Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Explore Africa’s top destination for mountain gorilla trekking.
Overview.
This is an awesome and pleasant jungle alongside an old forest with beautiful landscapes throughout Bwindi forest and another leading travel destination in Africa and Uganda. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is breathtaking and gets its intriguing name from the vegetation that is so thick that it is nearly impenetrable. It offers the exciting opportunity to see the mountain gorillas up close, leaving a long lasting memory and a joyous feeling.
Located in the heart of Virunga Massif, you are quickly awed by the beauty of your surroundings and the anticipation of encountering the largest apes. At the same time, your determination will propel you forward through the challenging terrain as you make your way through the jungle and forest to discover the beauties of the National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is situated along the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley and north of the Virunga Volcanoes with Rwanda.
It offers a massive, enticing outlook through the slopes of the hills of Bwindi massif with its swath of steep mountains covered in thick steamy jungle. These forests is magnificent, magical, and otherworldly as you make your way through it, your excitement and anticipation builds as you prepare to look into the silverback’s eyes.
Being one of Africa’s most ancient habitats, it survived the last Ice Age as most of the continent’s other forests disappeared and is the only place where chimpanzees and gorillas coexist in the same habitat with forest elephants and extremely rare birds. The park has managed to house over 400 Gorillas due to sound conservation practices, resulting in a very interesting experience for Gorilla Trekking and viewing the amazing scenery of the Virunga massif, the Rwenzori backdrop, views of Lake Albert, plants, wildlife, birds, and primates.
Gorilla Trekking
A Gorilla Trek is one of the most thrilling experiences a traveler can have on a jungle adventure. The trek starts when you reach the briefing point at any tracking location. Tracking gorillas takes time, patience and good knowledge of the forest’s ways and the habits of the mountain gorillas.
Mountain Gorillas are mind blowing and many are often at a loss of words when they find themselves finally standing just a few meters away from them. You will have an hour to enjoy these truly magical moments that will forever be ingrained in your mind and can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world.
Bwindi Forest is mostly frequented for Gorilla Trekking and is the main reason that most visitors come to this park as it provides an incredible backdrop for this once in a lifetime adventure.
Vegetation
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a tropical rain forest in East Africa consisting of the lowland and montane vegetation zones meeting together. It was able to protect the jungle during the ice age and served as a water hub for most of the wildlife species that relied on the forest; unlike other areas that lacked forest or vegetation cover.
Bwindi has numerous vegetation types that are widely categorized into medium altitude. Moist ever green and the Afro montane forest have a highly limited vegetation category in Africa. The park is covered by mixed forest which is concentrated around its altitudes and is characterized by canopy from plant species like red stinkwood, newtonia, symphonia globulifera, and East African yellow wood and strombosia scheffleri. Beneath the main forest there are species like xymalos, neoboutonia macrocalyx, monospora, myrianthus holstii, and teclea nobilis and allophylus abyssinicus.
The vegetation diversity provides a large feeding area for the mountain gorillas, forest elephants and other ground-dependent wildlife in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The forest elephants have also been attributed for the creation and maintenance of the open places within the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. These elephants are attracted to the existent swampy areas within the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest during the dry season.
The water catchment area in the forest provides a platform for agriculture, (no comma needed here) for the nearby local communities as well as the major source for several rivers like Ivi, Munyaga, Ihihizo Ishasha and Ntengyere, that drain into Lake Edward with rivers Ndego, Kanyamwabo and Shongi flowing southwards to Lake Mutanda. The park has 400 plant species and intense wildlife diversity made of numerous ferns, colorful orchids, epithetic ferns, and lush fogy rainforests alongside a wide variety of bird species, wildlife and butterflies.
Apart from the gorillas, one can experience the beauty of the wildlife, along with flora and other numerous coexisting fauna in the park, as well as the various vegetation types that are defined by their altitudes offering a unique biodiversity.
What To Do
Gorilla Trekking
A Gorilla Trek is one of the most thrilling experiences a traveler can have on a jungle adventure. The trek starts when you reach the briefing point at any tracking location. Tracking gorillas takes time, patience and good knowledge of the forest’s ways and the habits of the mountain gorillas.
Mountain Gorillas are mind blowing and many are often at a loss of words when they find themselves finally standing just a few meters away from them. You will have an hour to enjoy these truly magical moments that will forever be ingrained in your mind and can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world.
