skip to Main Content

This park is endowed with the most interesting ancient species of Mountain Gorillas, Birds & Other Primates

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is situated in the far south-west where Uganda, DRC (Congo) and Rwanda share a point of intersection. The park covers 331sq km a home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas suitable for gorilla tracking in Uganda. The park is a home to elephant, chimpanzee, monkeys and a variety of small antelope, in addition to 23 bird species restricted to the Albertine Rift. The thick forest of Bwindi occupies a number of hills ranging in height between 1000-2000 metres.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is habitat to approximately half of the world’s mountain gorillas. The national park has 90 mammal species, plus 11 primates, of which the black-and-white colobus, with its beautiful flowing white tail, is famous.

The park is an achievement to the current ecotourism conservation that shows every reason of the continent and has as a result been selected as a World Heritage Site. The mountain gorillas have basically become a national emblem thus using them to be the country’s most significant renewable natural resource. For Rwanda, the gorillas have turned out to be a source of great national pride. The pocket of gigantic primeval forest in the Virunga Mountain range is part of the most biologically diverse sections on earth. The forest floor is quite damp and laden with leaf mould, matted vegetation and fallen vines, which serve to trip you up as you move up and down the slippery slopes looking for of a glimpse of the mysterious gorillas.

Sections that formulate Bwindi.

Buhoma

This is referred to as the main Bwindi. It is the busiest tourism site of the park.  Buhoma is placed on the northern boundary of the forest. It is a point for trekking the three different groups of gorillas giving a wide range of accommodation ranging from up market to budget accommodation.

A side from gorilla trekking in Buhoma, there are also forest walks which give you the opportunity to view monkeys and birds.

In Buhoma are also cultural activities by natives and community walks. As you take on the community walks, tourists get the chance of interacting with local people in addition to the taxing village life which is an interesting experience to the visitors. Get the chance to see different sites in Buhoma where you can view the banana brewery, and traditional healers. Activities like traditional dances and music take place in order to develop the community projects.

Chief activities you can participate in.

  • Gorilla trekking
  • Villages walks i.e. Batwa village for the Nkuringo group
  • Guided day walks from Buhoma

Nkuringo

Nkuringo is situated on the southern edge of Bwindi forest. It is approximately 10km from Buhoma to Bwindi. Nkurngo is the second gorilla trekking part of Bwindi. The way from Bwindi to Buhoma is filled up with gorgeous walks and impenetrable forest using up about 4 hour to cover the two sites of Buhoma and Nkuringo. Nkuringo is located on the isolated Ridge of Nteko providing a clear view of northern part of Bwindi forest and Virunga volcanoes in the south.

The main activity of Nkuringo is gorilla trekking. You are required to be fit so that you can trek in the steep valley which is a bout 600m in the boundary of the park near the road.

One more activity in Nkuringo is the community walk. The community walks are carried out by villagers to the traditional healers, blacksmith, brewers and country homestead.

Ruhija

The other section near Nkuringo is Ruhija where visitors have to move through the park head quarters. To arrive there, you are required to have a 4WD car in order to reach safely. As you depart to go into the forest, you have to have your tracking gargets. At this place, visitors get to the rain forest with the help of the ridge-top rout through the deep valleys. In the forest are number of primates, duikers and both forest plus grassland bird species. Birders at Ruhija use up about 3-4 hours hike to visit the swamp of Mubwindi.

Tourists fascinated by viewing the Afromontane vegetation hike passed the bamboo zone with panoramic views towards Mafuga forest and Lake Bunyonyi.

Accessibility (Bwindi- Kampala)

Kampala-Kabale-Nkuringo.

You may take about 4 hours driving on a murram road from Kabale to Nkuringo and covering a distance of 105km. There is another option spending you night in Kisoro which is 80km from Kabale prior to getting to Nkuringo . When you are coming from Kisoro to Nkuringo, you may take about an 1 or 1.5 hours.

In case you are coming from Kampala, you can use the Kampala-Masaka – Kabala- Kanungu road and finally to Buhoma. On this way you will use the tarmac high way up to Kabale using approximately 5-6 hours drive and covering 414km. From Buhoma the route is murram for approximately 120km, its takes 4-5 hours passed Kanungu and Kanyantoro requiring a 4WD vehicle.

Kampala-Ntugamo- Rukingiri- Kihihi-Buhoma

This is the fairest and most accessible way to the park when you are coming from Kampala as compared to other routes. As you drive from Kampala, the road is tarmac up to Rukungiri (390km) and the 82 km from Rukungiri to Buhoma you drive on a murram road.

Traveling from Kasese / Fort-Portal

Those coming from the northern destination like Kasese, Fort Portal or Queen Elizabeth National park may use two ways to Buhoma. In older to have the best and tantalizing view enroute, you need to use Katunguru, Ishasha and Kihihi you may take 3hr to 5 hours. The other route starts from Mbarara road and goes as far as the southern part of Ishasha, where you take a right turn on to the unsurfaced old road to Kabale leads for 33km to Kagamba at the junction with the newly surfaced Ntungamo – Rukungiri road.

Accommodation

Accommodation in Bwindi ranges from up market to budget.

Up market and mid-range Accommodation

Gorilla forest camp

Gorilla resort

Lake Kitandara

Buhoma homestead

Mantana Tented camp

Volcanoes Bwindi camp

Budget Accommodation

Buhoma community Campground

Bwindi view bandas and camp sites

Back To Top