Bwindi National Park is located in the western Uganda. Covering quite a big area since it has 4 regions, Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija and Nkuringo sections. Bwindi is known to be home to the remaining number of great primate, mountain gorillas. In Uganda it can only be tracked in Bwindi and mgahinga national parks well as when it comes to other countries, it can be found in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda has more than half of these endangered species remaining in the world. Each section of Bwindi has groups of mountain gorillas and visitors are free to choose where they prefer to track depending on the itinerary. Tracking mountain gorillas in Bwindi, it is necessary to first secure a gorilla permit from Uganda wild life Authority. Since gorilla permits are served on first come first serve and subject to availability, it is necessary to secure in advance. The tour company can do the reserving of the permits on behalf of the visitors.
Mountain gorillas are unique animals together with the chimpanzees are among the great primates remaining in the world. Tracking these magnificent creatures and standing near the group including the silverback weighing almost 3 times than human being is magical and emotional.
What to do in Bwindi National Park.
The park is full of diversity of species and this makes it an ideal place to do more activities related to nature. Some of them are here below.
Gorilla tracking: This is the main activity in the park and almost every visitor who visits Bwindi, this is the first activity they do there. After having a gorilla permit, what next will be accessing the park for the great activity. Visitors assemble at the park headquarters for briefing about the does and don’ts before accessing the park.
Nature walks. There are many trails for Nature walks in Bwindi, some are long and others are short. Nature walks of Bwindi are so rewarding, unique trees and plants will be seen, monkeys of different kinds, topography of land and many more.
Birding. Bwindi is among the birding important area in Uganda. Birders can choose this destination for forest birds. Birder guides are available to help spot different bird species.
Community encounters. There are many different tribes around Bwindi, some of them are Batwa and others are Bakiga. The Batwa people were the natives of the forest before it was gazette into a national park. Spending some time with them is so rewarding. These people sing meaningful songs, dance, demonstrate many things and many more.
Important guidelines while preparing to track mountain gorillas.
– visitors with flue or communicable diseases are not allowed in the park
– A visitor has to be 15 years and above to track gorillas.
-prepare with rain coat and good walking shoes when going to track gorillas.
– visitors are not allowed to feed the apes.
– Time spent while tracking depend on the movement of the apes. But after finding them. Visitors are supposed to spend 1 hour with then taking unforgettable photos and good moments.
– you are not supposed to touch or leave anything in the forest
– visitors go with their gorilla permits for verifications at the park headquarters.
– visitors choose the section they prefer to track gorillas but gorilla groups are allocated at the park headquarters.
How to access Bwindi national park
By road
Bwindi is located in western Uganda. And it takes approx. up to 10 hours of driving from Kampala or Entebbe
– some visitors access it from Rwanda and cross the border of Katuna or cyanika.
By air
There are many domestic scheduled flights to areas around Behind. Flights use kisoro and kihihi air stripe mostly. Guides wait at the air stripe with the car to drive visitors to the lodge.
Best time to visit Bwindi National Park
The best time to visit Bwindi national park is in dry season the months of June, July, Aug, sept, Oct, Jan and Feb. These months are called peak season because many visitors tend to book safaris around this Period.
With these months, the rain is little, favoring activities to go smoothly. The trails are not so slippery etc. Though sometimes rain in Bwindi tropical forest is un predictable.
On the other hand, also in rainy season months, safaris and gorilla tracking is conducted as well. So just pick any month of the year depending on your convenience and do the dream safari.
Accommodation facilities around Bwindi.
Accommodation facilities around Bwindi range from Budget, midrange and luxury. Some of the lodges include, gorilla mist camp, clouds gorilla lodge, lake Miranda resort, chameleon lodge, 4 gorillas, Ichumbi gorilla lodge, Rushaga gorilla lodge, Rushaga gorilla Haven, Trekkers Terven, Mahogany springs, Bwindi lodge, Buhoma lodge, Bakiga lodge, and many more.
