Bwindi Impenetrable national park is situated in South Western part of Uganda, the great Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is the leading gorilla trekking destination in Uganda and one of the most popular on the African continent. This has in turn set progress in the tourism sector of the country and gorilla trekking as the most popular tourism activity in Uganda.
Bwindi national park shelters 25 habituated gorilla families in their natural habitats. The magnificent park is called “impenetrable” because of its huge dense forests and very thick canopies that are almost impenetrable.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gives visitors an opportunity to have a full encounter of the rare primate species of mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. Bwindi National Park is among the only four national parks that shelters mountain gorillas and the largest host of these gentle primate species.
Almost half of the only remaining mountain gorillas in the world are sheltered in Bwindi impenetrable national park. Other national parks where mountain gorillas can be found include; Mgahinga National Park that is just a few kilometers away from Bwindi, Volcanoes national park in Rwanda alongside Virunga national park in Democratic Republic of Congo.
It should also be noted that Uganda ‘the pearl of Africa’ is the only country with two national parks where mountain gorillas find home. Aside the mountain gorillas as the key attraction of the great Bwindi, there are also other mammal species in the park including other primates like chimpanzee, baboons, to mention but a few.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi takes you to four gorilla tracking regions including Rushaga, Buhoma, Ruhija and Nkuringo. Buhoma region is the most popular and the most visited gorilla tracking section among all. Gorilla trekking in this great forest starts at about 8:00am after a small briefing by the tour guides before diving into the dense forests in search of mountain gorillas.
Trekking these smart primate species may take about 2 to 6 hours depending on their location. In various cases, mountain gorillas tend to move deeper into dense forests especially during the dry season in search of food and drinking water. Visitors are divided into groups of 8 and each group allocated to one particular gorilla family. Visitors can only spend one full hour with these gentle primate species that share almost 95 of the human’s genetic code.
Other activities in Bwindi National Park other than Gorilla Trekking.
Some of the exciting activities that visitors will enjoy while in Bwindi impenetrable national park aside gorilla trekking include;
Birding activities. The huge forests of Bwindi are also home to about 350 different bird species hence a birders paradise. Bwindi is also recognized as one of the best birding destinations in Uganda and Africa at large.
Watching other primates in Bwindi. It should also be noted that aside the mountain gorillas, there are also other primate species like chimpanzees that are sheltered in this same park. Bwindi is also among the few spots in the world where visitors can encounter both the mountain gorillas and chimpanzees.
Several wildlife species including leopards, lions, duikers, forest hogs, bush bucks, elephants can also be encountered in Bwindi national park.
Gorilla Trekking Costs in Uganda.
Gorilla trekking costs in Uganda are relatively cheaper compared to her counterpart Rwanda. A gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi or Mgahinga costs 800 USD and over 170 gorilla trekking permits are issued per day. Another thrilling activity that visitors can engage in is the habituation process of the mountain gorillas that consists about 1500 USD.
Gorilla habituation experience is a learning yet an exciting process that involves learning about the mountain gorillas, their behaviorism, breast feeding habits, feeding habits and also visitors can choose to participate in informative activities like feeding the mountain gorillas while getting used to them. It is yet a costly but very rewarding and worthy of every penny.
When to do Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi National Park?
Bwindi impenetrable forest as the name goes is almost “impenetrable”, with very heavy and dense lush forests and endless lush canopies alongside several hilly areas making it almost inaccessible especially during the rainy season of months like April and May. Therefore, the best time to visit and do gorilla trekking in Bwindi and Uganda in particular is the dry season of the year.
It’s during the dry period of months like June to October and December to February that visitors will have a full ultimate thrilling gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi national park. Trails dry up while the lush vegetation is also burning out giving a clear view of these trekking routes and also other animal, primate and different bird species in the same park.
Dry trails are not also slippery hence easing the tracking experience and makes it less stressful unlike during the wet season when they are muddy giving a challenging adventure.
