Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers some of the finest motane forest birding in Africa and is a key destination for any birder visiting Uganda.
Amongst the numerous possibilities are no fewer than 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift endemics, including spectacular, globally threatened species such as African Green Broadbill and Shelley’s Crimson wing.
Bwindi is one of the few in Africa to have flourished throughout the last Ice Age and it is home to roughly half of the world’s mountain gorillas.
Of Uganda’s forested reserves, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is best known for its superb gorilla tracking, but it also provides refuge to elephants, chimpanzee, monkeys and various small antelope and bird species.
Location
Southwest, near Kabale
Size
321 sq km
Getting there
From Queen Elizabeth (2-3hrs), from Kabale to the South (1-2hrs) and from Kampala via Mbarara (6-8hrs).
What to do
Gorilla tracking limited to a maximum of 18 people per day – Permits must be booked before at Uganda Wildlife Authority offices in Kampala.
Guided forest walks, birding and monkey viewing.
When to visit
Any time, but not advisable during rainy seasons especially April – May and September – November.
Related Listing
-
1
-
The Ssezibwa Falls
The Ssezibwa Falls are located 35km east of Kampala in district of Mukono district. The spectacular ...
1 -
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary was established to care for these orphaned chimpanzees that have ...
1 -
Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park has a semi-arid climate with just one rainy season per year ...
Trackbacks For This Post
17 Reviews
-
-jeff anthony, 1 year ago
If the forest is impenetrable, how’d you get in?
-
-Melissa and Boris, 11 months ago
The walks with the guides were great, with our own guides every time, for just the three of us. The guides were really friendly and professional. We did the walk from Kisoro, crossed the lake in canoes and then on to the camp at Nkuringo. It was so nice to walk through the lovely nature and also to meet the locals and try to talk to them.
The gorilla tracking was nice, and we did some more circular walks. From Nkuringo we walked to Rushaga, a really small camp with only the most necessary facilities, and close to a Pygme village. Situated right at the border of the park!
From here we did our best walk, the crossing of the forest. Apparently no tourists have ever walked the path before, and it has only been used by the locals, two or three years ago was the last time it was used. It took us eleven hours to cross, through dense vegetation, up and down the hills, and through a light swamp. We lost the track for some hours, hence the long walk. Besides from that it was a real adventure to have done a journey like a true pioneer!
We can definitely recommend anyone who is interested in experiencing true nature and local life in Uganda a visit Bwindi National Park
-
-EisBaer Chicago, Illinois, USA, 11 months ago
Visiting Bwindi to see the mountain gorillas was the absolute highlight of my trip to Uganda. However, there are a few things I wish had known before I went there. First of all, make sure you are in good shape. I did two treks, the first one was 1.5 hours, the second one was 2.5 hours, both one-way! Plan for at least a 3 hour hike one way, and do not underestimate how steep the mountains can be or how thick the brush is. Make sure you have plenty of water. I had 2.5 liters of water with me and it was just enough for the second hike. Make sure you have enough food; including your packed lunch, you may also want to consid taking some energy bars or bananas as a snack. If it is too much to carry, the consider hiring a porter, which should be Ush30,000 (about $12) for the day (excluding tip). I do not have problems with fire ants in Bwindi (as in Kibale). I did have problems with the thorns. They are everywhere and I managed to rip both of my t-shirts during my hikes. I would recommend taking clothing you don’t mind if they get trashed. I would also recommend taking a pair of leather garden gloves.
Several times I reached out to grab hold of something or to stop my fall and managed to cut my hands on the thorns. Gloves would have been a big help! Be sure to bring a rain jacket in case it rains or gets colder.
Otherwise, just go there! Consider that visiting the gorillas brings revenue to the local community and gives them an incentive to protect the forest. Plus, it is an amazing experience to see these beautiful creatures in their natural environment. -
-brumfan Suffolk, 11 months ago
They don’t call it impenetrable for nothing. This was probably the hardest thing I have done except giving birth! I trekked on two consecutive days and it was very hard going The first day there were 7 of us and we made our way very slowly into the forest falling and slipping down the hill to eventually find the chimps up a tree balancing precariously on a stee[p slope whilst trying to take a good shot of the gorillas.. It is very difficult underfoot be prepared to fall over frequently and slip and slide. It was very dry when I was there which helped I am sure, two ladies had great problems with their breathing and walking far but were pushed and pulled up and down slopes by the porters. The porters certainly earn their money the going rate is $15 a day but they literally get you to the gorillas. Beware giving the porters your e mail address unless you want many e mails about sponsoring their children through school etc.
On day 2 what a difference in the terrain we drove two hours from Bwindi and started out to find the Bitukura group, they had recently split into two groups one with a silverback and most of the ladies and infants the other with 4 silverbacks a blackback and a junevile this was who we eventually found. The terrain was incredibly steep yet again the porters earnt every penny going up and down and up again in search of the group, eventually after three hours we found where they had slept the previous evening! Then we discovered they had gone back where we had already climbed , I wanted to give up as I was quite happy having seen the gorillas the day before but we carried on and eventually found the boys ! said boys charged us several times pushing over two men it was amazing, terrifying and superb.
