What sets this park apart from the others is the fact that it is known for having an estimated 720 mountain gorillas which are more than half of the world’s population. These giants are known to have mysterious eyes that can easily leave you fascinated. However, the mountain gorillas are not the only species you will find here, the park is home to 120 amazing animals in Africa like the chimps, Colubus monkeys, Pottos, Bushbabies, elephants with extra toes and straight tusks and many others.
If you have a real sense of adventure, a complete lover of butterflies and birds, then the Bwindi impenetrable park is the place for you. The park is located in the southwest of Uganda on your way to Rwanda. The park is beautifully filled with an abundance of life; it is blessed with about 350 birds and over 200 butterflies of various species.
The forest is of great bio-diversity importance as it is one of the 4 national parks in Africa where gorilla trekking can be done. The park provides a lifetime experience for the safariers who come for gorilla tracking. In the Rushaga sector, the safariers are given a lifetime opportunity to stay with the gorillas’ family for 4 hours on the habituation. Who would want to miss out on the opportunity to watch these gorillas with their harem, most times the presence of their babies is just an extraordinary experience, there are always two family groups being habituated and this means that the gorillas get used to human contact and don’t run away from safariers trekking them.
Despite the fact most safariers come to the park for gorilla trekking, there is so much more this park has to offer. It is believed that the forest is one of the oldest Afro-montane forests in East Africa and as a result, it has rare plants and trees. Here you can find over 160 species of trees, over 100 species of ferns, over 1000 flowering plants and vegetation that is beyond incredible. According to National Geographic Traveler UK edition, the Forest was added on its 2019 cool list and it was also described as the most unusually honeymoon destination by CNN. All the big animals with a large population are found here such as the chimpanzees, antelopes, elephants, and the huge forest hogs. There are some stay points near the park and the safariers enjoy food, refreshments and various types of drinks.
The park’s strategic location offers safariers easy access from Rwanda. You can fly to Rwanda then trek to the southern Bwindi forest area in approximately 4 hours. This means that they get to save money and time that they would have used to cut through Entebbe or Kampala.
If you enjoy hiking you get to experience the most important hike along the trails of Bwindi. This starts from the north of Bwindi to the south called Nkuringo, there one can stay overnight and continue the following day towards Lake Mutanda. At this lake, you can paddle across in a wooden dugout towards Kisoro district. The most popular hike is that across the forest especially with those who choose to trek gorillas twice, once in Buhoma and in the south. Alternatively, there are walking trails along the Munyaga River, Muzabaajiro loop and the river Ivy that the safariers will enjoy. Through these walks, those who enjoy watching birds get the opportunity to see the different species and even take photos of the beautiful birds.
For bicycle lovers, this park has got you covered. The park has a community support group called “Ride For A Woman” that offers mountain bikes rentals and guided tours in and out of the forest. The Buhoma area provides the best biking experience. You can even do village bicycle walks, birding walks or simply ride for about 3 hours with the guide.
The Batwa people have been the natives of this forest for a very long time and catching a glimpse of the people who have co-existed with animals would be a magical experience. These natives live along the areas of Buhoma and Buniga and they have a beautiful culture to showcase to the safariers. Safariers get to see how the natives make crafts such as baskets, beer made from bananas, meet the traditional healers and learn the herbs gathered in the forest. It is even an interesting experience to listen to stories of their survival tactics around the forest. Today you can live and experience the life of the forest through the eyes of the Batwa.
