Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park


Size: 331 sq km

Location: Southwest of Uganda

The rain forest of Bwindi national park harbors 120 mammal species including 10 primate species including gorillas, chimpanzee, L'Hoest's, red tailed and blue monkey, black and white Colobus, baboon, 310 species of butterfly, 51 reptiles, 200 trees, and 88 moths.

Bwindi has a bird list of 350 species including seven which are IUCN red data listed and 90% of all Albertine rift endemics. An experienced birder can easily identify up to 100 species in a day!

 

How to access Bwindi national park

Bwindi is located in south-western Uganda, about 530km from Kampala. The park can be accessed by road from several directions:-

  • from QENP in the north (2 - 3 hours’ drive),
  •  from Kabale to the south (1-2 hours’ drive),
  • From Kampala via Mbarara (6-8 hours’ drive)
    Bwindi is 160km from Mweya and 64km from Ishasha. This route provides an opportunity to view tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha game reserve.
    All the roads converge at Butogota, 17km to the Buhoma entrance gate.


Kampala - Kabale - Ruhija – Buhoma route

The 95km murram Kabale-Ruhija-Buhoma segment on this route takes 3-4 hours. The Ruhija road section is in poor condition and can only be used by a 4WD vehicle.

Kampala-Kabale-Nkuringo route

Nkuringo is 105km from Kabale following a mountainous murram road. The drive takes 4 hours. Most visitors stay an overnight in Kisoro (80km from Kabale) before driving to Nkuringo. The winding 35km road from Kisoro takes 1-1.5 hours to Nkuringo using a 4WD vehicle.


Air
A chartered plane flies from Entebbe or Kajjansi airfield to airstrip at Kisoro. For visitors to Buhoma a chartered plane to Kayonza airstrip can also fly from Entebbe or Kajjansi.

Tourist activities in Bwindi

  • Mountain gorilla trekking
  • Forest bird watching
  • Nature walks             

When to visit:
Bwindi can be visited any time of the year though it is more challenging during the rainy season. Bwindi sometimes is cold in the morning and at night. The annual average temperature range is 7°C - 20°C with the coldest months of June and July. Bwindi receives rainfall up to 2390mm in a year - concentrated during two wet seasons: short rains in March - May and heavy rains in September - November.

Accommodation in Bwindi:

  • Gorilla Forest Camp (luxury)
  • Kitandara Tented Camp (Mid-range)
  • Buhoma Community Bandas (Budget)