I am 50 (just this was my present to myself and worth every penny) I am not particularly fit so if I can do this then anyone can, indeed there were many over 60 plus quite large people who managed it BUT be prepared for a very very long slog to see these magnificent animals, Unless you are very lucky and they wander into the lodge area as they are known to do in Bwindi!
-
-MicknRobyn Caloundra, Australia, 11 months ago
One of the great wildlife experiences on the planet
My wife Robyn and I were heading back after breakfast to our luxury cabin on the path next to the jungle at the Gorilla Forest camp where we were staying to prepare for our Gorilla trek that day when we heard a voice from behind us. A staff member said “have you seen the gorillas?’ I said no we are going this morning. He said NO have you seen the gorillas and pointed about 5 metres into the forest and there they were. WE thought the russling we could hear was the gardener doing some work.We couldn’t believe it, 19 magnificent Gorillas just off the deck of our cabin accomodation. We spent the next 20 minutes experiencing and photographing within 5 metres of these fabulous creatures until we were ushered away to go and have our safety talk about the “trek”to the Gorillas.
We eventually returned with our small group around 1/2 hour later and thankfully they were still in the forest next to OUR cabin. Eating playing and climbing in and around the trees. Mothers babies and of course the Silverback, awesome. We just couldn’t believe our luck. They started to move deeper through the jungle for a short distance so we “treked” after them. In some ways I feel sorry that we didn’t have to “bust our guts” for hours to be rewarded with what we were seeing BUT in another way I feel sorry for all the people who battled for so many difficult hours through the Impenetrable Forest to see them.
We spent a very generous hour with them and got so close that the Silverback walked past me and pushed a young english girl who happened to be in his path over. There no malice in this as he just needed to pass by. She was uninjured but what a great story to take home. Yes it is expensive for the permits but WOW what an unforgettable experience. If you can afford it do it…
the costs will soon be forgotten…. but the memories will last a lifetime.
-
-Cscham Johannesburg, South Africa, 11 months ago
Recently visited Bwindi. Was arranged through African Secrets Ltd, Kampala. . Most incredible experience witnessing a group of 22 mountain gorillas in the park. Would advise that anyone wishing to do so, organised it through African Secrets.
Had a fantastic guide/driver, Sam Kazibwe who drove us from Kampala via Kisoro to Bwindi. Incredible beauty and activities available in the area and would definitely visit again. as so much to do.
-
-Rich NYC, 11 months ago
Most people, myself included, visit Bwindi for the guerilla trek. And that’s an excellent reason to go. It is a difficult trek, some of the hills are at steep angles. You really can’t request a particular level of difficulty as the guerilla family your group is assigned to can keep moving and you have to move with them. I’m 63 and in good shape, but I hired a porter and was very happy. It cost an extra $15 for the day and he carried my pack, my lunch and water, and helped push me up or help me down from some of the tougher hills. I realized that guerillas trekking is not an olympic event and the guides will do everything they can to help you finish.
I also took a nature walk, which turned into a 5 1/2 hour trek up to some waterfalls. A lot of things get called walks; to me they’re all treks through thick jungle at hight altitudes to see wonderful things.
One of the most wonderful was the Batwa Walk. The Batwa are the indigenous peoples who have lived in the Bwindi forest for thousands of years. The gov’t moved them out of there because they hunt the guerillas. It’s certainly an issue of morality and ethics, but putting that aside it was a great experience. It’s a pretty long trek up but well worth it. Over the years I’ve visited a lot of indigenous peoples and it’s usually 15 minutes with them, visiting one hut and then off to the souvenir stand. I was with the Batwa for 1 1/2 hours seeing various aspects of their lives. I don’t know how long they’ll be able to survive in their new environment, so visiting them sooner would be better.
-
-Ivy G Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 11 months ago
We saw one of the newest (our silverback had just left the big group to start his own), smallest (there were only about 9 gorillas in the whole group including babies), and hardest to find gorilla groups. We drove for about 30 minutes, walked, crawled, climbed and fell through the thick rain forest for about 4 hours before we saw them. Then we had to follow them for almost another hour before they got comfortable enough to let us watch them. The journey itself was incredible. But getting to sit with the gorillas themselves was indescribable, especially because they had made us earn it. I hope everyone get this chance… even if I am destitute now because it is SOOO expensive.
Border-Less Travel did an awesome jobI would like to take this opportunity to thank Border-Less Travel for all their help and personalised support during my stay in Bwindi. Peter has arranged my travels and stay in perfect tune with my individual budget and wishes. He has great relationships with the local people and is always so friendly on the phone, time and time again making the effort of checking up if everything is going OK. I very much admire his enthusiasm and the way in which he shows visitors what Uganda is like. He can be proud that the cultural tourism programmes that he build with his own hands are a real help the local communities visited.
Expensive but worth it. The hike was quite steep, but pole pole you’ll make it. Being with the gorillas (Nshongi group) was such a rare, special experience. I’ll always treasure it. Bwindi is also very beautiful just on it’s own which made the sometimes strenuous hike beautiful/much more bearable. If you have the money, this is highly recommended!
