Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable Highlights
- Gorilla trekking is the main activity done in Bwindi
- Chimpanzee trekking – Bwindi has chimps as well
- Bird watching – Bwindi is one of the best birding locations in Africa
- Community village visits – Visit the batwa community
- The Batwa experience
- Habituation Experience – spend time with Gorillas
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in south western Uganda on the border of Congo and Uganda on a large scale area of 331km2. The park can be accessible from either Kampala-Mbarara-Bushenyi route, or Mbarara-Ntugamo-Rukungiri route and it takes 6-7 hours on the road. You can choose to use a charter plane to fly from Entebbe or from Kajjansi airstrip that is found in Wakiso district and it lands to Kihihi in Kanungu district at a tarmac airstrip, after landing it takes only an hour’s drive to the park.
Bwindi impenetrable is among the few remaining destinations in whole world with the rare and endangered primates the Mountain Gorillas and it comprises of half of the world gorillas population and is a home of over 400 gorillas. These primates are found in 3 countries in the world namely, Uganda in Bwindi impenetrable and Mgahinga national park, Virunga National Park shared by both Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.) and Rwanda. Bwindi was established in 1991.
Mountain Gorillas are the primary tourist attractions in Bwindi Impenetrable, other tourist attractions include birds, chimpanzees, red and blue monkeys, white and black colobus monkeys, L’Hoests monkeys, red tailed monkeys,bButter flies, elephants , wart-hogs, olive baboon and the Batwa tribe.
Brief About Gorillas
Mountain Gorillas are evolutionarily close to humans and it is believed that they share 98% of our DNA. Gorilla gestation period is 8.5 months but is very hard to know that a female gorilla is pregnant since it has a big stomach. Young gorillas acts like little human children they play with their fellow young ones, climb trees, stumble, they are fed and nursed by their mothers up to around 3 years. Young gorillas do grow faster than the human babies for example they start to crawl at 9 weeks. Gorilla do smile, they survive on vegetation such as stems, shoots, roots, leaves among others. They do have families which are headed by silver-backs (Adult male gorillas with silvery fur running across their backs and hips). Gorillas keep on moving from one place to other looking for food. The dominant silverbacks always make huts every evening where their families will spend the night. What is funny with dominant silver backs, they are polygamous, they can mate with all females in their family/group. The life span of these endangered primates is approximately 35-50 years. Diseases which kills Human beings also kills Gorillas for the example the in November and December Ebola disease break out called death to 8 gorilla families which studied on by researchers in 1994
- Rushegura Gorilla group/troop comprised of 19 members and 1 silver back found in Buhoma region.
- Oruzogo Gorilla group/troop comprised of 25 members with 1 silver back found in Ruhinja.
- Habinyanja Gorilla troop comprised of 20 members with 2 sliver backs found in Buhoma.
- Bikutura Gorilla group comprised of 14 individuals with 4 silverbacks found in Ruhinja.
- Nyakagezi Gorilla group/troop comprised of 9 individuals with 3 silver-backs.
- Mubare Gorilla group /troop comprised of 8 individuals with 1 Silver backs found in Buhoma and is the oldest and was found in 1993 by research tourists.
- Nkuringo Gorilla Family comprised of 19 members with 2 silver backs found in Nkurungo
- Nshongi Gorilla group comprised of 26 members with 4 silver back found in Nshongi
- Mishaya Gorilla group comprised 12 members with 1 silver backs 1 silver back found in Mishaya
- Bweza Gorilla Group comprised 12 gorillas. 2 silverbacks, 4 blackbacks, 3 adult females and 3 sub-adults
- Busingye Gorilla comprised of 9 members and 1 silver back found in Rushaga
- Kahungye Gorrilla family comprised of 13 members with 3 silver backs.
Apart from the families or groups of gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable national park has hiking trails which are used by tourists to reach these families but also in the process they get to see other primates like the chimpanzees, the red and blue monkey, the white and black Colobus monkey, the L’Hoests monkeys, red tailed monkeys, warthogs, elephants, olive baboons and many others.
