been made easy due to the improved domestic transport and the emergence of many domestic flight companies. You can schedule a flight from either Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip and you fly directly to the airfields of Kisoro, Kihihi or Kayonza depending on which part of the park you are going to.
Where to Stay in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Accommodation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park ranges from budget to midrange to luxury. There are some accommodation facilities found both inside the park and outside in the neighboring communities in different regions of the park. Some of the accommodation facilities in the park include; Buhoma Community Rest Camp, Bwindi View Bandas, and Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort, among others.
The Best Time to Visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is open for visiting all year long. The dry season that runs from June to September and December to February offers the best time. During this season, the forest trails are dry and therefore less slippery with less thick vegetation.
The rainy season runs from March to May and then from October to November. However, the wet season is also a good time for birders since it is the best time to spot migratory birds.
Conclusion
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the most popularly visited parks in Uganda. This is because it is home to the endangered mountain gorillas which are a major attraction for many tourists. Other attractions like golden monkeys, bird species, and cultural tours are equally rewarding. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park will provide you with amazing and exciting activities like mountain gorilla trekking, hiking, birding, and cultural encounters with locals. The park can be visited best in the dry seasons as you book your preferred accommodation facility and its accessibility is both by road and air. A visit to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park will leave you with great memories.
