Bwindi Impenetrable national park

Bwindi Impenetrable national park a commonly known destination for mountain gorillas is situated in the south western region of Uganda in East Africa. The park is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest found along the border of Democratic Republic of Congo next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge of the western Rift Valley.

The park is situated on a land expanse of 331 square kilometres and contains both montane and lowland forest and is accessible only on foot. This is regarded to be one of the most biologically forest in Africa, largely due to its antiquity and an altitude range of between 1,160 and 2,607m above sea level.

Bwindi is a true rain forest, spread over a series of steep ridges and valleys that form the eastern edge of the Albertine Rift Valley. The National park has an average rain fall of 1,500mm, and it is a vital catchments area, the source of five major rivers, which flow into Lake Albert.

In 1994, Bwindi Impenetrable national park was recognised and upgraded to a status of being a world heritage site by UNESCO because of its importance in protecting bio diversities.

Species diversity
Of the fact that it is most notable for the 400 Bwindi gorillas, half of the world’s population of the critically endangered mountain gorillas, Bwindi impenetrable national park harbours at least 120 mammal species more than any national park in Uganda. The list consists mainly of small mammals such as Rodents and Bats, to over 11 types of primates including the healthy chimpanzee population, Red-tailed and blue monkey, black and white colobus monkeys and Olive baboon.

A total of 350 bird species have been recorded in Bwindi. Of particular interest to birders are 23 species endemic to the Albertine Rift, and at least 14 species recorded nowhere else in Uganda, among them the African green broadbill, white-tailed blue flycatcher, brown necked parrot and frazers eagle owl.
In addition to its extensive bird checklist, Bwindi is also a home to at least 200 butterfly species, including eight Albertine Rift Endemics.

Things to do and see in the park / Activities in the park
The park is also gifted with a number of activities and some of these include;

• Gorilla trekking
• Gorilla habituation
• Bird watching
• Nature and Cultural walks
• Visiting the Batwa pygmy community
• Hiking through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
• Biking through the Bwindi trails

Accessing the park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can be accessed by driving from Kampala or Entebbe to the northern part of Buhoma which may take up to 9 hours and 10 hours if one is driving to Nkuringo or Rushaga. One can use the Masaka, Mbarara, Ntungamo, kihihi, Butogota and then to Buhoma or One can path through Mbarara to Bushenyi, follow the ishasha road to Kihihi and then Butogota to Buhoma.

For those going to the south, they drive through Kabale to Kisoro and to respective regions.

Alternatively it can be accessed by air as Aerolink operates daily flights from Entebbe to Kihihi Airstrip for the northern and eastern side and to Kisoro airstrip for the southern parts of Rushaga and Nkuringo. The drive time from Kihihi or Kisoro to nearby lodges is approximately 1-2 hours.