Bwindi Trip Information and Gorilla Safari Tracking Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve was set up in 1942 and later on renovated to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in 1992.In 1994, it was acknowledged as the world Heritage site.Rukiga is a language commonly spoke in this area and the word Bwindi in realty means Impenetrable. What makes Bwindi Impenetrable is the fact that it covers an area of about 327km2 of scrambled vegetation draped over an intensively fissured landscape of the steep, draughty ridges as well as the slippery valleys and high. The terrain may be hard for you to manage but remember it’s what makes Africa an exciting continent. The park has a big population of gorillas.Bwindi is well known to be very cold in the morning and at night. The coolest months are usually June and July and the average temperature is about 70c-200c.When it concerns what to pack for a safari please pack warm clothes because Bwindi is so cold and receives about 2390mm of rain. It has two rain seasons, little rains are in the months of March-May and heavy rains are in the months of September as well as Novermber.The rain in Bwindi takes long hours to stop.
Getting There
Bwindi is located in the south-western part of Uganda with approximately 540km from Kampala .The easiliest means of transport to Bwindi is by road.
Queen Elizabeth national Park (Mweya)- Kihihi-Buhoma.
On your way to the park, you will pass through Ishasha and you will enjoy seeing the climbing lions along with monkeys on the road.Bwindi covers an area of about160km from Mweya and about 64km from Ishasha.
Kampala-Kabale-Kanungu-Buhoma.
The route has a tarmac highway to kabala and covers an area of about 414 km and it’s a 5-6 hour’s drive. The next route has a murram road and has about 120km. the route goes through Kanungu as well as Kanyantorogo and it takes about 4-5hours.The most convenient vehicle is A4WD.
Kampala- Ntungamo-Rukungiri-Kihihi-Buhoma.
The easiest and most convenient route is from Kampala direct to the tarmac road Rukungiri and has about 390km in addition to murram road to Buhoma.
Kampala-Kabale-Ruhija-Buhoma.
This route covers an area of about 95km2 on the murram road and its takes about 3-4hrs.The only vehicle that can pass through Ruhija is a 4WD.
Kampala-Kabale-Nkuringo.
It covers a distance of about 105kms from Kabale town and it takes about 4 hours to get to the mountainous murram road. Many tourists take up nights in Kisoro town and the remaining distance is about 80km from Kabale prior to Nkuringo.Kisoro road is a meandering 35km and takes about 1-1.5 hours. The most suitable car for this area is the 4WD.
By means of public transport, a bus set on everyday from Kampala to Butogota.Thereafter a tax can be got the last 17km to Buhoma.Nkuringo has no public means and the best thing to do is to hire a vehicle from Kisoro.
Another means of transport can be by Air; Tourits can fly from kajjansi airfield or Entebbe and land off from Kisoro airstrip. Those who may want to visit Buhoma may take on the charter planes and land off from Kayonza airstrip.
Bwindi National Park a home to tremendous biodiversity because of two factors. First of all, its slopes stretch over a broad altitudinalrange of 1447 meter to create habitats roaming from lowland forest at 1160m to unique Afromontane vegetation above 2600m.
Second, it is extremely old. since most of Africa’s forests were destroyed during the arid conditions of the final ice age(12,000-18,000 years ago), Bwindi was among a few ‘refugia’ that remained.
As a result, as most of nowadays forests are not further than 12,000 years old, Bwindi’s vegetation has been weaving itselfinto tangles over 25,000 years, in the process accumulating an extensive species list. This consist of 310 species ofbutterfly, 200 trees, 88 moths,51 reptiles, and a tremendous 120 varieties of mammal including 10 primates. The latter are red tailed, chimpanzee, L’Hoest’s and blue monkey, black & white colobus, baboon, as well as Bwindi’s most famous resident,
the mountain gorilla.
Bwindi is a prime location for birdwatchers. Its 350 bird species including 7 which are IUCN red data listed & 90% of all
Albertine rift endemics species that are hard or impossible to see in some other part of East Africa. A more experienced bird
watcher can simply identify up to 100 species in a single day!
Local people
The local people near the park are mos’ and Bafumbira. Minor Batwa communities are(Pygmy!) also present. The Bwindi area holds up one of the rural population densities in Uganda with a number of 350 people.