These trails include
- Water fall trail
- Bamboo trail
- Rushera trail
- Habinyanja trail
- River trail
- Muzabaja trail
- Rusizi trail
- Kashere trail
- River Iva trail
Bwindi impenetrable National park is also surrounded by beautiful and comfortable hotels and lodges where the tourists spend their nights like, these include:
- Gorilla safari lodge
- Silverback lodge
- Chameleon hill lodge
- Nkrungo lodge
- Buhoma Community lodge
The best season to do gorilla trekking in Uganda is during the dry seasons that is January, February and from June to September which is moderately dry throughout the year, towards the end of the year is a rainy season in Bwindi which makes paths slippery and gorillas a bit harder to find.
Bwindi Impenetrable national park is also among the parks with rich bird species diversity in Uganda. It is a home of over 315 bird species and the best places where you can spot them in a big number is Mubwindi swamp tail, bamboo zone and waterfalls in Buhoma where you will spot different kinds of bird species. Birds you cannot miss are include: the dwarf honeyguide, the grey cuckooshrike, the fine banded woodpecker, western green tinkerbird, African green broadbill, the red-throated alethe, the African wood owl, the bar-tailed trogon, the Rwenzori nightjar, the black bee-eater among others
There is a small lonely culture locally known as the Batwa tribe in Bwindi impenetrable National park. Many tourists, travel from their home countries to Uganda aiming to see and interact with Batwa people.
They are primitive people due to fact that they were born and raised up from the forest. But they are really interesting because of their perspective way of thinking and understanding things. They believe that they were born to leave in forests. Some people call them Bush men like the South African people, others call them pigmies like the central African people and people from East African call them hunters. They are believed to have migrated from Itusi forest found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C) looking for wild meat (wild animals) because they survive on them.
Batwa people used not to put on clothes due to the fact that clothes were not yet introduced to them. They used to dress up leaves, bark clothes and animal skins around their private parts. But now days some put on clothes since they are regularly visited by tourists and they donate clothes to them. Batwa people are also hunter men and they make themselves arrows which they use while hunting small animals as the main source of food. They also feed on wild food like the plants, leaves and fruits in the forests. They are very short in nature and very much talented in their traditional ancestral dancing. They generate income from their dances and songs they perform to the tourists.
Bwindi Impenetrable Highlights
- Gorilla trekking is the main activity done in Bwindi
- Chimpanzee trekking – Bwindi has chimps as well
- Bird watching – Bwindi is one of the best birding locations in Africa
- Community village visits – Visit the batwa community
- The Batwa experience
- Habituation Experience – spend time with Gorillas
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in south western Uganda on the border of Congo and Uganda on a large scale area of 331km2. The park can be accessible from either Kampala-Mbarara-Bushenyi route, or Mbarara-Ntugamo-Rukungiri route and it takes 6-7 hours on the road. You can choose to use a charter plane to fly from Entebbe or from Kajjansi airstrip that is found in Wakiso district and it lands to Kihihi in Kanungu district at a tarmac airstrip, after landing it takes only an hour’s drive to the park.
Bwindi impenetrable is among the few remaining destinations in whole world with the rare and endangered primates the Mountain Gorillas and it comprises of half of the world gorillas population and is a home of over 400 gorillas. These primates are found in 3 countries in the world namely, Uganda in Bwindi impenetrable and Mgahinga national park, Virunga National Park shared by both Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.) and Rwanda. Bwindi was established in 1991.
Mountain Gorillas are the primary tourist attractions in Bwindi Impenetrable, other tourist attractions include birds, chimpanzees, red and blue monkeys, white and black colobus monkeys, L’Hoests monkeys, red tailed monkeys,bButter flies, elephants , wart-hogs, olive baboon and the Batwa tribe.
Brief About Gorillas
Mountain Gorillas are evolutionarily close to humans and it is believed that they share 98% of our DNA. Gorilla gestation period is 8.5 months but is very hard to know that a female gorilla is pregnant since it has a big stomach. Young gorillas acts like little human children they play with their fellow young ones, climb trees, stumble, they are fed and nursed by their mothers up to around 3 years. Young gorillas do grow faster than the human babies for example they start to crawl at 9 weeks. Gorilla do smile, they survive on vegetation such as stems, shoots, roots, leaves among others. They do have families which are headed by silver-backs (Adult male gorillas with silvery fur running across their backs and hips). Gorillas keep on moving from one place to other looking for food. The dominant silverbacks always make huts every evening where their families will spend the night. What is funny with dominant silver backs, they are polygamous, they can mate with all females in their family/group. The life span of these endangered primates is approximately 35-50 years. Diseases which kills Human beings also kills Gorillas for the example the in November and December Ebola disease break out called death to 8 gorilla families which studied on by researchers in 1994
- Rushegura Gorilla group/troop comprised of 19 members and 1 silver back found in Buhoma region.
