How To Spend 7 Days in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Seven days in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: how should one spend them? About half of all mountain gorillas in the world are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Locally Bwindi means Impenetrable; the park fits this moniker. Situated in the rocky Kigezi Highland in South Western Uganda, Bwindi Forest preserves a continuum of lowland to montane forest.
Areas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
The large Bwindi impenetrable forest was split up for gorilla trekking into the Ruhija, Buhoma, Nkuringo, and Rushaga sections.
Every gorilla trekking site in Bwindi falls either in the Northern or Southern Bwindi Sector. Every location also has gorilla trekking families visited daily limit of eight visitors. To visit any of the above gorilla families, one must have a current gorilla trekking permit. Uganda Wildlife Authority grants Gorilla licenses based on first come first policy.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the best African bird site hence birding in Uganda cannot be complete without it. Many birds spend their days in this forest: Rwenzori Batis, Red-faced Woodland, Western Green Tinkerbird, Collared Apalis, and others.
In Bwindi impenetrable National Park, visitors may engage in gorilla trekking, gorilla habituation experience, bird viewing, nature and forest walks, village walks, Batwa experience among other tourism activities. Here is how one may spend seven days in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Seven-day safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park highlights
Drive to Bwindi Forest National Park first day
Day 2 Trekking in Bwindi Forest National Park: Gorilla
Day 3 Birding in Bwindi National Park
Second Birding Day on Day 4
Day 5 Buhoma Community Walk and cultural event
Day six departure
Details of the seven-day Safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 1 Road to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Early in morning, leave Kampala to go to Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park. The park is located Southwestern Uganda and has a thick forest cover.
Stop in Kayabwe to do the water experiment, snap pictures standing near the Equator, then resume your trip. Break off on lunch on the way. You could come across a group of baboons on the road; their ongoing interactions with people must cause them to develop human behavior such as grasping or begging.
About 530km, this travel from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park might take eight hours.
The altitude changes as you go closer to the woodlands. At 1160 meters-2607 meters above sea level, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is The park has temps between 7 degrees Celsius to -20 degrees Celsius. Late evening, arrive to the park and check in at your facility.
Booking in and outside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park allows access to many lodging options. While most provide complete board amenities, campgrounds have restaurants.
Several lodging options for gorilla treking in Bwindi National Park include of
To list just a few are 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.
Second Day Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Head to the ranger station for briefing after packing your gorilla trekking equipment in a waterproof light bag. Along with other hikers, the ranger guide will walk you through the gorilla trekking guidelines: just one hour is permitted with the mountain gorillas; no polluting the forest is allowed.
Usually not feeding far from the previous day’s site, follow the path where the gorilla trekking family was last seen.
Apart from the mountain gorillas, many other primates include black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, olive baboons share the forest.
Among the species you may see passing by are White-tailed Ant thrush, Red faced Woodland Warbler, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Kivu Ground Thrush, Rwenzori Batis, Strange weaver.
Juveniles want to show off but do not touch any when you find the gorillas; change into a fresh mask and watch the family members reach out to grab some bamboo. Do not go against the advise of the ranger guide; the silver back may be seen from his hide.
As many pictures as you can, preserve your moment on an African gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi forest.
Come back to your cabin to review after a tough day in the wild.
Day three birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National park
An early rising allows you to capture the early birds as they de-nest. Especially in the Mubwindi Swamp, the birding kingdom of Bwindi Forest is Ruhija gorilla trekking area. Remember to bring packed lunch; return time is somewhat late.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers secure refuge for a range of birds, including Albertine endemics. Even the little birds in the papyrus reeds may be found with your binoculars and birding tools.
Among the species you might be able to distinguish by voice or appearance are Cinnamon-Chested Bee eaters, Africa Sooty Fly catchers, Petite’s Cuckoo shrike, Canopy and Mid-storey flocks, Grauber’s Warbler, Banded prinia.
Go back to your resort and unwind.
