What to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for 6 days. The largest concentration of mountain gorillas—roughly half the total—can be found at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi, which is the name of the park, is a local term that means “impenetrable.” The Bwindi Forest, which protects a continuum of forests ranging from montane to lowland areas, is located in the rough Kigezi Highland.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park sectors
The huge Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was separated into several Gorilla Trekking Sectors, including the Ruhija Area, Buhoma Area, Nkuringo Area, and Rushaga Area, for these objectives.
The Northern Bwindi Sector and the Southern Bwindi Sector are both home to gorilla trekking locations in Bwindi. A maximum of 8 travelers may visit the gorilla trekking families in each location each day. To visit any of the aforementioned gorilla families, a valid gorilla trekking permit is required.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the best birding location in Africa and is a necessity for birding in Uganda. Many birds spend the day in this forest, including Rwenzori Batis, Red-faced Woodland, Western Green Tinkerbird, Collared Apalis, and others.
Gorilla trekking, gorilla habituation, bird viewing, nature and forest walks, village walks, and Batwa experiences are just a few of the tourist activities available at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The itinerary for a week in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is provided below.
6 days with Gorillas and birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National park
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1 Transfer To Bwindi Forest National Park
Day 2 Gorilla Trekking or Habituation in Bwindi Impenetrable National park
Day 3 Birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National park
Day 4 Second Birding Day
Day 5 Buhoma Community Walk and cultural performance
Day 6 Transfer back to Entebbe
Details Of 6 days with Gorillas and birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National park
Day 1 Transfer To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Early in the morning, depart Kampala or Entebbe for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The park has a thick forest canopy and is located in southwest Uganda.
Make a stopover at Kayabwe to do the water experiment, snap pictures while standing on the equator, and then continue on. Take a break en route for lunch. A group of baboons may be encountered along the road; due to their repeated interactions with people, they have developed human behaviors including begging and snatching.
It takes roughly 9 hours to travel 540 kilometers from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
There is a difference in altitude as you go closer to the forests. The elevation of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park ranges from 1160 to 2607 meters above sea level. The park experiences temperatures ranging from 7 degrees Celsius to -20 degrees Celsius. After a late afternoon arrival, check into your facility at the park.
Both inside and outside of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a variety of lodging options are available for reservation. The majority provide full-board services, while other campgrounds feature restaurants.
Clouds Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Buhoma Lodge, Mahogany Springs, Engage Lodge, Volcanoes Lodge, Gorilla View Lodge, Silver Back Lodge, Bwindi View bandas, Mantana Tented Camp, and Lake Kitandara Camp are just a few of the lodging options available for gorilla trekking and birding in Bwindi National Park.
Day 2 Gorilla Trekking or Habituation in Bwindi Impenetrable National park
Head to the ranger station for an orientation after packing your gorilla trekking gear in a waterproof light bag. The ranger guide will go over the regulations for gorilla trekking or habituation with you and the other trekkers, such as not leaving trash in the forest and only having one hour or 4 hours with the mountain gorillas.
You will follow the trail where the gorilla trekking family was last seen because they normally do not feed far from the previous day’s location. Mountain gorillas coexist in the forest with other primates like black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and olive baboons.
There are a number of passing birds that you might be able to identify, including the White-tailed Ant-thrush, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Archer’s Robin-Chat, and Kivu Ground Thrush, Rwenzori Batis, and Strange Weaver.
When you find the gorillas, put on a fresh mask and observe the family members reaching out to collect some bamboo. Juveniles may want to show off, but avoid touching any. Do not disregard the advice of the ranger, since the silver back might be watching from his hiding place.
For a lasting memory of your gorilla trekking trip to Africa’s Bwindi forest, take as many images as you can. After a long day in the jungle, head back to your lodge to relax.
Day 3 Birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National park
Catching the early birds as they leave their nests is possible if you get up early. The Bwindi Forest’s birding capital is the Ruhija gorilla trekking region, particularly in the Mubwindi Swamp. Remember to pack a lunch because the return time is rather late.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park provides a sanctuary for a variety of birds, including endemics to the Albertine region. Even little birds on the papyrus reeds can be seen using your birding tools, such as binoculars.
