Bwindi impenetrable forest is undoubtedly one of Uganda’s major safari destination attracting travelers from all over the world coming to explore this beautiful land in the south western parts of Uganda. Bwindi shelters more than half of the world’s population of Mountain Gorillas. Some of the top things to do and see in Bwindi include the following;
Gorilla tracking
Bwindi shelters he highest number of mountain Gorillas in the world with over 20 habituated gorilla groups in this area. Visitors are allowed to go into the forest to track these humble creatures and meet them face to face in their natural habitat. Gorilla tracking is absolutely the most captivating safari activity on the African continent attracting travelers from all over the world just to see these forest giants in Bwindi National Park. Gorilla permits are acquired at 600USD (to be increased to 700USD on 1st July, 2020) from Uganda Wild Life Authority (UWA) through a trusted travel agency. You will enjoy watching the Mountain Gorillas feeding, playing and the mothers taking care of the young ones for one full hour and taking memorable pictures.
Gorilla habituation
Gorilla habituation is a much more interesting process that involves training the gorillas to get used to the presence of human beings in their natural habitat. Gorilla are taken through a process of making them feel comfortable with the presence of human beings without changing their natural behavior. UWA researchers take time to study individual behaviors of each gorilla family and this time is also used to name the Gorillas. This great activity is available for the visitors in Bwindi forest National Park where they will be allowed to track the gorillas and take part in training them for four hours. Gorilla habituation permits can be acquired at 1500USD from UWA through a trusted travel agency.
The Batwa Cultural Visit
The batwa (pygmies people), these were for former forest people who lived in Bwindi forest before it was gazzetted as a national reserve and these people were chased out. The batwa forest experience will expose you to the cultural beliefs and way of life of the Batwa people. You will visit the traditional healers and learn about the natural herbs and what kind of diseases they heal. You cannot afford to miss this great cultural encounter of the closest neighbors to Bwindi Forest.
Mountain Bike rides
This great adventure is managed by a group of women (Ride 4 a Woman) through Bwindi forest in the Buhoma sector. You can choose to do village tour on bike or a birding trip on bike with a well-trained guide depending on your interest. You can also choose to simply ride through the forest through the available trails for this activity. The bike ride takes about three hours and there after proceed with other tour activities.
Bird watching
The diverse habitats in Uganda’s most ancient forest imply the perfect territory for a variety of bird species. Bwindi boasts in about 350 recorded different species, with 23 endemics including; African green pigeon, Common, Cinnamon-chested bee-eater. Common. Crowned hornbill, Giant kingfisher, Common, Common and the African harrier hawk among others.
These are some of the basic safari activities you can never miss and our team is ready to help you have your trip well planned to include all this if you so wish.
