Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a bio-diverse, mountainous area in southwest Uganda. It’s home to many of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, who feed on roots, leaves and fruits from the park’s many tree and fern species.
Restricted numbers of viewing permits help protect the endangered gorilla families. In the park, rough paths weave amid dense forests, which are home to many butterflies and birds.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site with one of the richest ecosystems in Africa and a diversity of animal and bird species.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (BINP) is in south-western Uganda. The park is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and is situated along the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) border next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge of the Albertine Rift.
Composed of 331 square kilometres (128 sq mi) of both montane and lowland forest, it is accessible only on foot. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-designated World Heritage Site.
Species diversity is a feature of the park. It provides habitat for 120 species of mammals, 348 species of birds, 220 species of butterflies, 27 species of frogs, chameleons, geckos, and many endangered species.
Floristically, the park is among the most diverse forests in East Africa, with more than 1,000 flowering plant species, including 163 species of trees and 104 species of ferns.
The northern (low elevation) sector has many species of Guineo – Congolian flora, including two endangered species, the brown mahogany and Brazzeia longipedicellata. In particular, the area shares in the high levels of endemisms of the Albertine Rift.
The park is a sanctuary for colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, and many birds such as horn bills and turacos. It is most notable for the 400 mountain gorillas, half of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorillas.
It is now 18 habituated mountain gorilla groups are open to tourism in four different sectors of Buhoma, Ruhijja, Rushaga and the Nkuringo all under the management of Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Accommodation
Today, as the park is much liked by the international tourists due to the affordable price of the gorilla permit at $ 600 USD per person, there very many lodges that have come up in the 4 sectors.
Among the lodges are from luxury to the budget facilities and if you want to do gorilla safari you can book through the local reliable tour operators.
Accessing Bwindi Forest National Park is much easier, you can go by road from Entebbe to the park which takes like 8 – 9 hours or by air using the Aero Link Uganda from Entebbe Airport to Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrip.
More so, today most of tourists land in Kigali and take 4 hours drive to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
