Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Forest

one of the greatest wildlife experiences on the planet

At just 330 square kilometres, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a very modestly sized reserve, an island of forest surrounded on all sides by small-scale agriculture.

Remarkably the area hosts almost half of the world’s wild mountain gorillas, with an estimated 400 individuals in 20 troops, of which 9 are habituated to the presence of humans, which means that they can usually be approached without being scared off.

The forest is one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet and has been designated a World Heritage Site for its biological significance. It contains 163 species of trees, 104 different species of ferns, over 1000 flowering plant species, 120 mammal species (of which ten are primates), 348 bird species and more than 220 butterfly species.

The Bwindi Forest area is the cornerstone of virtually every trip to Uganda.
The usual stay duration in this area is 3-5 nights. Often this is the only stop in Uganda, other than a possible transit night close to the airport at Entebbe.

Around 30-50% of guests undertake a longer exploration of the country, adding chimpanzees in Kibale and savanna safari in Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley, with trips running up to around 10-14 nights total.

Seasonality

Bwindi Forest is best visited during the May-Sep and Dec-Feb dry seasons, when the forest trails should be slightly easier to navigate.

The area is dominated by a tropical rainforest climate, which is characterised by high temperatures year round. It also tends to rain year round, but some months are usually wetter than others.

Getting around

Up to around 2015 getting around Uganda was something of a mission. The only real option was to travel by guided overland safari, which might sound great, but the reality was that most of the hard miles were on relatively uninteresting main roads rather than interesting safari areas. It was both tiresome, time consuming and, for smaller groups, surprisingly expensive.

Fortunately there is now a reliable schedule of light aircraft flights connecting the main safari areas, operating out of the hub airport at Entebbe and visiting Bwindi Forest, QENP, Kibale Forest, Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley.

However we are big fans of overland safari when done in the right areas, so we now maintain a fleet of safari vehicles out in the Western Rift Valley, which enables us to connect by road between Bwindi Forest, QENP and Kibale Forest, as an optional inset to a flying safari.

The Bwindi Forest area can therefore be connected by light aircraft, usually in a clockwise loop, in from Entebbe and out to Kibale Forest. There are multiple airstrips in the area to serve the various lodge locations.

Bwindi Forest is also the usual start point for the overland segment driving north through QENP to Kibale Forest.

We always include all connecting transport in your trip unless you specifically ask us not to.

Where to stay

The majority of the accommodation options are located in the Buhoma area to the northwestern side of the forest, which is home to the main town and the park headquarters. The best lodges in this area include Mahogany Springs, Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge and Buhoma Lodge.

There’s also some decent options in the slightly quieter and more scenic Nkuringo area on the southwest side of the forest. The outstanding lodge option here is the reasonably upmarket Clouds Gorilla Lodge, with Nkuringo Gorilla Camp providing a simpler and slightly lower cost option.

The other two main areas, Ruhija and Rashaga, are both short of decent quality accommodation options, so we more often recommend basing yourself in one of the first two areas and visiting from there.

Arguably the very best way to visit Bwindi Forest is to stay at a lodge in each of the Buhoma and Nkuringo areas, visiting a gorilla family on each side and connecting the two areas by hiking through the forest, usually over 4-8 nights.

easily accessed by air from Entebbe