Bwindi impenetrable forest is home for more than half of the world’s surviving mountain Gorillas. There are 17 habituated gorilla families available for tracking. This makes it best place in the world to have the closest view with the world’s most endangered ape. There are several ways to enjoy your primate watching safari in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and they include the following.
Gorilla tracking
it is the dream of every traveler to have an eye to eye contact with the world’s most endangered ape-the Mountain Gorilla. Bwindi Forest National Park over half of the world’s surviving gorillas. There are about 480 mountain gorillas in Uganda and are all found in Bwindi forest, 17 gorilla families have been habituated and are available for tracking. Enjoy your Uganda gorilla trek and get to meet the rare great apes in their natural habitat.
Gorilla Habituation Experience
Spend 4 hours in the jungle with a mountain Gorilla family and learn about how these human-like creatures are taught how to get familiar with the presence of human beings. It is only in Uganda that you can have a chance to have Gorilla Habituation Experience along with researchers in Bwindi’s Impenetrable Forest. Unlike Gorilla Tracking where the permit costs at US$800, Gorilla Habituation Experience permits are more at 1500USD per permit and the difference is caused by the time you spend with a particular Gorilla group.
Gorilla tracking and Gorilla habituation involve a lot of walking on rough, mountainous terrain, as a tracker you will need to carry some items to help you on your tracking safari;
- Shoes with good traction, suitable for steep muddy slopes
- Carry binoculars
- Carry a good camera that can take photographs of black animals in dim light without a flash.
- Rain gear, sunscreen and a hat, as the in this area weather is unpredictable.
- Water and food, carry enough to help you avoid starving while in the jungle.
Birding in Bwindi forest
With over 350 species recorded, Bird watching in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is such a great experience you never want to miss. The bird species include, 23 Albertine endemic species around the waterfall trail and in the Mubwindi swamp land in the Ruhija sector. A walk in this rain forest, with its misty covering (in the morning), you could catch a glimpse of a northern double collared sunbird, or the globally threatened species, the Shelly’s crimson wing, Chapin’s flycatcher and African green broadbill – one of the most sought after species in this part of the country. Uganda’s national bird – the grey crowned crane is a common bird here too.
Nature walk
The perfect way to experience the beauty of this impenetrable forest is the forest walk waterfall trails. Hiking the trails has become a common activity to travelers to Uganda and to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. There are five forest walks in the Bwindi National Park to leave you with the unforgettable experience. This involves a moderate climb through the forest and fern trees which bring you to a series of three waterfalls which lie 2km on the left side of the forest path that crosses the Munyanga River. This trail is spectacular for bird watchers, and many monkeys, baboons, warthogs and duikers can also be seen on this hike. This Rainforest is a perfect place for hikers, birders, and Nature Fanatics.
Visit the Batwa Community
The Batwa People were the first inhabitants of the forest, they were hunter-gatherers and lived in the forests of Southwestern Uganda. Enjoy a great time with these neighboring communities and learn more about their kind of life. They left a small ecological footprint on the forest and lived in harmony with nature. Conservationists insisted that they were evicted from their traditional home-the Forest. In those days they had no voice, no representation – the existed as squatters, beggars, accused of being drunkards, marijuana smoking, lazy people but that has changed.
Mountain bike cycling
Mountain biking follows a well-maintained trail from the park headquarters at Buhoma to the Ivi River. Along this 13km trail you may see wildlife such as bushbucks, black-and-white colobus and red-tailed monkeys. This activity takes about six to seven hours departing in the morning, organized by Buhoma Community Rest Camp under the “Ride for a Woman” community development initiative. Get pleasure with bicycle rides within the forest and within the local community enjoying the exciting scenery of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Riding the bikes is a way of giving support to the neighboring communities by those who participate.
Conclusion
Several other activities are involved to make your gorilla tracking safari a memorable one and therefore be ready to take part and have a full package of what a real African tour is with activities like nature walks and mountain hiking in the Bwindi forest.
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