- Oruzogo Gorilla group/troop comprised of 25 members with 1 silver back found in Ruhinja.
- Habinyanja Gorilla troop comprised of 20 members with 2 sliver backs found in Buhoma.
- Bikutura Gorilla group comprised of 14 individuals with 4 silverbacks found in Ruhinja.
- Nyakagezi Gorilla group/troop comprised of 9 individuals with 3 silver-backs.
- Mubare Gorilla group /troop comprised of 8 individuals with 1 Silver backs found in Buhoma and is the oldest and was found in 1993 by research tourists.
- Nkuringo Gorilla Family comprised of 19 members with 2 silver backs found in Nkurungo
- Nshongi Gorilla group comprised of 26 members with 4 silver back found in Nshongi
- Mishaya Gorilla group comprised 12 members with 1 silver backs 1 silver back found in Mishaya
- Bweza Gorilla Group comprised 12 gorillas. 2 silverbacks, 4 blackbacks, 3 adult females and 3 sub-adults
- Busingye Gorilla comprised of 9 members and 1 silver back found in Rushaga
- Kahungye Gorrilla family comprised of 13 members with 3 silver backs.
Apart from the families or groups of gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable national park has hiking trails which are used by tourists to reach these families but also in the process they get to see other primates like the chimpanzees, the red and blue monkey, the white and black Colobus monkey, the L’Hoests monkeys, red tailed monkeys, warthogs, elephants, olive baboons and many others.
These trails include
- Water fall trail
- Bamboo trail
- Rushera trail
- Habinyanja trail
- River trail
- Muzabaja trail
- Rusizi trail
- Kashere trail
- River Iva trail
Bwindi impenetrable National park is also surrounded by beautiful and comfortable hotels and lodges where the tourists spend their nights like, these include:
- Gorilla safari lodge
- Silverback lodge
- Chameleon hill lodge
- Nkrungo lodge
- Buhoma Community lodge
The best season to do gorilla trekking in Uganda is during the dry seasons that is January, February and from June to September which is moderately dry throughout the year, towards the end of the year is a rainy season in Bwindi which makes paths slippery and gorillas a bit harder to find.
Bwindi Impenetrable national park is also among the parks with rich bird species diversity in Uganda. It is a home of over 315 bird species and the best places where you can spot them in a big number is Mubwindi swamp tail, bamboo zone and waterfalls in Buhoma where you will spot different kinds of bird species. Birds you cannot miss are include: the dwarf honeyguide, the grey cuckooshrike, the fine banded woodpecker, western green tinkerbird, African green broadbill, the red-throated alethe, the African wood owl, the bar-tailed trogon, the Rwenzori nightjar, the black bee-eater among others
There is a small lonely culture locally known as the Batwa tribe in Bwindi impenetrable National park. Many tourists, travel from their home countries to Uganda aiming to see and interact with Batwa people.
They are primitive people due to fact that they were born and raised up from the forest. But they are really interesting because of their perspective way of thinking and understanding things. They believe that they were born to leave in forests. Some people call them Bush men like the South African people, others call them pigmies like the central African people and people from East African call them hunters. They are believed to have migrated from Itusi forest found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C) looking for wild meat (wild animals) because they survive on them.
Batwa people used not to put on clothes due to the fact that clothes were not yet introduced to them. They used to dress up leaves, bark clothes and animal skins around their private parts. But now days some put on clothes since they are regularly visited by tourists and they donate clothes to them. Batwa people are also hunter men and they make themselves arrows which they use while hunting small animals as the main source of food. They also feed on wild food like the plants, leaves and fruits in the forests. They are very short in nature and very much talented in their traditional ancestral dancing. They generate income from their dances and songs they perform to the tourists.
