Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the top national parks for adventures in Africa. Situated in the southwestern region of Uganda, Bwindi is famous for mountain gorilla safaris, an adventure activity that involves tourists hiking in the impenetrable jungles looking for the mountain gorillas that live within the higher slopes of the forest.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is unbelievable due to its biodiversity and Relief in south western Uganda. This impenetrable forest is very significant as a home to almost half of the population of the endangered mountain gorillas. The park was first gazetted in 1942 as a forest reserve and later in 1992, it was up graded to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. In 1994, it was recognized as a world heritage site in Uganda by the UNESCO.
The word ‘bwindi’ means ‘darkness’ and taking a hike in this magnificent forest will certainly show you the reason as to why the forest was named so. Without leaving out the local language, bwindi means impenetrable in Rukiga, a local language of the Bakiga People that live adjacent to the park. The national park is a home to many of the world’s leaves and fruits from the park’s many trees and fern species.
History of Bwindi
The precious Bwindi Impenetrable national park was gazetted into national park in order to protect and conserve the wide range of species within the park and most importantly was the rare mountain gorilla. The declaration of the forest into national park affected negatively the Batwa pygmy people who were the traditional inhabitants of the forest and at time they were evicted from the forest without compensation and they were not allowed to extract any forest resources. In the year 1993, Gorilla tracking became a dominant tourist activity in the park and the first gorilla group to be habituated for tourism purposes was the Mubare gorilla group which was opened in the month of April, 1993. The opening of this group of mountain gorillas helped to fuel the numbers of gorilla safaris in Uganda.
Historically in the year 1932, two important parts of the Eco-diversified Bwindi Impenetrable Forest were named as Crown Forest Reserves and the Northern block of the forest was considered as the “Kayonza Crown Forest Reserve while the Southern counter block of the forest was designated as the “Kasatora Crown Forest Reserve. The designated reserves had a total area of 207 square kilometers (80 sq mi). In the year 1942, the designated two forest Reserves were amalgamated and renamed as Impenetrable Central Crown Forest and name rename area covered an estimated area of 298 square kilometers and it was managed by the two bodies of Ugandan government forest department and Game department.
In the year1964, the reserve was considered as an animal sanctuary and this was done so as to provide more conservation and protection of the endangered mountain gorillas which were rare and most wanted to trek by the visitors under taking safaris in Uganda and from then the name changed to Impenetrable Central Forest Reserve. In the year 1966, other two vital forest reserves were added to form the main forest reserve and this increased the total area covered by the Central forest Reserve to roughly 321 square kilometers (124 sq mi) and it was under the administration and management of the two bodies’ i.e. Game sanctuary and forest reserve.
The remarkable history of the park which no visitors mainly on Uganda gorilla safari and tour should not miss knowing is the one explained in the year 1991, where three forest reserves of Impenetrable Central Forest Reserve as well as Mgahinga Gorilla Reserve and the popularly Rwenzori Mountains Reserve were declared national parks and they renamed Impenetrable forest Reserve to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covering an estimated area of 330.8 square kilometers (127.7 sq. mi).
Location of the Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies on the margin of the Rift Valley and also located along the border of Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo near to the Congo’s well-known Virunga National Park.
Size
The park covers an estimated are of 331 square kilometers (128 sq. mi) of Impenetrable forest jungle and has both lowland forest and montane forest accessible only on foot.
Things to See in Bwindi
The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest’s being endowed with various unique natural resources make it the most desired by most of the tourists who are on their Uganda safaris. The best way one can know the interesting history of Bwindi is by under taking a gorilla safari to Uganda. Here visitors are taken to the park where one will come to discover the interesting hidden secret of Uganda’s most attractive park.
Culture
Discover the local Bakiga and Batwa people through the performances, workshops and village walks in the area. Explore the rich cultural heritage that these people have and cherish every day. Local villages arrange community walk that lead visitors to the traditional healer, black smith, rural home stead as well as brewers. Batwa people play a significant role in Uganda and it’s difficult to believe that their traditional hunting grounds extended across the forested areas in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo.
The park can be accessed easily by road or air depending on your planned itinerary, resources and time with the help of a tour operators. There are also options for back packers as some good public coaches are available to Kisoro. In Buhoma, you can find accommodation for sleep. Private car hires are easily accessible through the mountain terrain which require a 4 wheel car for easy climbing up of the hills.
Activities in Bwindi Forest
There are lots of things to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Things you should never miss out while in the park include;
Gorilla Tracking
Gorilla tracking, is the major activity carried out in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Many people who are interested in gorilla tracking travel to this amazing park to meet the gorillas in the wild. Gorilla tracking is conducted within the habituated families of the gorillas. Currently the park is divided into four sectors of Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija and Rushaga. All families have unique behaviors and characteristics, if you have enough time and resources you can track more than one group during your trip. Please note that upon booking the gorilla permit you can choose your preferred gorilla tracking area.
A maximum of 8 people are allowed to track each gorilla family at any given time in order to conserve their natural habitat and keep them safe from infections. The duration of the trek depends on the family allocated in each sector.
The park also has a number of community and forest treks. One can trek around on his or her own but security and safety you need to consult guides for clear advise about the route you are about to take. Some treks require hiking especially those to Muyanga water fall that departs from Buhoma, Rushura Hill walk that passes through one forest shared by two countries.
Every gorilla permit in Uganda costs $600 and only a maximum of 8 people are allowed to see a gorilla family. It’s better to book a gorilla permit with a tour agent to make clear preparations on which gorilla family to track and book an accommodation of the same location. Permits are available at Uganda Wildlife Authority and you are advised to make your booking in advance before the tracking day. The activity requires physical fitness since it is a bit tiresome when moving in the in the impenetrable forest.
Getting There
From Kampala to Bwindi, it takes about 10- 12 hours to drive but it is only 45 minutes by flight from Entebbe to Kihihi Airstrip. Much more fun can be experienced by travelling by road due to the available activities en-route as well as tourist attractions such as the equator passing via Masaka, cultural museums and craft shops.
Accommodation facility include; Buhoma Community Rest Camp, Lake Kitandara Bwindi Gorilla conservation Camp for budget tourists, Nkuringo Gorilla Camp site, Bwindi volcanoes lodge, Engangi Camp Uganda for mid- range tourists and Silverback Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Safari lodge, Mahogany springs camp for luxury tourists.