Biking/cycling tours in Bwindi

Biking/cycling tours in Bwindi: Biking/cycling tours in Bwindi are organized by Ride 4 a Woman organization and the activity is done in and around Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. The biking/cycling tours in Bwindi are done to enable tourists to explore the park on bikes and the money collected is used to support the local communities as well as the women in part of Ride 4 a Woman organization. Biking/cycling tours can be combined with major activities such as gorilla trekking in Bwindi.

Bwindi is positioned in the southwestern part of Uganda and it’s one of the most visited national parks in the country. The national park harbors endangered mountain gorillas in its tropical rainforest that covers about 331 sq. km. Bwindi is home to 10 primate species, 120 mammal species, and 350 bird species living in the four trekking sectors.

Biking/cycling tours in Bwindi are done using a well-constructed trail that is 13km from Buhoma headquarters to Ivy river. The rides are led by a local guide and they last 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the trail used. during the biking/cycling tour in Bwindi, the riders will get an opportunity to encounter different park animals such as red-tailed monkeys, bushbucks, black and white colobus monkeys, and elephants along the way.

Tourists on a biking safari around Bwindi gorilla park can get an opportunity of bumping into a gorilla family that is roaming at the edge of the forest and this can be the main highlight. During the biking, tourists will get an opportunity to meet different local people such as the Batwa pygmies and traditional healers who still use plants as local medicine.

When to have biking/cycling tours in Bwindi

Travelers can have biking/cycling tours in Bwindi all throughout the year but the dry months are said to be best. The dry months occur from June to September and December to February and they are characterized by little or no rainfall that keeps cycling trails dry and easily passable. There are clear views of the animals around the forest boundaries because the vegetation is thin and scattered.

Travelers can still be part of biking/cycling activities in Bwindi during the rainy season of March to May and October to November but these months are characterized by little or no rainfall that makes the cycling trails muddy, slippery, and sometimes impassable affecting the speed of biking.

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park doesn’t only have biking/cycling activities but also the following

Gorilla trekking : This is the major activity done in Bwindi and over 19 mountain gorilla families are open for trekking activities. The mountain gorillas are the biggest attractions in Bwindi and it’s for these apes that the park is known to the outside world. Gorilla trekking is only done if a traveler has a gorilla trekking permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Gorilla trekking begins early in the morning with a briefing where trekkers learn the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity. Each family is trekked by a maximum of 8 people and these are led by armed ranger guides into the jungle until they locate the group members. Searching and finding the mountain gorilla family takes 2-7 hours and during this period, trekkers are able to see different park mammals, primates, and birds.

When a mountain gorillas are spotted, trekkers are given around 1 hour to be around this family, and during that time, they are able to learn about the different habits of mountain gorillas, take photos and watch the apes do daily activities search as hunting, nesting, playing, breastfeeding and coupling among others.

Hiking and nature walks: For travelers who love nature walks to explore the park on foot, Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has different nature walk trails found in different park sectors. These nature walk trails give travelers an opportunity to encounter different park mammals, primates, birds, and plants. The nature walks are in most cases combined with gorilla trekking in the park and it’s the armed ranger guides that lead you through the walking as they protect you from dangerous wild animals.

Cultural encounters in Bwindi: Cultural encounters in Bwindi are in most cases done in the afternoon hours after a successful gorilla trekking activity. The cultural tours take you to communities that are around the park where you meet the Batwa pygmies. A visit to Batwa pygmies normally starts with a short nature walk around the jungle where local guides tell you how they used to survive in the jungle.

Batwa community visit enables travelers to meet the Batwa people in their homes and get to interact with them to see how they live their day-to-day life. You will see them do daily activities and you can even be part of them such as cooking, digging, building and much more. You will be taken to traditional healers who use plants as local medicine and in the end, you will be entertained by traditional dancers.

Birding: Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is named one of the best birding spots in the country with over 350 bird species of which some are endemic to the Albertine region while others are threatened species. Birding can be done in all the sectors of the park although Buhoma and Ruhija are said to be the best regions.

Birding gives tourists an opportunity to encounter birds such as shikra, European honey buzzard, hadada ibis, marabou stork, cassins hawk eagle, black crake, red-eyed dove, African hobby, scaly francolin, olive pigeon, great blue turaco, crowned hornbill, African jacana, speckled pigeon, common cuckoo, narina tragon, black bee-eater, olive woodpecker, mountain wagtail, grey cuckoo shrike, and forest robin among others.