What Makes Bwindi Impenetrable National Park A Famous Place For Gorilla trekking in Uganda

These are things that make Bwindi Impenetrable National park one of the most famous gorilla trekking destinations in the world hosting about half the total number of mountain gorillas. Locally the name Bwindi means Impenetrable and indeed this double meaning is fitting for this park.

Its vast size of about 327 square Kilometers makes Bwindi Forest a comfortable home for the survival of mountain gorillas. Bwindi Impenetrable national park is a refuge after the Ice age period when thousands of huge animals like Dinosaurs were wiped off the world scene.

Most Popular Gorilla Safaris

• 3 Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking
• 5 Day Gorilla and Chimp
• 8 Day Gorilla Tracking
• 2 Day Bwindi Gorilla Via Kigali
• 3 Day Uganda Gorilla Via Kigali
• 5 Day Chimp and Gorilla Habituation
• 3 Day Fly in Gorilla Habituation
• 3 Day Fly in Safari to Murchison Falls National Park
• 3 Day Bwindi Double trek via Kigali
• 5 Day Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Bwindi Forest as a biosphere reserve is not only a gorilla trekking destination but gives home to a number of other animals including forest elephants, duikers, giant forest hogs, numerous primates including chimpanzees, black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys to mention but a few.

The rich birdlife makes Bwindi impenetrable National park Africa’s birding haven. Over 350 bird species spend the biggest part of the day in this rich forest of which about 7 are IUCN red list endemics. Sample of birds includes Tinkerbird, African Green Broadbill, Rwenzori Batis, Red-faced Woodland, Collared Apalis, and Western Green Shelley’s Crimsonwing to mention but a few.  

Highlights of what Makes Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Famous Place For Gorilla Trekking In Uganda

• Huge Number of Mountain Gorillas In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Has Well Researched ranger Guides
• Access to a Variety Of Accommodations To Book During Gorilla Trekking
• Cheaper Gorilla Trekking Permit Cost In Bwindi Impenetrable National park
• Bwindi Is Strategically Located Close to Other National Parks
• Possibility of Birding Even During Gorilla Trekking
• Great Nature Walks After or Before Gorilla trekking
• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Great Scenery for Nature Photography
• Access to Community Visits After Gorilla Trekking

Huge Number Of Mountain Gorillas In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the largest home of mountain gorillas in the world harboring over 400 mountain gorillas. The park has about 17 gorilla trekking families that have been habituated without counting the still-wild families.

Booking a gorilla trekking permit for Bwindi is a sure deal to see the gentle giants in the wild. Although the forest is vast, its gorilla permits are grouped into areas. Four sectors make up the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gorilla trekking fraternity. Buhoma sector, Ruhija sector, Rushaga sector and Nkuringo Sectors. Every gorilla trekking permit for this park is booked according to the sector.

This was done to allow tourists experience habituated mountain gorillas from all sectors and families. When a gorilla family is not visited for some time, they may return to their wild behavior which requires re-habituation. This double habituation process of mountain gorillas is costly.   Chances of seeing mountain gorillas in Bwindi Forest National park are 99%

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Has Well Researched Ranger Guides

This park has been researched but is still under research and with this information, rangers are able to explain a whole lot about this 25000 years old forest. This biosphere reserve has about 10 primates species including mountain gorillas, 310 butterfly species, 51 reptiles, 200 tree species, 88 months species, and much more. Rangers here often go for retreats to update them on new discoveries in the forest.

 A number of organizations stage their primate research in Bwindi Impenetrable National park opening up more unknown information to the world. some of the organizations in Bwindi Include Gorilla Doctors, Gorilla Fund

Access to a Variety Of Accommodations To Book During Gorilla Trekking

Where to overnight during a holiday contributes a lot to your entire experience and Bwindi Impenetrable National park has a variety of accommodations to book. The accommodations facilities vary from up-market, to Mid-range to Budget accommodations. You must know which area your Bwindi gorilla permit is booked to secure accommodations.

The distance to drive from one area to turn up for briefing in another is quite long and sometimes roads have hitches. If you miss the briefing, you may be disqualified from participating in this long-awaited gorilla trekking adventure.

A few of the Bwindi Impenetrable National park accommodations include Gorilla Forest Camp, Engage Lodge, Clouds Lodge, Volcanoes Lodge, Gorilla resort, Gorilla safari Lodge, lake Kitandara Tented Camp, and Silver Back Lodge to mention but a few.

Having a wide variety of accommodation choices to make during gorilla trekking gives Bwindi Impenetrable National Park an upper hand in selecting where to go for this Africa primate safari.

Cheaper Gorilla Trekking Permit Cost In Bwindi Impenetrable National park

Compared to its counterpart Rwanda, the Bwindi Impenetrable National park gorilla permit is cheaper costing $700 per person per trek. The Rwanda gorilla trekking permit costs $1500 per person per trek which is double the Bwindi gorilla trekking permit.