Canopy and Mid-storey flocks, Graeber’s Warbler, Banded Prinia, Petite’s Cuckoo Shrike, Africa Sooty Fly Catchers, Cinnamon-Chested Bee Eaters, and Petite’s Cuckoo Shrike are some species you might learn to identify by sound or physically. Head back to your lodge to relax.
Day 4 Birding day again in Bwindi Impenetrable National park
After breakfast, set out on another Bwindi Forest birding excursion. The African birder’s paradise that is Bwindi Forest merits another day to identify any birds you might have missed the day before. Take your snacks and equipment.
More bird species, such as odd weavers, Eastern Mountain-Greenbuls, Montana nightjars, Fraser Eagle-owls, Rwenzori hill Babblers, White-headed Woodhoopes, Blue-headed and Regal Sunbirds, Stuhlmann’s Starlings, and Luehder’s Bush Shrikes, might be visible. Over 100 bird species can be recognized throughout the day. Head back to your lodge to relax
Day 5 Buhoma Community Walk experiential, and Cultural Performance
Take a moment to get to know the people in the area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and their fascinating history. Join a local guide on a group walk through the nearby villages. This neighborhood has a village stroll that lasts roughly three hours.
Participate in and learn about daily life in the rural areas surrounding Bwindi. Visit a homestead, a brewery that brews bananas, or a traditional healer.
Traditional dancers provide a vibrant dance break when they are planned in advance. You can participate in the fiesta to work out your muscles.
Your visit will directly aid in raising local awareness of the importance of mountain gorilla conservation. The money raised is put toward community improvement initiatives including providing clean water, maintaining local roads, and constructing new schools, to name a few. Return back to your lodge.
Day 6 Return day to Kampala or Entebbe
After your 6 days, you will return to Entebbe Airport after going on a gorilla trekking and birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to make your flight back home.
How to reserve a gorilla trekking permit or Habituation permit for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
When you send us a request for information about a gorilla trekking package along with the dates you want to do this safari, a tour adviser contacts the Uganda Wildlife Authority to see if any openings exist. 24-hour turnaround is what we offer.
Booking the gorilla permits only becomes official if payment is received after mailing feedback. First come, first served is the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s policy, hence no permit may be obtained without payment.
Because so few gorilla permits are sold to the general public each day, even when demand is high, the availability status can change at any time. Each trekking region has gorilla families, and each family allows a visit from a maximum of 8 people.
They are sold in accordance with the trekking area. Permits for tracking gorillas in Uganda cost $ 700 per person per trek.
How to reach Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park by Road
Anyone planning to go gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a variety of options, some of which include:
Kampala – Ntungamo – Rukungiri – Kihihi – Buhoma
The most direct trip from Kampala takes roughly 8 hours to complete without any pauses. Drive approximately 390 km on the tarmac road to Rukungiri, then another 82 km on the murram route to Buhoma.
Kampala – Kabale – Kanungu – Buhoma
From Kampala to Kabale, this tarmac road is 414 km long, but it continues for another 120 km through Kanungu and Kanyantorogo on a meandering marram route.
Kampala – Kabale – Rujija – Buhoma
This 95 km-long, the more isolated route passes via Kabale on its way to Rujiha and Buhoma. The road is in bad shape.
Queen Elizabeth National Park – Kihihi – Buhoma
This is the best way to take if you have a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park but need to leave to do gorilla trekking. The distance between Mweya and Ishasha sectors in Queen Elizabeth National Park is 64 km and 160 km, respectively. On the way, there is a good possibility to see lions that climb trees.
Kampala -Kabale – Nkuringo
It takes roughly 4 hours to go 150 kilometers from Kabale to Nkuringo on a curvy murram road.
Travelers occasionally stop in Kisoro, which is 80 kilometers from the Nkuringo gorilla trekking area. Anyone can spend the night here and go gorilla trekking the next day because this road is only approximately 35 km long. It takes roughly an hour and a half to drive.
How to reach Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park by Charter Flights or Scheduled Flights to Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrip
From Kajjansi Airstrip or Entebbe Airport, daily domestic flights depart towards Kihihi. Because flights are occasionally overbooked during the busiest travel times, you can reserve a seat on the scheduled flights in advance.
Charter planes can be reserved in advance for more upscale, private gorilla trekking trips, but all required arrangements must be made.
The planes do not land in Bwindi, thus a transfer by vehicle to the lodge is required. All of these agreements must be made in advance.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dav Safaris
