Mammals in Bwindi
Mammals in Bwindi: Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is one of the popular national parks in Uganda situated in the southwestern part of the country. The national park is located in the Albertine region near the border of Uganda and DR Congo. Bwindi is known as a mountain gorilla destination with the highest number of mountain gorillas left in the world. The national park has about 700 mountain gorillas living in four sectors of the park which are Nkuringo, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Buhoma.
Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is not just a mountain gorilla area but it’s home to about 120 mammal species which are even more than those of Queen Elizabeth national park. Over 120 mammal species are said to be living in the jungles of Bwindi unfortunately there are no game drives carried out in this park to encounter these amazing species of mammals.
Mammals of Bwindi are seen during different park activities such as gorilla trekking, birding as well as hiking and nature walks. During these activities, animals are seen moving around the jungle looking for what to eat or resting.
During the safari activities carried out in the park, tourists will be able to see mammals such as duikers, warthogs, golden cats, elephants, bushpigs, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, buffaloes, yellow-backed duiker, black-fronted duiker, side-stripped jackal, clawless otter, rodents, civets, and numerous bats among others.
Apart from mammals, other wild animals in Bwindi include primates, reptiles, amphibians, and snakes. There are over 10 primates in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and these include mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, grey checked mangabey, red colobus monkeys, potto, blue monkeys, red and tailed monkeys, l’hoest’s monkeys, De Brazza monkeys, demidoff’s galago and olive baboons among others.
Among the above primates, only mountain gorillas have been habituated and trained to be used to human presence around them. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and gorilla habituation are the main activities done in this park and tourists are able to be around mountain gorillas for 1 hour or 4 hours. During the trekking activities, it’s when tourists are able to see park animals are seen moving around the jungle looking for food or resting.
Best time to see mammals in Bwindi
Bwindi impenetrable forest national park can be visited at any time of the year however there are months that are better than the rest, especially the dry months. The dry months is the best time to see mammals in Bwindi because the vegetation is short and thin with good views of the animals. The trails are dry and passable since there is little or no rainfall and the roads leading to the park are passable.
Travelers intending to visit Bwindi for game viewing can still do so in the rainy seasons of March to May and October to November and this favors the budget travelers because the accommodation is on a discount. Travelers should note that during the rainy seasons, there is too much rainfall that makes the trails in the park muddy and slippery, the roads connecting to the park are impassable and the vegetation is always tall with unclear views of the park animals.
Where to stay on a visit to Bwindi
Travelers to should never be worried about where to stay on a visit to Bwindi because the park has various accommodation facilities that fit everyone’s budget in the sector which they are visiting. There are lots of accommodation facilities that are enough for travelers in Bwindi ranging from budget to mid-range to luxury options and these include Engagi Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, and Bakiga Lodge among others.
