Introduction
The Bwindi Impentrable National Park covers an area of 327 km² and is the largest forested 'island' of Kigezi. Bwindi was first protected as the Impenetrable Forest Reserve in 1942 before beibg upgraded to national park status in 1992. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1994 in recognition of its biodiversity.
Bwindi's impressive species lists are partly because of the forest's great age - at least 25,000 years. During this time it has attracted 350 species of birds, 310 of butterfly, 51 reptiles, 200 trees, 88 moths and 120 types of mammal, including 10 primates. Another reason for this diversity is a 1447m altitude range that supports a wide variety of habitats, from lowland forest at 1160m above sea level to rare Afromontane vegetation at 2600m.
Mountain Gorillas
Most visitors to Bwindi are intent on locating just one of its 120 mammal species - the famous, rare and endangered Mountain Gorilla. The forest is home to about 340 gorillas -almost half of the world's total estimated population (720). Some thirty gorilla groups roam Bwindi forest, six of which have been habituated for tourism. The chances of tracking Bwindi's gorillas to a visible distance are almost 100%.
One magical hour with the gorillas is pretty expensive and getting there can be hard work. If you are lucky, tracking may involve negotiating only a few plantations; more often, however, it's a scramble up hillsides and along slippery paths.
Gorilla permits are on high demand, so be sure to book your gorilla tracking at least 2 months in advance. ($500 per person, per trek). The Uganda Wildlife Authority is responsible for issuing out the permits.
Gorillas can be tracked from four locations in Bwindi:
Buhoma: The oldest and busiest (Gorilla groups: Mubare, Habinyanja, Rushegura)
Nkuringo: The toughest (Gorilla group: Nkuringo)
Ruhija: Also great for watching birdlife (Gorilla group: Bitukura)
Rushaga: Started in 2009. Largest group ever habituated by Uganda Wildlife Authority. (Gorilla group: Nshongi)
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Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK (UGANDA)
