The Impenetrable Park of the pearl of Africa seemingly rings a bell of the good old days about the fact that it has stood the test of time as far as harboring these magnificent gigantic mountain gorillas is concerned. With a total population of only 1000 species, 50% of them are found in these unpassable forests as the name suggests but yet curiosity giving forests especially since they protect the lives of these endangered apes.
The Impenetrable Park of the pearl of Africa seemingly rings a bell of the good old days about the fact that it has stood the test of time as far as harboring these magnificent gigantic mountain gorillas is concerned. With a total population of only 1000 species, 50% of them are found in these unpassable forests as the name suggests but yet curiosity giving forests especially since they protect the lives of these endangered apes.
1990s were glorious years regarding the rebirth of this park as it came into existence in 1991 and upgraded into a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994. The park has dragged on over 25,000 years and is considered to be Africa’s most ancient habitat hence its real history in the making unquestionably.
A variety of activities can be done in this thick verdant forest of Bwindi with the leading activity being gorilla trekking and other exciting activities seconding its precedence.
Gorilla permits are on high demand since visitors all over the world desire to have safaris and get a glimpse of the endangered gigantic species. Tourists who are always eager and ready to trek through the Impenetrable forests purchase gorilla permits at $700 in advance to search for these apes in their natural home.
Upon sighting the species, they spend an hour trying to view how the gorillas feed and spend their day in their natural habitat from different trail heads namely Ruhija, Rushaga, Buhoma and Nkuringo.
Bwindi offers an extraordinary activity from all the other parks that harbor gorillas and that is gorilla habituation. This experience has been thought of to offer tourists with enough time to spend with semi or non-habituated gorilla family, conducted only in the sector of Rushaga. Advance booking is paramount for any visitor in love with undertaking this life changing experience at a cost of $1500 and it is worth spending both money and time because tourists are permitted four hours of watching and learning exclusively about these animals.
The Batwa indigenous people are always eagerly waiting for visitors to take them back in time of how their good old days were while still in the forest before they were evicted. Definitely east or west home is best and that’s why these individuals chose to stay around the park which is also advantageous to the tourists because the lyrical traditional songs, cultural cooking techniques and a lot more of the Batwa is something exciting that tourists easily add to their itineraries in addition to the gorilla trekking adventure.
With all the vast forest that make up this park, nature walks have to be part of the experience to unleash the rare beauty of the area that hides within its thickness. Colorful butterflies, whistling birds among other species that bring life to the wilderness of Bwindi is worth risking a lot for.
The undulating landscape of Bwindi is sacred to the gorillas but they also save a life for mountain biking enthusiasts as they offer to die for trails that perplex their muscles with excitement. Buhoma offers more exciting trails and any mountain biker should definitely be sure of where to find bikes to hit up on this game changing adventure.
The trails in Buhoma are so welcoming to both cyclists and pedestrians, therefore a walking exploration through the area exposes tourists to variety of community projects including local schools, traditional healers, hospitals among others.
The thick Impenetrable forests of the park have a lot of hidden treasure to offer to tourists but birds are another natural beauty that compose this park. With over 350 bird species and about 23 being endemic to the Albertine region, 14 found strictly in the park, visitors cannot miss out on this jaw dropping medley of nature while in the park with chirping sounds from blue headed sunbird, Rwenzori night jar, green board bill among others.
The shimmering waters of Lake Mutanda add beauty to the nature of this park especially after a sun strike on them. Mutanda lake’s fresh waters provide yet an excellent relaxation opportunity to tourists due to its cool breezes and fresh waters that quench the thirst of a giving up trekker after the challenges gorilla trekking adventure.
With over 20 habituated mountain gorillas in the park. These creatures are the highly visited with many numbers coming from everywhere around the world just to catch sight of them. They offer breath taking experience especially the one-hour gorilla trekking tour and a day long gorilla habituation experience.
Birds are addicted to staying in long thick trees just what the impenetrable forests of Bwindi offers and this is simply the reason for the existence of over 350 bird species found in the park, with variety of them endemic to the Albertine region and a few special ones sighted just in Bwindi only. The singing voices from the sounds of these birds bring joy to both the park and tourists.
Munyanga falls are one of the secret treasures found in the pristine environment of Bwindi. These falls can best be explored along Munyanga trail that lasts for about three hours. Hair-rising moments collected from the fresh breeze around the falls and sights of wildlife is what a trail in search for the falls is composed of.
Alongside the famous mountain gorillas, the park harbors about 120 mammals that are hidden within the thickets of this forest. To-die for mammal residents here include elephants, buffaloes, bush pigs, duikers, clawless otters, giant forest hogs among others.
Perfect skies for taking clear pictures and passable trails are only available during dry season that stretches between June to September and December to February. This is the ideal and perfect time for any safari undertaken within the thick forests of Bwindi.
Depending on the convenience of the visitor, both air and transport can deliver them to the park safely. A road trip to the park takes 9 hours; driving, watching and passing through magnificent towns of the pearl of Africa while an air trip from Entebbe is just one and a half hours to Kihihi airfield for those trekking from Buhoma or Ruhija sectors and to Kisoro airfield for those trekking from Rushaga or Nkuringo sectors.
The pearl of Africa generally offers wondrous activities but its famously known for harboring half of the world’s mountain gorillas in two of its national parks. Tourists shouldn’t miss out on the silver meeting gold opportunity and other breathtaking activities that are undertaken from the undulating landscapes of these parks.