Having a bigger chance of finding gorilla permits for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park because 134 gorilla permits for Bwindi are released per day makes Bwindi forest a famous destination for gorilla trekking.

Bwindi Is Strategically Located Close to Other National Parks

Access to other wildlife safari activities in Uganda is easier after gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Queen Elizabeth National Park is about 4 hours to 5 hours away from the Buhoma area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. this park is famous for its tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector, a rich birdlife that graces the shore of Kazinga channel and so much more.

Kibale National park the renowned chimpanzee trekking haven is about 6 hours from Bwindi Impenetrable National park. This strategic position and access to other safari activities make it easy for clients to select Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla trekking and other activities 

You must have some extra time on holiday and a well-coordinated itinerary to exhaust the attractions in the western wildlife areas of Uganda

Possibility of Birding Even During Gorilla Trekking

Keen birders have the double opportunity of gorilla trekking and birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. when you choose to do gorilla trekking in the Ruhija area, you may identify over 100 bird species including Albertine endemics.

The chances of identifying forest and grassland birds are high in the Ruhijah area especially when you take the Mubwindi swamp. You go through the bamboo zone to arrive at the Afromontane. Vegetation. before or after gorilla trekking you may get to see birds like Handsome Francolin, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters, Western Green Tinkerbird, Rwenzori Batis, African Hill Babbler, collared Apalis, Enigmatic Grauer’s Wabler to mention but a few.

When planning gorilla trekking with birding Africa safari, Bwindi National Park definitely has the best priority.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Great Scenery for Nature Photography

Bwindi Impenetrable National park has great spots for nature photography. The dense layered canopy that descends from up the highland to the valley is incredible. When standing on one side of the ridge, you get a clearer look at the forest shading the slopes on the other side.

Any nature photographer would pick interested in this lovely scene not common everywhere. The weather in this area is friendly almost all day to favor good natural photo effects.

Access to Community Visits After Gorilla Trekking

After gorilla trekking, you can easily connect with the close by the community in case you wish to do any charity without fearing attacks from wild animals. Supporting the community close to the park helps them appreciate the reason for conserving the mountain gorillas. Even when the gorillas stray into the community, they are able to call the Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers to take charge instead of killing them.

Some of the communities projects you may visit in Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks include the Buhoma community walk and Cultural performers where you get to immerse into the village life of the locals and experience banana brewing, visit the traditional healer, attend an organized traditional dance performance and so much more.

The Nkuringo community walk in the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park also takes you through almost the same activities that are visiting a rural homestead, visiting a traditional healer, banana brewing, blacksmith and so much more as desired.

This noble act of visiting the local people supports their lively hood and reduces the chance of them looking to the Bwindi forest for supplies. They are able to use the funds collected to buy things like medicine instead of local herbs from the forest, and pay school fees for children instead of selling timber from the forest to get school fees.

How To Get To Bwindi Forest National park

By Road

Choosing which route to take to Bwindi Impenetrable National park depends on the prevailing conditions of the road at the moment.  On the road, a number of routes take you to Bwindi Impenetrable National park. From Entebbe or Kampala, you need to drive early before traffic jam time in the city to have a smooth ride on the bumpy roads in the countryside without panicking.

Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kihihi to Buhoma

Going through Queen Elizabeth National Park after your game safari days is amazing, especially taking the southern sector Ishasha the home of tree climbing lion.  The Buhoma area in Bwindi Park is about 160 km from Mweya and 64 km from the Ishasha sector.

Kampala to Kabale to Kanungu to Buhoma

Drive from Kampala city or Entebbe for about 414 km. the road continues with a curving marram road for about 120 km going through Kanungu and Kanyantorogo.

Kampala to Kabale to Rujija to Buhoma

You drive through Kabale to Rujiha and Buhoma for about 95 km.

Kampala to Ntungamo to Rukungiri to Kihihi to Buhoma

Taking about 8 hours from Kampala excluding stops the winds to Rukungiri for close to 390 km. driving from Rukungiri you continue on a murram road to Buhoma for close to 82 km.

Kampala to Kabale to Nkuringo

Drive from Kabale to Nkuringo is approximately 150 km lasting about 4 hours on a winding murram road

By Air

Book Scheduled Flights or Charter flights to Kisoro or Kihihi Airstrip

Domestic scheduled flights depart Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrip each day. Hire a transfer vehicle to Bwindi Impenetrable National park. At Encounter Africa Safaris, we arrange this on behalf of our clients upon request.

For more private charter flight gorilla trekking safari arrangements, you can hire a plane from Kajjansi or Entebbe Airport.

For more information about What Makes Bwindi Impenetrable National Park A Famous Place For Gorilla trekking in Uganda please contact us via our website and also visit our trip advisor.