A UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the gentle giants (Mountain Gorillas), which are under a threat of extinction due to certain factors, including poaching. Uganda, as a travel destination, happens to have the highest population of mountain gorillas, approximately half of the remaining gorilla population. Covered with mist, Bwindi Forest is called impenetrable due to thick vegetation cover, which makes the searching of Mountain gorillas more interesting, tricky, and adventurous. Are you planning a Uganda safari that includes visiting Bwindi Impenetrable National Park? Do you have a dream of trekking and seeing Mountain gorillas (the Gentle Giants) face-to-face, experiencing the best, and gaining fulfillment? Here are the basics you should get to learn, or the frequently asked questions about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Where is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park located?
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located or situated in the southwestern part of Uganda, along the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a backdrop of Virunga National Park on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley covering approximately 321 square kilometers, made of both lowland and Montane Forest.
What to see or Attractions in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is blessed with several attractions that tourists or visitors from different parts of the world come to and appreciate nature in Bwindi. Some of these attractions that you should look forward to seeing in Bwindi include,
Birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Mostly made up or covered with montane vegetation cover, which includes forests that have fruits, making it the ideal or perfect home to a high number of birds. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to over 351 different bird species, which also include about 21 bird species that are endemic to the Albertine Rift Valley. Some of the birds you should look forward to spotting and ticking off your birding list when you visit Bwindi include African Green Broadbill, Great Blue Turaco, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Giant Kingfishers, Redheaded Hornbill, Green-backed Herons, African Wood Owl, strip-breasted tit, African green pigeon, Blue Wooded Owl, Dwarf Honeyguide, White- headed Saw-Wing, Montane oriole, Handsome francolin, to list a few.
Cultural experiences near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Cultural encounters or cultural experiences in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offer deep immersion with the Bakiga and the Batwa (pygmy), who are known to be the original inhabitants of Bwindi. Carrying out or going for a cultural encounter in either the Batwa or Bakiga communities only means that you are going to learn about these people’s cultural heritage, ways of life, history, interact with them, and watch them perform their cultural dances.
Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Mountain gorillas, also known as gentle giants, are fascinating creatures that are believed to share approximately 98% of human DNA, making them our closest living relatives. Bwindi is home to approximately 495 mountain gorillas, with around 25 habituated gorilla groups that can be tracked and observed by tourists or visitors. To see the mountain gorillas in Bwindi, you have to carry out or do Mountain gorilla tracking activity or a mountain gorilla habituation, and the only difference between the two activities is the time spent with or in the presence of mountain gorillas. With Mountain gorilla trekking, you get to spend not more than an hour in the presence of mountain gorillas, while for Mountain gorilla habituation activity, you get to spend more than an hour in the presence of mountain gorillas.
How is Mountain Gorilla Trekking done in Bwindi?
Just like any other travel activity that has procedures to be followed, in the same way, Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has procedures that you are expected to follow, and they are as follows,
Mountain gorilla trekking activity is done or carried out during morning hours, so you are expected to head to the park headquarters for a briefing, where the dos and don’ts will be given to you. After the briefing, you will be divided and allocated to different groups of not more than 8 people having different tour guides and game rangers. In the same way, you will also be allocated to different trekking trails, which will lead you to different mountain gorilla groups. After all that is done, you will start or begin your mountain gorilla trekking activity. Mountain gorilla trekking activity takes approximately 30 minutes to 8 hours of searching for gorillas in their natural habitat; the time is determined by different factors, such as the location of a mountain gorilla group, the trekking pace, and others. In most cases, lunch is packed for tourists or visitors while heading for this activity, a lunch break is always given to you so that you get what to eat. On allocation or encountering a mountain gorilla group, you will be given not more than 1 hour to spend in their presence. From there, you will either head back to your lodge or head for a community tour or do any other activity, depending on your tour itinerary.
Other attractions or what to see in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include Mountain gorilla hiking trails that have different attractions, such as the bamboo forest, River Ivi, Mubwindi swamp, to name a few.
What to do or activities done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Just as there are a variety of attractions, there are also several travel activities that can be done or carried out when you visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and some of these include,
Mountain gorilla tracking
This is an activity that tourists do or carry out with the help of tour guides and game rangers to search for mountain gorillas in their natural habitat while tracking on foot. The tracking activity takes about 30 minutes to 8 hours, depending on the location of the mountain gorillas, the tracking pace of the tourists or visitors, the weather conditions, and accessibility of the tracking trails, to name a few. On finding or allocating the mountain gorilla group, you will be given not more than 1 hour to spend in the presence of the mountain gorillas.
Other activities to carry out in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include community visits or cultural encounters, guided nature walks in Bwindi, birding, and mountain gorilla habituation, where you will get to spend more time in the presence of mountain gorillas.
Inconclusion Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the best destinations in Uganda that you should not miss out during your safari or visit in Uganda and get an amazing lifetime experience with the mountain gorillas (Gentle giants), which is a dream come true for many people. Book now today and let us be your campus direction or guide to your lifetime experience.