Safari activities in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park other than seeing rare mountain gorillas

What safari activities can i do in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park other than seeing rare mountain gorillas? Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is located in the southwestern part of the country and is famous for harboring the highest number of mountain gorillas in the whole world. The park is home to over 350 bird species, primates, and different mammals but the most done activity in the park is gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is done in 4 sectors of the park that are Nkuringo and Rushaga in the north, Ruhija in the east, and Buhoma in the north.

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is done by a group of 8 people with briefing first in the morning at the park headquarters. The rangers lead the trekkers in the jungle to search for the mountain gorillas and after locating them they are given a maximum of 1 hour to be around them as they learn about their habits and to photos. Gorilla trekking is done by people above the age of 15 and only those free from infectious diseases such as flu, cough, and diarrhea are allowed to trek. If you are planning to trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in the dry season, you are advised to book your gorilla trekking permit in advance of 3-4 months to avoid disappointments.

Gorilla habituation experience (stay longer with gorillas) in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

Apart from gorilla trekking, Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is lucky to be doing gorilla habituation that is not done anywhere in the world. Gorilla habituation in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is only done in Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors of the park in 2 gorilla families of Bikingi and Bushaho. The gorilla trekking activity gives you an opportunity to around the mountain gorillas undergoing habituation for a maximum of 1 hour as you make them used to human presence. To habituate mountain gorillas in the Rushaga and Nkuringo sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park you will need to book a gorilla habituation permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority better in advance of 3-4 months.

Batwa cultural experience in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

One of the things you shouldn’t miss out on while on a visit to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is a Batwa cultural experience. After a successful gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park tourists can take a visit to the Batwa group of people. Cultural encounters in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park are led by the Batwa people who take you around the park show you how they used to gather fruits, make fire, show how they used to hunt animals in the park, and also gather fruits. A visit to the Batwa gives you an opportunity to listen to stories of long ago, get entertained by traditional dancers, taste local food, and see their way of dressing.

Nature walks in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park takes 2-7 hours this means you can have a nature walk after the activity around the park. The nature walks in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park are done using different trails that take you to different parts of the park. the nature walks give you an opportunity to meet different park animals, birds, tree species, and water sources. The nature walks in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park are led by well-trained armed ranger guides from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Birding watching

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is home to over 350 bird species which makes it one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. Birding activities can be done in all sectors of the park and the birds seen include Rwenzori turaco, handsome francolin, Grauer’s rush warbler, western green tinker bird, strange weaver, chestnut throated Apalis, montane oriole, African green broadbill, finely banded woodpecker, western green tinker bird, short-tailed warbler, collared Apalis, regal sunbird, Rwenzori batis, Kivu ground thrush, montane oriole, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, archer’s robin-chat, shinning African blue, stripe-breasted tit, bar-tailed trogon, white-tailed blue fly, impressed African emerald, Shelley’s crimson wing, black bee-eater and bar-tailed trogon among others

Loges and hotels in and around Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park?

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has different accommodation facilities that are distributed in different sectors of the park ranging from budget to mid-range to luxury options.

Ruhija sector- Gorilla Mist Camp, Cuckooland Tented Camp, Bakiga Lodge, Broadbill Forest Camp, Gift of nature lodge, Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Ruhija Safari Lodge, and Trekkers Tavern among others.

Nkuringo sector – Nkuringo Gorilla Safari Lodge, Bwindi Back Packer’s Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Safari Lodge, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, and crested crane Bwindi lodge among others.

Buhoma sector – Buhoma Lodge, Lake Kitandara Bwindi Camp, Trekkers Tavern, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Mahogany Springs, Buhoma Community Rest Camp, Gorilla Conservation Camp, and Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge among others.

Rushaga sector – Gorilla Safari Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, and Rushaga Gorilla havens lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, and Rushaga Gorilla Camp.

Best time for safari activities in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park other than seeing rare mountain gorillas

For gorilla trekking activities, tourists can visit Bwindi impenetrable forest national park at any time of the year but the best time to visit this park are the drier months. The drier months are June to September and December to February when it is little or no rainfall, the vegetation thin for clear views of animals, the trekking trails dry, and the roads leading to the park slippery. The park can also be visited in the rainy season but there is plenty of rainfall making the trekking trails slippery and wet.

How to reach Bwindi in the quickest time possible for safari activities in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park other than seeing rare mountain gorillas?

By road transport; tourists can access all the sectors of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park using Kampala – Masaka – Mbarara- Kabale road which takes 8-9 hours driving. From Kabale, tourists can take different routes depending on the sector they are going to trek mountain gorillas or the accommodation facilities booked. Travelers from Rwanda can access all sectors of the Bwindi impenetrable forest national park using Katuna and Chanika border from Kigali taking only 4-5 hours.

By air transport; tourists can get to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park by booking chattered flights from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Kisoro airstrip or Kihihi airstrip inside Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.