Tourist Activities to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Tourist Activities to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Bwindi is a remarkable destination famous for adventure activities such as gorilla trekking, which draws tourists from different parts of the world. The park is located in the southwestern part of Uganda near the Uganda-Congo border. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that offers visitors unique safari activities. The highlight of the park is gorilla trekking, where the highly endangered mountain gorillas that inhabit the national park are believed to have 98% human DNA, making them man’s closest living cousins.
Since it is home to the most concentrated population of mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has recently gained international recognition. Originally, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was home to the Batwa Pygmies, but after their eviction in 1991 by the Ugandan government, the park now accommodates over 459 mountain gorillas, 10 primates, 51 reptiles, and 350 species of birds, among others. The most famous activities in the park are mountain gorilla trekking and habituation; other pursuits include nature walks, cultural encounters, and birding, among others.
Activities to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Gorilla Trekking
The park’s remarkable activity in the four sectors of Ruhija, Buhoma, Rushaga, and Nkuringo is gorilla trekking. These sectors sum up to over 23 gorilla families that are open for visitors for tracking. Gorilla trekking begins early in the morning at the park information centre, which starts with a briefing about the rules and regulations of the activity and the expectations. After the briefing, armed ranger guides lead the allocated group to a particular gorilla family, and they begin their search for mountain gorillas in the jungle.
The search continues, ranging from 45 minutes to 5 hours, until you get face-to-face with the mountain gorillas. Once the trekkers get to see the apes, they are assigned a maximum duration of an hour to spend with them, observe their daily routines, learn about their behaviours and social structure, and take photos too.
Gorilla Habituation
This is a unique activity that takes place in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park only. Gorilla habituation entails tourists searching for mountain gorillas and allowing them to spend four hours as they get familiar with human presence. In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, one can undertake gorilla trekking in the Nkuringo and Rushaga sectors, which are home to the Bikingi and Bushaho gorilla families. Four trekkers, supported by researchers, conservationists, and armed ranger guides, complete the process of gorilla habituation.
The habituation process program begins early in the morning at the information offices with a briefing from park wardens who provide the guidelines and policies of the programme. Armed ranger guides then accompany the trekkers into the jungle searching for mountain gorillas. The search for mountain gorillas involves trekking through the park and coming across various park animals, primates, and birds.
Birding
Birding is one of the key attractions at Bwindi due to its unique bird species, including the rare species, wetland, forest birds, and the Albertine Rift endemics, among others. Many visitors, especially birds, visit the park, which is home to over 350 different bird species; the majority of these visitors combine birding with gorilla trekking. Armed ranger guides lead the birding excursions, leading avid birders through several birding routes, particularly in the Buhoma, Bwindi Neck, and Ruhija sectors.
Participating in birding activities at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park exposes visitors to numerous bird species, including the regal sunbird, hylia, blue-headed sunbird, African wood owl, short-tailed warbler, Chapin’s flycatcher, montane oriole, western green tinkerbird, strip-breasted sunbird, Rwenzori nightjar, black bee-eater, bar-tailed trogon, chestnut-throated apalis, grey cuckoo-shrike, and dwarf honeyguide, among other birds.
Batwa Cultural Visit
The Batwa cultural visit is yet another intriguing and exciting activity offered by the park. The Batwa, commonly known as the pygmies, were the original inhabitants of Bwindi Forest Park until their eviction by the government of Uganda in an attempt to gazette and conserve the forest and its wildlife species. Currently, the Batwa people reside at the forest outskirts, and visiting them revives their hopes, with vigour and courage to embrace the new transformation in their lives.
During your visit to the Batwa people, you will be led by a local Twa guide, who will take you around their community near the forest and demonstrate various uses of the indigenous tools, herbs, and tactics, such as using bows and arrows to kill small animals and curing ailments. You will visit several homesteads, share information and socialise with the locals, participate in everyday activities, and harvest food, among other things.
Nature walks
The best way to explore Bwindi Gorilla Park’s thick tropical forests is by taking nature hikes. Trails like Munyanga Waterfall, Ivy River Walk, Rushura, Kashasha, and Muzubijiro Loop offer chances to see various mammals, primates, and birds during the walks.
When should I travel to the Bwindi?
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park welcomes visitors all year, but the best times to visit are during the dry months from June to September and December to February. These months have little to no rain, making trekking easier, views better, and roads passable.
Travellers can visit Bwindi Gorilla Park during the rainy seasons of March to May and October to November for discounted accommodation. However, heavy rainfall can make hiking trails muddy, obstruct views of animals, and render access roads impassable.
