Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in southwestern Uganda. Bwindi lies in the districts of Kanungu, Kabale, and Kisoro. Next to Bwindi are the Virunga Conservation Areas, specifically Congo’s Virunga National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The Park is most popular for its lush, dense, and ancient rainforest, where over half of the remaining mountain gorillas are safely residing.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was officially declared a National Park in 1991. By around 1994, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its biodiversity richness. Today, Bwindi covers a total area of 331 sq. km, comprising largely of the dense montane and lowland forest.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is one of the iconic destinations you shouldn’t miss to explore on your Uganda safaris. The Park is endowed with unique attractions of visitor interest, especially if you are an enthusiastic primate and bird lover. Explore our comprehensive visitor guide to plan a remarkable safari holiday to Bwindi National Park with ease. Our guide covers everything you need to know before you visit Bwindi for a holiday.
The Major Tourist Attractions of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi is a special destination in Uganda to explore a variety of attractions. In the varied habitats of Bwindi, there reside over 120 mammal species, 221 colorful butterflies, 350 bird species, and reptiles.
Bwindi’s wildlife/Animals
A safari in Bwindi promises amazing encounters with the park’s abundant wildlife. The 120 mammal species include 11 primate species, that is, the mountain gorillas, red-tailed monkeys, baboons, Demidoff’s Galago, chimpanzees, pottos, blue monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, and more.
Additional mammal species to explore in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest include the yellow-backed duikers, black-fronted duikers, golden cats, buffaloes, elephants, rodents, side-striped jackals, bats, clawless otters, and bush pigs etc.
Birds
Bwindi alone has a composition of 350 bird species thriving in its varied habitats and includes globally threatened birds and 23 Albertine Rift endemic species. The birds to explore on the Bwindi tour include the Shelley’s crimson-wing, Grauer’s broadbill, Handsome francolins, Chapin’s flycatchers, Western bronze pigeon, Handsome spurfowl, black bee-eaters, bar-tailed trogon, regal sunbird, Rwenzori nightjars, yellow-eyed black flycatchers, and white-bellied robin-chat. The Park also protects birds such as the strange weaver bird, red-faced woodland warblers, brown-capped weavers, chestnut–throated Apalis, Doherty’s bush shrikes, African open-billed storks, green-backed herons, rock pratencols, giant kingfishers, Kivu ground thrush, montane oriole, slender-billed greenbul, banded prinia, fine-banded woodpeckers, and many others.
Variety of Colorful Butterflies & Amphibians
Over 221 butterfly species exist in Bwindi, with a record of about 8 Albertine rift endemics. The popular butterflies found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest include the cream-banded swallowtail, African giant swallowtail, and more. About 27 amphibians have been recorded in Bwindi, including 11 Albertine rift endemics. The reptiles that have been identified here include 14 snake species and 14 lizards.
What to do in Bwindi National Park, Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park never disappoints if you are searching for unique experiences to enjoy in the African jungle. Diverse safari activities are offered to tourists on Uganda safaris in Bwindi. As you plan a safari to explore Bwindi’s abundant wonders, here is a complete checklist of activities to do;
Gorilla Trekking
With a total of over 459 mountain gorillas and about 24 habituated gorilla groups, Bwindi remains an iconic destination for tourists to embark on guided gorilla trekking adventures. Gorilla trekking is Bwindi’s primary safari highlight and offers a lifetime opportunity for you to walk through the natural forest in search of the endangered mountain gorillas. Once at the Park, you will receive a briefing on trekking etiquette and safety, then be assigned to a ranger guide and one gorilla family, before beginning your trek from one of Bwindi’s 4 sectors: Rushaga and Nkuringo, Ruhija and Buhoma trailheads. Each sector provides specific starting points and supports several habituated gorilla families. The trek may take anywhere from 2 to 8 hours, depending on the location of the gorilla group you’re tracking, and once found, you spend up to 1 hour observing them.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi begins early morning with a mandatory briefing about rules and protocols. Visitors are placed into groups of up to 8 guests, all aged 15 and above, each group assigned to one gorilla family and accompanied by a park ranger guide. Each visitor must present a valid gorilla permit before the trek begins. Trek durations vary but typically range from 2 to 8 hours, depending on gorilla locations, followed by up to 1 hour spent observing the gorillas in their natural environment.
