Bwindi National Park is set in the far Southwestern Uganda along the edge of the Rift Valley. It is situated in the hillsides of Kigezi, renowned for its mist-covered impenetrable forest where over 120 mammal species live peacefully with over 350 bird species, reptiles and other species.
Lying at an altitude of 1160 to 2607m, Bwindi supports over 11 primates including the endangered mountain gorillas, De Brazza monkeys, blue monkeys, baboons, pottos, Demidoff’s Galagos, l’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys. Other animals include the giant forest hogs, buffaloes, forest elephants, civets, black-fronted duikers, clawless otters, civets, side-stripped jackals, rodents, yellow-backed duikers, bush pigs, and more.
Birds of Bwindi total up to over 350 species and include the mountain masked and collared apalis, purple breasted sunbird, grauer’s broadbills, handsome francolins, Chapin’s flycatchers, black billed turacos, regal sunbirds, white-bellied robin chat, western bronze-napped pigeon, Fraser’s eagle, and others. Birding excursions in Bwindi are excellent done in the Mubwindi swamp, Ruhija sector.
Bwindi also supports at least 200 colorful butterfly species and include 8 Albertine rift endemic species; 27 amphibian species and reptiles.
Gorilla habituation
Gorilla habituation offers plenty of time for tourists to interact with mountain gorillas in the wild. The adventure involves following the semi-habituated gorilla families and you have 4 hours to be with these apes, take photos and observe their daily behaviors. A single gorilla habituation permit for foreign non-residents costs USD1500 per person and foreign residents pay USD 1000 while foreign residents are issued permits at shs 750,000.
Birding
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park holds an estimate of about 360 species of birds and birding tour lets you to search for forest and Albertine rift endemic species. The birds to look for while in Bwindi include the African green pigeon, African wood owl, yellow eyed black flycatchers, African green broadbill, African harrier hawks, giant kingfishers, crowned hornbill,
Purple breasted greenbul, cinnamon chested bee-eaters, black billed turacos, Shelley’s crimson wings, Yellow streaked greenbul, Western green tinker birds, Handsome francolins, Regal sunbird, Mountain masked apalis, and more. The best time of the year to travel to Bwindi for bird watching is around March, and September.
Getting there
Travel to Bwindi National Park by car setting off from Kampala or Entebbe, about 8-9 hours. Or drive from Kigali, connecting through Chanika or Katuna border to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. By air, take a flight from Entebbe airport and land at the Kisoro or Kihihi airstrip.