Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a leading gorilla safari destination in East Africa.

Located in south western Uganda, covering parts of Rukungiri, Kisoro and Kabale Districts, Bwindi forest is home to half of the world’s 700 surviving families of the endangered mountain gorilla.

Bwindi (meaning impenetrable in the local Lukiga language) is so called because of the dense undergrowth, vines and other vegetation that make it almost ‘impenetrable’.

Bwindi is home to two habituated groups of Mountain Gorilla’s; the Mubare group of 16 gorillas and the Habiyanja group 23 gorillas. Both groups are tracked daily by up to six visitors who are escorted by National Park rangers and guides. The remaining half of these rare primates is found in Rwanda’s Virunga National Park.

The forest was first gazetted as a reserve in 1942 and later upgraded to the a national park in 1992. Bwindi National Park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and it offers some of world’s best opportunities to watch the giant mountain gorillas in their natural habitation. Trekking through the 32,000 hectares of tangled vegetation in search of these primates ranks among the world’s best wildlife encounters. As a result, the park offers some of the best Uganda safaris attracting the majority of visitors to Bwindi.

Birdwatching is also a major adventure in Bwindi. With over 360 species of birds, the forest is one of the best birding locations in East Africa. Some of the most sought after birds here include Bar Tailed Trogon, Black Bee Eater and Black Billed Turaco among many others. The park has more than 160 species of trees, over 310 species of butterfly, 51 reptiles, 88 moths, 5 species of stingless bee and 90 mammal species.

Bwindi is wet all year round although rains increase during the seasons of March-May (short rains) and October-November (heavy rains). The park’s annual average temperature range is 7°C - 20°C with the coldest period being June and July.

Bwindi is situated 550 km from Kampala and can be accessed by both road and air transport. From Kampala via Mbarara highway the drive takes 6-8 hours. For those who prefer accessing the park by air, private charter flights can be arranged for you at Kayonza airstrip from where transfer to the park can be made. Gorilla tracking visits are limited to small groups and it is advisable to make reservations at least 3 months before your intended date of visit.

Share This

 Email This Post To Friend
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 6:30 am and is filed under Uganda. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.