Top things to do in Bwindi impenetrable national park 2024
Top things to do in Bwindi impenetrable national park 2024; Bwindi impenetrable national park is one of the most visited destination in Uganda located in south western region on the edge of the rift valley. Bwindi impenetrable national park is a home of about 120 wildlife species including the endangered mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, l’hoest monkeys, baboons, animals like forest elephants, antelopes and over 350 bird species. Bwindi impenetrable national park offers a number of interesting activities that travellers can engage in during the safari which include,
Top things to do in Bwindi impenetrable national park 2024
Gorilla trekking
Gorilla trekking in one of the major activities in Bwindi impenetrable national park that attracts large numbers of tourists and it involves moving on foot into the tropical rainforest in search of the habituated mountain gorillas and once found spend one hour with them in their habitat. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park is done in four sectors namely ruhija sector in the east, rushaga sector in the south, buhoma sector in the north and nkuringo sector in the south. Gorilla trekking in all the sectors starts early in the morning with a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking. After the briefing you will start trekking in the jungle in search of the mountain gorillas which takes about 2 to 7 hours and once the mountain gorillas are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their habitat.
Gorilla habituation experience
Gorilla habituation is the second best popular activity in Bwindi impenetrable national park that attracts tourists and just like trekking, it starts early in the morning with a briefing about the rules and regulations at the park headquarters. Gorilla habituation experience is a process where the wild mountain gorillas are trained to get used to human presence for trekking and its only done in rushaga sector in the southern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park. Gorilla habituation experience allows a maximum of 4 people each day and once the gorillas are located, you will be allowed to spend four hours with them in their environment.
Bird watching
Bwindi impenetrable national park is a home of over 350 recorded bird species including 23 of the 25 Albertine rift endemics, forest birds and migratory birds which makes Bwindi national park a biding paradise. During bird watching, you will be accompanied by an experience bird guide and follow different trails where you will be able to spot bird species like Giant Kingfisher, Cinnamon Chested Bee-eater, African Green Pigeon, African Harrier Hawk, Mountain Masked Apalis, Olive-breasted Greenbul, Grauer’s Broadbill, Blue-headed Sunbird, Handsome Francolin, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Yellow Streaked Greenbul among others.
Nature walks/hiking
Nature walk is an exciting activity in Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will be able to explore the park on foot with the company of an experienced park guide and armed ranger guide to protect you from any danger. During the guided nature walk, you will follow different hiking trails including Mubwindi swamp trail, Kashasha river trail, Munyanga waterfall trail, Bamboo trail, The Ivy River trail, Rushura hill trail, Muzabajiro loop trail, Habinyanja trail among others where you will be able to view different primates, animals, tree species, listen to sweet sounds of bird species, enjoy the cool breeze, take beautiful pictures among others.
Batwa cultural tour
Batwa cultural tour is another adventurous activity in Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will be able to interact with the batwa people who used to live in Bwindi forest before it was gazetted into a national park. During the batwa cultural tour, you will be able to visit the forest where they used to live, learn about their hunting skills, visit their homesteads, learn about their way of living, lifestyle, taste their traditional meals, listen to their ancient stories, enjoy their traditional dances among others.
Bwindi impenetrable national park offers other activities like cycling, mountain biking where tourists will be able to explore the park on a bicycle, community tour where you will be able to visit the neighboring communities, butterfly watching where you will be able to identify different species of butterflies among others.
Best time to visit Bwindi impenetrable national park 2024
Bwindi impenetrable national park can be visited all year round though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February because during this period there is less or little rainfall in the national park therefore access roads and gorilla trekking trails will be dry and passable which makes trekking easy compared to the rainy season when the access roads and trekking trails are muddy and slippery which makes gorilla trekking difficult.
Bwindi impenetrable national park can also be visited in the low/ rainy season in the months of March to May and October to November because that’s the best time for bird watching where you will be able to view migratory bird species.
Where to stay in Bwindi impenetrable national park
There are a wide range of accommodation facilities in Bwindi impenetrable national park where you can stay during the safari. The accommodations range from budget, midrange and luxury including Buhoma Community Camp, Broadbill Forest Camp, Gorilla Leisure Lodge, Bwindi Lodge, Bweza Lodge, Ichumbi Lodge, Buhoma Haven Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Trackers Safari Lodge, Bwindi Forest Lodge, Lake Chahafi Resort, Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Ruhija Gorilla Mist Camp, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Trekkers Tavern Cottages, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Resort, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Silverback Lodge among others.
How to get to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in south western part of Uganda and can be accessed by two types of transport that is road transport and air transport means. When using road transport means you will drive from Kampala/ Entebbe via masaka, Mbarara, Kabale and then to the park headquarters which takes about 9 to 10 hours’ drive in a safari vehicle.
When using road transport means, you can also access Bwindi Impenetrable national park from Kigali Rwanda where you will fly to Kigali international airport and then cross to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via cyanika border in Kisoro or Katuna border in Kabale which takes about 4 to 5 hours’ drive.
When using air transport means to Bwindi impenetrable national park, travellers will book scheduled or charter domestic flights with Aerolink Uganda from Entebbe international airport to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrips and then connect to the park headquarters by road which takes about 2 hours drive.
For more information about the top things to do in Bwindi impenetrable national park, you can reach out to us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for various safari packages.
