Bwindi national park is located in the southwestern region on the boundary of the rift valley. The national park has an area cover of 331 square kilometers and its popular to the world because of the gorilla trekking. The national park is a home to half of the worlds remaining endangered mountain gorilla population. These are highly endangered species due to poaching, diseases and habitat loss.
Besides the mountain gorillas the national park is a home to 120 mammals which includes primates such as chimpanzees, baboons, vervet, black and white colobus monkeys among others as well as 350 bird species which makes the uganda safari within Bwindi a memorable one.
ATTRACTIONS IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
The mountain gorillas are the major attractions within Bwindi impenetrable national park. The national park is a home to the mountain gorillas amounting to 400 individuals within the different sector. The various sectors include Buhoma, Nkuringo, Rushaga, Ruhija. The national park has a number of habituated mountain gorillas that are ready to be trekked by a number of tourists while on their mountain gorilla safari in Bwindi impenetrable national park. Some of the gorilla families that are found within the four sectors include; oruzogo family, bweza family, busingye family, kahungye gorilla family, nkuringo family, bushaho family, mubare family, habinyanja family among others. Therefore, while on a uganda gorilla safari in Bwindi tourists will enjoy the gorilla families within the national park.
BIRDS
The national park is blessed with a number of bird species especially the water bird species and the forest bird species. The national park is a home to 350 bird species where 14 are native to the park and 23 are natives to the Albertine rift. While on a birding safari in Bwindi tourists can spot for birds such as Rwenzori batis, dusky twin spot, western green tinker bird, black bee-eater, dwarf honeyguide, red-throated Aletha, collared apalis, strange weaver, yellow-sreaked greenbul among others.
HIKING
The hiking trails within the national park are amazing and when using them tourists will be able to spot a number of mysteries of the park. These include the waterfall trail, habinyanja trail which passes through the munyanga river and its used to trek the habinyanja gorilla family, kashasha river trail which runs between nkuringo and buhoma sectors, bamboo trail which leads tourists to rwamunyonyi peak and river ivi trail which is best for a birding safari. All the trails have amazing sceneries that make the whole safari experience a memorable one.
MAMMALS AND PRIMATES
While on a Uganda gorilla safari within the impenetrable national park, tourists cant miss spot other primates and mammals that are found in the park. Besides the mountain gorillas, the national park is a home to 120mammals where 10 are primates and these include giant forest hog, antelopes, side stripped jackal, African civet, forest elephants among others. And primates include chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet, L’hoests, de Brazza monkeys, red-tailed monkeys among others
THE BATWA PEOPLE
The Batwa people are the earliest in habitats of Bwindi impenetrable national park. Therefore, when the national park was gazetted the Batwa were forced to go away from the forest to the neighboring community. The Batwa were hunters as well as gatherers who depended on hunting and gathering fruits. Therefore, while on a uganda safari in Bwindi national park tourists will visit the Batwa community for the cultural encounter where they will learn their day to day lives, how they built their houses, how they hunt small animals as well as the local dance and drama that are amazing.
ACTIVITIES IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
GORILLA TREKKING
Gorilla trekking is the major activity within the national park where tourists move into the tropical rainforest in search fot the endangered mountain gorillas. The national park has only 19 habituated gorilla families in the four sectors such as buhoma, nkuringo, ruhija and Rushaga sector.
While on a gorilla safari in Bwindi national park, gorilla trekking starts at 8am with a briefing at the park headquarters. After the tourists are divided into groups of 8 people where each is allocated a gorilla family to trek. The trekking takes 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorillas are located.
GORILLA HABITUATION
Habituation of gorillas is where the gorillas are trained to get used of the presence of humans for trekking. The process takes 2 to 3 years and it involves a team of scientists, park rangers, researchers and trackers as well. The habituation process takes place in the Rushaga sector within the southern sector of Bwindi national park.
The process allows only 4 people to visit and trackers can view other wildlife species such as mammals, birds, plants and tree species. The trackers are allowed to spend 4 hours with the gorillas as they monitor their behaviors and as they carry out their day-to-day activities
BIRD WATCHING
The national park is a habitat to 320 bird species which includes the Albertine rift endemic species, forest birds that make it a birds haven. During the bird watching safari in Bwindi impenetrable national park which is carried out on buhoma waterfall trail and mubwindi swamp trail, tourists are escorted by a park ranger who helps in spotting different bird species within the park. Birds include dwarf honey guide, giant king fisher, red-throated althea, Rwenzori nightjar, red faced woodland warbler, yellow-eyed black flycatcher among others.
NATURE WALKS
Tourists get to explore the national park on foot together with a well trained park ranger to protect tourists from danger. The national park has several nature walk trails to follow such as Ivi River trail, habinyanja trail, muyangwa water fall trail among others.
BATWA CULTURAL TOUR
While on a safari in Bwindi impenetrable national park, tourists get a chance to meet and interact with the Batwa people who were once habitats of the park before it was gazetted. The tour starts with a prayer from the Batwa guide and after the hiking starts from the forest where the Batwa used to live. Tourists get to learn about their lifestyle such as how they gathered honey, food, plants that they used to cure illnesses, hunting with a bow among others.