What are the most popular tours in Bwindi?
What are the most popular tours in Bwindi?: Because there are so many mountain gorilla groups available for tracking, gorilla trekking in Uganda standards apart. The gorilla habituation experience which allows visitors to spend 4 hours with mountain gorillas is only available in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park
What are the most popular tours in Bwindi?
Due to the proximity of the Bwindi impenetrable forest national park to Kigali the capital of Rwanda, gorilla trips in Uganda are well-liked. Another common misconception is that gorilla treks that are simpler than those in other national parks (Mgahinga national park, Virunga national park, and volcanoes national park).
Visitors to Bwindi gorilla park get the opportunity to partake in a variety of safari activities like gorilla trekking, bird watching, and Batwa tours among others. The national park is situated in the southwestern part of the country and travelers can do different tours we are to explain below at any time of the year.
Popular tours in Bwindi
Encounter Gorillas in Bwindi Gorilla Park
Gorilla tours
Bwindi is the number one gorilla trekking destination not only in Uganda but the whole world. A lot of travelers visit Uganda purposely to see endangered mountain gorillas that are said to be closest relatives to human beings. There are four sectors of Bwindi where different mountain gorilla families have been habituated and these are Nkuringo, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Buhoma.
Over 19 mountain gorilla families are available for gorilla trekking activities while 2 are available for gorilla habituation activities in Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors. There are gorilla trekking tours and gorilla habituation tours in this park. Gorilla trekking tours are done by those that want to spend 1 hour around mountain gorilla families while gorilla habituation tours are done by those that want to spend 4 hours with mountain gorillas.
Gorilla tours to Bwindi enable travelers to encounter endangered mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation activities in Bwindi begin with learning about the dos and don’ts of the activity. Armed ranger guides lead the trekkers till they meet the mountain gorillas. The moment these apes are located, trekkers are given 1 hour or 4 hours to be around these apes and this helps them know about their habits, watch them do daily activities, and take activities.
Birding tours
Birding tours are other popular tours in Bwindi done in all sectors of the park although Buhoma and Ruhija are said to be the best. These regions have well-constructed birding trails where birders connect to the best birding spots. Birding trails in Bwindi include Buhoma Waterfall Trail, Ivy trail, Bamboo Zone, and Mubwindi Swamp Trail in Ruhiija. To have a successful birding tour in Bwindi just move with your notebook, voice recorder, camera, a pair of binoculars, and long-sleeved clothes.
On a birding tour in Bwindi, you will encounter birds such as black kite, brown snake eagle, hammer kop, southern pochard, purple heron, crowned hornbill, African hobby, great blue turaco, olive long-tailed cuckoo, Rwenzori night jar, horus swift, grey crowned crane, grey throated barbet, narina tragon, African pitta, mosque swallow, western nector, mountain green bul, olive thrush, cape wagtail, African jacana, Kivu ground thrush, wood warbler, white-browed warbler, and common stone chat among others.
Other bird species to watch out for in Bwindi include wood warbler, grey winged robin chat, icterine warbler, green crombec, African shrike flycatcher, tit hylia, brown illadopsis, winding cisticola, tawny flanked prinia, yellow-white eye, collared apalis, African flycatcher, olive sunbird, sooty boubou, grey-headed sparrow, pied cow, black bishop, yellow bishop, zebra waxbill, and bronze sunbird among others.
See the Batwa ( pigmies) the Original natives of Bwindi forest
Batwa tours
Other popular tours in Bwindi include Batwa tours, these are not part of the activities done inside the park but are however done around the park boundaries where Batwa pygmies live now. The Batwa pygmies are the initial dwellers of the Bwindi forest but they were evicted by the government while gazetting the national park. When they left the jungle, they decided to settle around the boundaries.
Batwa tours are led by the local people and these start by taking you around the jungle where they tell about their life in the forest. they will show you how arrows and bows were used to kill small animals for meat, the fruits they ate, and how they collected honey. The tour will further take you to their communities where you will meet different people do daily activities, you will interact with the elders, you will visit traditional dancers and in the end, you will get entertained by traditional dancers.
Best time to tour Bwindi
Tours in Bwindi can be done at any time of the year however there are certain months better than the rest. The dry months from June to September and December to February are the best to have tours in Bwindi and this is because there is little or no rainfall which keeps the trekking trails dry, the vegetation is short and thin with clear views of the mountain gorillas while the roads connecting to the park are passable
Travelers especially budget travelers can visit Bwindi gorilla park in the rainy season of March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. During the rainy season, the lodges reduce prices to attract the few travelers that are always in the park. Travelers should however note that during the rainy seasons, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the park animals and the roads connecting to the park are impassable
Accommodation on tour in Bwindi
Travelers intending to have tours in Bwindi should worry about where they will stay because each of the regions has got plenty of accommodation that ranges from budget to mid-range to luxury options. Where to stay on a tour in Bwindi depends on your travel budget and travelers should try booking early to get the best lodges and rooms.
Accommodation in Buhoma sector
Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Bwindi Forest Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Engagi Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Buhoma Rest Camp, Haven Lodge, Bwindi View Bandas, Ride 4 Women Guest House, Silverback Lodge, and Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge.
Accommodation in Rushaga sector
Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Nsongi Camp, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Resort, and Wagtail Eco Safari Lodge.
Stay in a single room at Gorilla Heights Lodge in Nkuringo sector
Accommodation in Nkuringo sector
Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Mutanda Eco Community Centre, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Crested Crane Bwindi Hotel, and Virunga Campsite
Accommodation in Ruhija sector
Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Broadbill Forest Camp, Agandi Lodge, Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Bakiga Lodge, Cuckoo Land Tented Lodge, Gorilla Mist Camp, Gift of Nature Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Ecomarvels Gorilla Lodge, and Trekkers Tavern.
Accessing Bwindi gorilla park
Bwindi can be accessed in a day using air transport from Kampala or Kajjansi or road transport from Kampala or Kigali. The national park in southwestern Uganda can be accessed by road transport from Kampala/Entebbe in 9-10 hours by going through Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, and Kisoro. Travelers from Kigali can access the gorilla park by crossing to Uganda using Cyanika border in Kisoro or Katuna border in Kabale.
Travelers that don’t like traveling for long distances or those that love luxury traveling can fly to Bwindi gorilla park and flights take 1 hour and 45 minutes. Flights to Bwindi gorilla park are done by Bar Aviation Uganda, Aerolink Uganda, or fly Uganda and they start from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airstrip for those visiting Nkuringo, Ruhija, Rushaga, and those visiting Buhoma region use Kihihi airstrip.