Booking the Bwindi gorilla permits has been made easier with Bujuku Eco Tours and Travel, a trusted Uganda gorilla tour & safari company. To start with, a valid gorilla permit costs USD 800 per guest traveling as a foreign non-resident, USD 700 for foreign residents, USD500 for Rest of Africa and East African citizens (Ugandans inclusive) pay permits at UGX 300,000 per person.
Bwindi Bird-watching Excursion
Bwindi is one of Uganda’s prime birding locations, home to 350 bird species including many Albertine rift endemics and threatened avifauna. To maximize your birding experience, begin excursions in key spots: Ruhija sector (especially Mubwindi Swamp/Marsh) and Buhoma sector (Munyanga River, Buhoma waterfall, Ivy River, and Rushura Hill trail). Guided birding walks are led by professional ranger guides provided by park authorities. Guides help identify species by sight and sound, enhancing your overall birding experience.
Gorilla habituation
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park stands out when it comes to unique primate adventures. Gorilla habituation is only conducted in Bwindi, and specifically in the Rushaga region/trailhead or sector. The unusual bit about mountain gorilla habituation is that tourists get to explore the semi-habituated group, and instead of 1 hour for an up close and personal encounter given during usual treks, here you have 4 hours to stay with the gorillas. The gorilla habituation permits are needed for you to actively participate in this adventure, and each costs USD 1500 per person for international guests/foreign non-residents. The foreign residents’ book habituation permits at USD 1000 and Ugandans/East African citizens UGX 750,000.
Forest/Nature walks
Bwindi is a hiker’s paradise, a destination with multiple enriching hiking trails. The Park is blessed with different hiking/nature walking trails, including the Kashasha River trails, the Ivy River trail, the Munyaga River trail, the Bamboo, and the Buniga Forest trail.
The Batwa cultural tour
A visit to Bwindi is complete when you have an addition of a cultural experience. Spicing your gorilla trekking tour with the Batwa cultural encounter allows you to learn more about the distinct traditions and practices of the Batwa pygmies who spent years in the jungles. Visitors are led by an experienced Batwa guide and at the community, expect to enjoy the unique stories told by the Batwa pygmies, explore the hunter-gathering techniques used by these forest dwellers, and a lot more. Besides the Batwa cultural experience, visitors can also explore more about the Bakiga people, who also reside adjacent to Bwindi National Park.
The Best Time to Go Tour Bwindi
Depending on the safari activities you intend to engage in, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is always open to visitors all year round. If your target is specifically to track gorillas, then the dry season is the perfect period, and this occurs from June to September, or you can book a gorilla tour from December to February. Being an all-year-round destination, traveling during the low or wet season is also possible, and this can be from March to May or late September to November. The wet/rainy months are excellent for budget trekkers or if you are focused on fewer crowds and also birding excursions.
Where should you stay?
The accommodation choices present in and around Bwindi range from budget to luxury and exist around the 4 regions or sectors/trailheads. The top lodging options include: Gorilla Leisure Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Bwindi Guesthouse, Buhoma Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, and Gorilla Forest Camp.
Plan your connectivity to & back from Bwindi (Getting there)
Anytime you think of visiting Bwindi, first, you should have an idea of how you can reach the Park. Luckily, road and air transport options offer perfect connectivity options to all nature lovers interested in exploring Bwindi and its wonders. By road, you can choose to depart from Kampala, which is an 8-9-hour drive along the Masaka-Mbarara-Kabale route, or take 4-5 hours from Kigali through the Katuna/Chanika border crossing route.
When you take a flight, expect to spend no more than 2 hours. Depart from the Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield and expect to land at the Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrip. Connecting to Bwindi from the two airstrips can take you no more than 1 and a half hours of driving.
In conclusion, the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park guide offers everything a visitor requires to plan a successful safari. With the deep insights all elaborated in this travel guide, why not begin planning and booking your trip to explore the wonders of this charming Park?