Protecting the core of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, one of the oldest remaining forest areas anywhere in Africa, this national park lies in the southwest corner of Uganda. With habitats dating back an incredible 25,000 years without interruption, Bwindi’s tangle of old-growth forest is also one of the world’s most diverse nature zones, besting the better-known Congo Rainforest. Its species list tops 1,000 plants, birds, mammals, insects, and amphibians.
Sitting on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley, its mountainous terrain has altitudes ranging between 3,800 and 8,550 feet, an elevation loved by Bwindi’s most famous inhabitants, it’s highly endangered mountain gorillas. Containing over half the world’s total mountain gorilla population, with around 500 individual animals split between several habituated family groups, Bwindi has rightly been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Named partly after the density of its foliage, visitors to Bwindi today will find it well worth pushing through the lush greenery to spend a magical hour with one of our closest living relatives. