Did you know that Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the the only four national parks that in-habit the mountain gorillas? Gazetted as a national stop in mid 1990s, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is an UNESCO World heritage site and gives a place of refuge to a large portion of the rest of the mountain gorillas.
Discover an exceptional wildlife familiarity with visiting the south western Uganda where stand an olden(over 25000 years) outstanding green luxuriant bandage of massive thick tropical rain trees situated across the fault scarps of the western arm of the great east African rift valley nearby to the Albertine region – the Bwindi Impenetrable forest.
The park derives its name due to its impenetrable (thick) nature of dark, knotted flora over concavely and complex ridged mountainous landscape.
This ancient rain forest is one of the few in Africa to have flourished and a home to half of the world’s endangered population of mountain gorillas. Looking into the expressive brown eyes of these giants is surely the most exciting and poignant wildlife encounter Uganda has to offer.
With the need to advance protection of the mountain gorillas, gorilla tourism was introduced in the park. Tourist visits (recreation) are guided by strict controls – trackers in gatherings of eight (8) are permitted to visit a habituated gorilla group in the forest. Currently there are only 15 habituated gorilla grouos in Bwindi Forest.
Historical Background
The Impenetrable Forest Reserve was gazetted in 1942, upgraded to the BwindI Impenetrable National Park in 1992 and recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1994.in the local Rukiga language, Bwindi actually means ‘Impenetrable.’ This double warning is apt, for Bwindi is all but impenetrable; 327km2 of tangled vegetation draped over a deeply fissured landscape of steep, slippery valleys and high, draughty ridges.
Terrain
But if the terrain is far from easy to negotiate, it is well worth the effort. A trek through this, one of Africa’s most ancient rainforests, in search of the endangered Mountain Gorillas, ranks among the world’s premier wildlife encounters.
Weather
Bwindi can be cold especially in the morning and at night, the annual average temperature range is 70C-200C with the coldest period being June and July. Warm clothing is required plus wet weather gear since Bwindi receives up to 2390mm of rain/year. This is concentrated during two wet seasons, short rains in March-May and heavy rains in September-November. Instead of short tropical deluges, rain in Bwind often falls as long hours of soft drizzle.
Where is Bwindi
Located in southwestern Uganda, Bwindi Forest is a magnificent verdant swathe across the steep ridges of the Albertine Rift Valley. Bwindi Impenetrable national park has three parts: the northern part or Buhoma in Kanungu district, the southern part or Rubuguri in Kisoro district and the eastern part or Ruhija in Kabale district.
Location
Bwindi National Park is situated in the far Southwestern part of Uganda. It is largely comprised of a tropical rainforest and lowland forest. Its boundaries stretch covering the districts of Kanungu District, and Kabale.
Altitude of Bwindi
The park is set an altitude of 1160 to 2607m, and the highest peak lies in Ruhija sector on the Eastern section.
Biodiversity in Bwindi
The forest is noted to be a habitat of 90 – 120 mammals including several primates, reptiles, butterflies and birds among others.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Uganda’s best location to see the mountain gorillas.
Primate species that can commonly be spotted include mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, black and white colobus, blue colobus monkeys , grey –cheeked mangabey, L,Hoest’s monkeys, baboons amongst others.
Though amongst primates, the white tailed black and white colobus out numbers others, the celebrity primate is the mountain gorillas where by the forest is recorded to inhabit more than half of the world’s totals.
Over 459 mountain gorillas survive within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park together with diversity of other species. In total, the park holds 120 species of mammals, 220 butterfly species, 350 species of birds, 27 species of frogs, and others. The park shelters other mammals such as blue monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, baboons, red-tailed monkeys, chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, etc. ‘
Birds
Birds –over 350 species of birds exist in Bwindi and they include significant population of Albertine rift endemic species. The key birds of Bwindi include Cassin’s grey flycatchers, African green broadbills, black billed turacos, handsome francolins, great blue turacos, African black ducks, African green pigeon, crowned hornbills, cinnamon chested bee-eaters, giant kingfishers, African harrier hawks, mountain oriole, bush shrike, tambourine dove, black billed wood doves, and others.
Also this thick jungle is ranked to be the number one birding spot harboring over 350 different bird species of which 23 species are the highly localized Albertine Rift endemics for example the commonly referred to as ground hornbill.