Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi National Park is situated in the south-western part of Uganda. It is a World Heritage Site famed for its population of mountain gorillas, its biodiversity of fauna and flora and its Impenetrable Forest.
Destination Highlights
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants. More famously, this “impenetrable forest” also protects an estimated 400 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, including several habituated groups, which can be tracked. This biologically diverse region also provides shelter to a further 120 mammals, including several primate species such as baboons and chimpanzees, as well as elephants and antelopes. There are around 350 species of birds hosted in this forest, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Background Information
Bwindi National Park is a remnant of what once used to be a very large forest, covering areas of western Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The forest is home to numerous globally threatened species, including the mountain gorilla, chimpanzee, L’Hoest’s monkey and the African elephant. Bird enthusiasts can look forward to sightings of the Africa green broadbill, Grauer’s swamp warbler, Turner’s Eremomela, Chapin’s flycatcher and Shelley’s crimson-wing. The area is known as the most important forest in Africa for the montane forest butterflies, including African giant swallowtail and Cream-banded swallowtail. The forest acts as an important water catchment where streams and rivers provide water to the surrounding densely populated agricultural land. The primary attraction in the park is the mountain gorillas.
What to see and do
Of Uganda’s forested reserves, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is best known for its superb gorilla tracking, but it also provides refuge to elephant, chimpanzee, monkeys and various small antelope and bird species. Location Southwest, near Kabale
Gorilla trekking is one of the popular tourist activities in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park were you get a chance to trek one of the few habituated gorilla families in the forest. Depending on which region of Bwindi you are holding permits, experienced guides and trackers will accompany your party on an early morning trek into the dense rain forest on the mountain slopes. The journey, through dense foliage and up steep climbs, is abundantly rewarded with the lifetime experience of viewing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. You will have an opportunity to be within metres of these magnificent apes, sharing in their daily lives and experiencing their day-to-day activities. Mountain gorillas are extremely rare with only an estimated 700 remaining in the wild. This is an experience you won’t soon forget! Mountain gorillas are wild animals and, as such, sightings cannot be guaranteed. However viewing success rates are over 90%.
Where to find Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