-
-Covic Nairobi, Kenya, 11 months ago
Visit Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park for gorilla tracking is a life time adventure experience in the world. The trek is very strenuous and goes through steep and slippery jungle grounds before encountering the gorillas camouflaged in thick vegetation. However, the thrill of encountering these humble giant apes face-to-face is worth the effort.
-
-BradJill Hong Kong, 10 months ago
Extremely difficult trek but a genuinely unique experience seeing the Gorillas We stayed in the National Park area for 1 night, making our way in and out from a Kabale. The National Park is truly impenetrable at times, requiring our local guides to literally cut through the brush and growth so that we could make pass to see the gorillas. After 3+ hours of hard up hill trekking we managed to find a family of Gorillas, spending 1 hour with them and getting pretty close at times. Our guides and armed patrol guides must have number 12-15 so we felt very safe trekking in this somewhat dangerous part of the world. They were mostly there to protect the Gorillas from poachers more than to protect us from rebels that are not operating in the Bwindi NP area (at least while we were there.
We did pay $550 USD per person, I believe (a year ago) for our Gorilla permits. It seemed expensive but much funding is needed to protect the remaining mountain gorillas. Due to the very few number of daily permits this fee is certainly going to go up if it hasn’t already.
While this trek was very difficult and probably something we will not do again due to the physically demanding nature of this activity, we would still recommend it to younger travelers and those with the financial means to see these wonderful creatures before it it is too late.
-
-franceotbp Paris, France, 10 months ago
Fabulous place. We hiked 7 + hours in search of gorillas – the Habinyanja Group – What an excellent hike, people and experience! We walked with the gorillas as they searched for food, then spent our hour observing them eat lunch. The forest is truly impenetrable. The rangers and guides bush-whacked as there are no trails…we truly hiked in the wild. The scenery of the walk was out of this world beautiful! Definitely recommend!
-
-Emma, Australia, 10 months ago
I thought we’d see a few gorillas on this trek, but what we ended up with was so much more.
We found our gorillas after about a 2 hour trek. Then we sat down to observe them and they ended up observing us.
There were about 16 gorillas in our group and they ended up in a big circle around us. The silverback did the usual chest beating, we saw a couple mating, there were baby gorillas swinging in the trees and one of the mid-sized gorillas actually came up to me and played around with my leg. Very scary at the time but an experience I will never forget.
This was the highlight of our trip for sure.
“Worth seeing – unique experience”
-
-J, 9 months ago
This site is AMAZING! I am having my parents come to Uganda next week and I just sent them a link. It’s the perfect way for tourists to get to know more about Uganda. I love that there are links to the various cultural ethnicities for example. Nicely done.
-
-laura G, 5 months ago
“AMAZING MUST DO EXPERIENCE!!”
Wow, wow wow!!! We were here for 3 days in July and visited 2 of the 3 familys of gorillas and what an experience both days were. The guides are amazing and you do not travel for very long as there are trackers out before you go to find the family. The rule is to stay 7 metres away from the gorillas but they come up to you.
The images you can get of these creatures are amazing and the money you spend on seeing these creatures goes towards helping them stay alive in their natural area for as long as possible. You only spend an hour with the gorillas but It really is a must do expereince and one i would do again!
-
-
[...] Bwindi Impenetrable Forests National Park [...]
-
-Finlay, Australia, 5 months ago
An unforgettable experience, what a privilege to have been able to see these magnificent creatures up close. The trek was relatively easy and we were fortunate to find the gorillas within about an hour of setting off. The fee was well worth it and I would recommend it to anyone planning a trip to Uganda.
-
-BonRo Massachusetts, 3 months ago
The National Park ranger orientation was very informative, giving us just the right amount of information about what to expect. We were advised to hire one porter per traveler, which we agreed to, though we thought this seemed excessive. But we soon were convinced that individual porters was the way to go; although we were informed that 7 hours would be the limit on amount of time we’d be out on the trails, in our case it did take 3.5 hours of constant walking to get to the gorillas and 3.5 to return to our drop off point; the trails could be steep and muddy and once we got off the trails to get to gorilla viewing we were on very slippery ground so having a dedicated porter was essential to preventing slips and falls and potential injuries.
And then we found the gorillas and they were just magnificent. Several younger gorillas were eating leaves and plants and we were able to watch them for an extended duration. We got brief glimpses of a large silverback male and a momma carrying an infant on her back – they briefly walked into our view but then turned and left when they spotted us. We were allowed to stay with the gorillas for 45 min (the national park limits exposure to humans to mitigate risk of transmitting human diseases) before starting the long walk back to our starting point. At the end we were congratulated and given “trekking certificates”. What an experience! Thanks to our guide, porters, and trekkers who were all fantastic and the people who do the magnificent work of preserving the mountain gorillas and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Gorilla trekking permits are expensive (500USD) but I thought this once-in-a-lifetime experience seeing these magnificent “close relatives” was worth it.
[...] Bwindi Impenetrable Forests National Park [...]