Attractions in Bwindi national park
Bwindi national park it is UNESCO world heritage site located in south western Uganda in Kisoro district bordering Rwanda and Congo. Bwindi impenetrable national park is atop tourism destination that brings in international and national visitors because of its majestic mountain gorillas, Bwindi national park is known to be having the half of the remaining mountain gorillas in the world which makes it top destination and most visited national park in Uganda.
And these are the attractions in Bwindi national park
Mountain gorillas
Bwindi impenetrable national park has half of the worlds mountain gorillas and these are the most popular attractions to see while on a primate safari tour in Uganda. Mountain gorillas can be seen in different sectors of Bwindi national park and these include Nkuringo, Ruhija, Buhoma, and Rushaga, all these sectors have habituated gorillas, which will give you an opportunity to see them and spend at least one hour with them after finding them.
Birds
Bwindi national park is birders haven with over 350 bird species that have been recorded in the park. so, visitors on primate safari tour can as well combine it with bird watching after trekking for mountain gorillas one can embark on birding watching later, and these are some of the birds can be spotted during bird watching in Bwindi national park, African green broadbill, Rwenzori turaco, Rwenzori Apalis, blue headed-sunbird, Dusky Crimsonwing, Regal sunbird, Egyptian Goose to mention but a few.
Butterflies
Bwindi has over 200 species of butterflies, and tourists on butterfly tour in Uganda might see over 50 species on a good day and some those butterflies that can be spotted include cream Banded swallowtail, the endangered African giant swallowtail, and many that can be seen especially in Rushaga sector, it has more butterflies than any other sector in Bwindi national park so for the tourists interested in watching butterflies should visit Rushaga sector.
The Batwa people or pygmies
The Batwa people are the original in habitats of Bwindi Forest but later they were executed out because it was being gazetted for the mountain gorillas. Visiting Batwa people will give you a chance to see their way of life like hunting and gathering of fruits for food also traditional way of making fire. These are some of the attractions in Bwindi national park.
Best time to visit Bwindi national park
Bwindi national park is open through out the whole year but the best time is during the dry season between the months of June to July and December to February, these are dry months and best time to visit Bwindi national park because the park and roads are dry making it easy to access the park plus the vegetation is short and the apes will clearly be seen which is not the case in the wet season because when the vegetation is tall gorillas hide making it hard to find them during gorilla trekking.
How to get to Bwindi national park
if coming direct from Kampala or Entebbe by road it takes 9 to 1o hours depending on the sector where your going, the journey is long but also adventurous because one can have stop over at the equator, different food markets to get a bite and others.
If coming from queen Elizabeth national park it takes about 4 to 5 hours and it also depends on the sector where you are going
By air. There are two major airstrips that is Kisoro airstrip or Kihihi and its about 2 to 3 hours to reach though after reaching any of those airstrips you will transfer to the park by road.
Accommodation in Bwindi national park
While there are various lodging options in Bwindi national park, picking the right one in the right location is critical because booking a lodge far away from the trekking sector it is a bit tricky and you may miss out things like beliefing which is an important part to know before starting up the trekking. And these are some of the lodges gorilla resorts in Buhoma sector, Ruhija gorilla lodge in Ruhija, gorilla forest camp, Buhoma lodge, this lodge is best for couples on honey moon because there is a honey moon cottage, chameleon hill found in between lake mutanda and Mgahinga, clouds mountain gorilla lodge, engage lodge to mention but a few.
Safety tips for a successful gorilla trek in Bwindi national park
To enjoy a safe and successful gorilla trekking adventure, here are some of the tips to note and be sure of.
Visit the gorillas when you are free from any kind of illness gorillas are like human beings, they catch same diseases especially the air borne disease.
Stay away 7metres from gorillas it is not only for the gorilla’s health but also your safety regardless of being habituated they are still wild so don’t get so close because they can charge and attack you.
During beliefing pay attention to what the park ranger is saying for example like when you are searching for them or trekking some may get irritated and so charge so what to comes to your mind is to run which is not Ouk, just keep calm and stand in one position.
Persons under the age of 15 years are not allowed to get the gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation permits because trekking needs persons who are physically fit and it is believed that under the age of 15, they are not fit for trekking because it involves hiking and passing through thick vegetation while searching for gorillas.
In conclusion tourist attractions in Bwindi national park are one of the major draws of tourists visiting Uganda, how ever the country is diversely and richly blessed with millions of adventure to be discovered in various destinations across the country like the chimpanzee in kibale national park that offers best chimpanzee habituation, and other savannah national parks that offer wildlife viewing like lake Mburo national park, kidepo valley national park, the famous Murchison falls national park and queen Elizabeth national park among others. Get in touch with us at African vacation safaris to have a well arranged and perfectly tailor-made safari to Uganda for the best memorable experience.