Bwindi Forest is mostly frequented for Gorilla Trekking and is the main reason that most visitors come to this park as it provides an incredible backdrop for this once in a lifetime adventure.
Bird Watching
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is one of Africa’s number one birding sites with many species endemic to the forest. As one of the prime birding destinations in Africa, it is home to over 347 species of forest birds. Of those recorded in the Park, at least 70 out of 78 montane forest bird species occurring in the Albertine Rift region are found in the forest and 22 of the 36 endemic species in the region.
Gorilla Habituation Experience
In Uganda this experience can only be encountered in the Rushaga tracking location of the Park. Here, you will spend 4 hours with the Mountain Gorilla Family with not more than 4 participants.
There are presently two family groups being habituated, meaning that they are becoming used to human contact and will not run away from visitors trekking them..
Mountain Bike Rides
Opt for a fascinating village walk or travel with a well-trained guide by bike, where you will ride into the Forest on paths such as the Ivy River Trail. The average Bike Ride is 3 hours or longer in length with much to see along the trail or road.
Batwa Community Visit
The Batwa People are the pygmies who were the first inhabitants of the forest for years as hunter-gatherers. The Batwa experiences in the Buhoma area and the Buniga Forest Walk, near Southern Bwindi, give you a glimpse into the lives and traditions of the Batwa as you help restore their heritage and keep their cultural practices alive.
Village Walks
Conduct a 3-hour cultural walk through the village as you learn their ways of life and cultures of the people. You will be accompanied by a local guide who is knowledgeable about the local cultures and customs.
Rainforest Hike
Hiking through the forest is led by a ranger-guide and can be done from Nkuringo tracking location to Buhoma or Vis versa and is famous with those who choose to trek gorillas twice, once in Buhoma and once in the South of the Park.
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What To Do
Regarding biodiversity, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has the most unique with plant species that can’t be found in any other park. It boasts various animal species, butterflies, birds and of course, the endangered Mountain Gorillas that are the biggest attraction for travellers to this park. Below are some of the activities you can choose to participate in during your visit to the park.
Gorilla Trekking
A Gorilla Trek is one of the most thrilling experiences a traveler can have on a jungle adventure. The trek starts when you reach the briefing point at any tracking location. Tracking gorillas takes time, patience and good knowledge of the forest’s ways and the habits of the mountain gorillas.
Mountain Gorillas are mind blowing and many are often at a loss of words when they find themselves finally standing just a few meters away from them. You will have an hour to enjoy these truly magical moments that will forever be ingrained in your mind and can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world.
Bwindi Forest is mostly frequented for Gorilla Trekking and is the main reason that most visitors come to this park as it provides an incredible backdrop for this once in a lifetime adventure.
Gorilla Habituation Experience
In Uganda this experience can only be encountered in the Rushaga tracking location of the Park. Here, you will spend 4 hours with the Mountain Gorilla Family with not more than 4 participants.
There are presently two family groups being habituated, meaning that they are becoming used to human contact and will not run away from visitors trekking them.
Batwa Community Visit
The Batwa People are the pygmies who were the first inhabitants of the forest for years as hunter-gatherers. The Batwa experiences in the Buhoma area and the Buniga Forest Walk, near Southern Bwindi, give you a glimpse into the lives and traditions of the Batwa as you help restore their heritage and keep their cultural practices alive.
Hiking through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Hiking through the forest is led by a ranger-guide and can be done from Nkuringo tracking location to Buhoma or Vis versa and is famous with those who choose to trek gorillas twice, once in Buhoma and once in the South of the Park.
Bird Watching in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is one of Africa’s number one birding sites with many species endemic to the forest. As one of the prime birding destinations in Africa, it is home to over 347 species of forest birds. Of those recorded in the Park, at least 70 out of 78 montane forest bird species occurring in the Albertine Rift region are found in the forest and 22 of the 36 endemic species in the region.
Mountain Bike Rides
Opt for a fascinating village walk or travel with a well-trained guide by bike, where you will ride into the Forest on paths such as the Ivy River Trail. The average Bike Ride is 3 hours or longer in length with much to see along the trail or road.
Village Walks
Conduct a 3-hour cultural walk through the village as you learn their ways of life and cultures of the people. You will be accompanied by a local guide who is knowledgeable about the local cultures and customs.
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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.