This world heritage-listed national park in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is one of the region’s most famous safari tourism parks in Africa. Thanks to its community of mountain gorillas calling the park home. Indeed, set over a steep mountain rain forest, the park counts 480 gorillas to this day. Without a doubt, the ‘impenetrable forest,’ as it’s often referred to, is Uganda’s most impressive tourist destination and one of the continent’s oldest habitats. Also, there is quite an impressive diversity in terms of flora and fauna in comparison to other rain forests.
A gorilla and wildlife safaris in Uganda starts with early breakfast at the place of stay in Kampala; you embark on the drive to the western Uganda enjoying picturesque landscape before making a stop at the Uganda’s Equator crossing Kayabwe where you can see the geographical experience between the north and southern hemispheres and taking photos of yourself. You then proceed on the drive exploring impressive landscapes as you enjoy scenery of the Ankole along with Zebras and Impala straying from the adjacent Lake Mburo National Park. Lunch can be taken at Agip Motel in Mbarara. After lunch, you then drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park dinner and overnight at your preferred lodge.
Queen Elizabeth National park is home over 95 mammal species with about 612 species of birds. The various species in this park, has made it a unique park most liked by tourists. The Park is also known for its wildlife such as Cape buffaloes, Uganda Kob, water buck, warthog, lion, leopard, hyena, giant forest hog as well as elephants. Topis can only be discovered in Ishasha and forest primate found in Kyambura gorge in addition to Maramagambo forest.
The peninsula is the heart of sightseeing activities with excellent accommodation in the park. The only way to enjoy your tour in this park is by touring with a ranger guide. During your game drive in morning or evening hours, the guide will help you explore the park as well as the distant parts of the peninsula. The most favourable time for game drives is during morning and late afternoon hours. The work of the range guide is to help you get enough information about the park and still get the most memorable experience in Africa.
Mweya information centre organizes all the activities that tourists may want to get involved in. The most accessible spot for lions is in the eastern part of Kasenyi plains and the Kasese road where they quarry on the big inhabitants of Uganda Kobs. The most favourable time for game drives is during morning and late afternoon hours. The work of the range guide is to help you get enough information about the park and still get the most memorable experience in Africa.
An afternoon in Queen Elizabeth grants you more wildlife to see on Kazinga channel. It’s acknowledged that the plains of channel are focal points for game viewing. Taking a boat cruise is the only way that will enable you see all the wildlife in its nature setting for example schools of hippos, crocodiles, water birds and and other animals that dwell in the grassland thickets of the Northern Kazinga close to Mweya.
Ishasha covers an area of about 100km south of Mweya; Ishasha is famous for its tree climbing lions. The Park’s distant southern segment gives a genuine Africa wilderness experience in tracking the tree climbing which gives you a great memorable experience. Among the inhabitants in this place include Savannah woodland, Ishasha River along with Lake Edward that has a diversity of wildlife such as climbing lions, rare shoe bill stork and many others.
Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park home to half the world’s remaining population of critically endangered mountain gorilla. Out of these, several families have become habituated to humans, allowing small groups of 8 people per gorilla group to trek them and spend an hour in their natural habitat. The gorillas remain wild and the interaction takes place under the careful eyes of highly trained trackers.
Gorilla trekking is available in 4 different areas namely: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. Each of these areas has specialized accommodation close to the tracking area. Anyone over 15 years of age can apply for a permit to visit Mountain Gorillas. Current cost of gorilla viewing permits in Uganda is $600 per person and in Rwanda is $1500 per person and DRC Congo for a one hour visit in a group of eight visitors.
A day of gorilla trekking begins early in the morning, departing from your lodge with the dawn. The guides will meet and brief groups of visitors at the gathering point before setting off. The walk can be challenging and strenuous, especially during Uganda’s two rainy seasons, which are from April to May and November and the dry season begins from June to October and December to February. Depending on where the gorillas were last seen the previous day, the trek can take anything between 2 to 8 hours, so a reasonable level of fitness is required.
The maximum time permitted to spend with mountain gorillas is only 1 hour. You will have plenty of time to watch and observe how they spend their daily activity and to take photographs and videos. The rangers will be able to provide you with a background to the gorilla family you are visiting. Once your hour is up, you trek back out of the rain forest to your meeting point and get your gorilla trekking certificate.