Day 4: Second Birding Day inside Bwindi Forest National Park
Eat breakfast and then go for another birding expedition in Bwindi forest. Bwindi forest is the refuge for Africa Birder; it demands another day to find birds you could have missed yesterday. Go with your gadgets and goodies.
More birds like odd weavers, Eastern Mountain-Greenbul, Montana nightjar, Fraser Eagle-owl, Rwenzori hill Babbler, White-headed Woodhoope, Blue headed and regal sunbird, stuhlmann’s starling and Luehder’s Bush shrike might be found here. You might see more than one hundred bird species all day long.
Retrace your steps to your accommodation for some rest.
Day five Buhoma Community Walk and Cultural Show
An opportunity to discover the rich legacy of the people living around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Under a local guide, go on a communal stroll throughout the nearby communities. This local group does a three-hour village stroll.
Learn and participate in the daily activities of the rural people living near Bwindi. Visit a farm, banana brewery, or traditional healer on trip.
Early on organization allows traditional dancers to perform a vibrant dance break. You may join the fiesta to work some muscles.
Your visit to this village directly helps to sensitize the residents on the value of mountain gorilla protection. Among the few development initiatives benefiting the local community that the funds support are water, road repair, and construction of schools.
Refer back to your lodging.
Day 6 Departure day After gorilla trekking and birding in Bwindi impenetrable National Park proceed to Entebbe Airport to join up with your home return aircraft.
How to get Gorilla Trekking Permits for National Park Bwindi Impenetrable
Our Tours expert verifies availability from Uganda wildlife Authority when you submit us an inquiry for a gorilla trekking package with the dates you would like to conduct this safari. Our turnaround time is twenty-four hours.
Forwarding comments results in only confirmed booking of the gorilla upon payment. The Uganda Wildlife Authority operates under a first come first, served basis wherein no permit is obtained without paying.
Any time, Gorilla permit availability status varies as few permits are sold to the public daily despite with great demand. Sales are based on region of trekking, and each area contains gorilla families permitting a maximum eight-person visit. A Uganda gorilla trekking permit is $800 per person per trip.
Getting To Bwindi Forest National Park
Making it to Bwindi by Road
There are many paths accessible to anybody planning gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park some of which are:
From Kampala to Kabale then from Kanungu to Buhoma
From Kampala to Kabale, this tarmac route spans 414 kilometers; it then winds around 150km over Kanungu and Kanyantorogo.
Queen Elizabeth National Park from Kihihi to Buhoma
This is the best path if you have a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park but must undertake gorilla trekking. Within Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Bwindi forest is around 160km from Mweya and 64km from Ishasha sector. There are plenty of enroute opportunities to see tree climbing lions.
From Kampala via Ntungamo to Rukungiri to Kihihi, Buhoma
From Kampala, this is the most direct route; it takes around eight hours without breaks. After around 390 kilometers on the turmac route to Rukungiri, keep on a murram road to Buhoma for 82km.
Kampala from Kabale to Rujija through Buhoma
About 95 kilometers, this route is more isolated running from Kabale via Rujiha and Buhoma. The road is in really terrible state.
From Kampala to Kabale then Nkuringo
From Kabale, Nkuringo is around 250 miles on a meandering murram road over 4 hours.
Sometimes visitors stop at Kisoro, 80 kilometers from the Nkuringo gorilla trekking site. Since this route is around 35 kilometers, anybody may camp here and go gorilla trekking the next day. The trip takes one hour and a half or so.
Planned flights to Kisoro or Kihihi Airstrip under a charter
Every day domestic flights start from Kajjansi Airstrip or Entebbe Airport to Kihihi. Since at times during the high season airlines are overbooked, you may guarantee a spot on the booked flights in advance.
Charter planes may be booked in advance for more private up-market gorilla trekking trips, but all required processes have to be planned. Since the planes do not land in Bwindi, one must transfer by car to the resort. All of these schedules call for pre reservations.
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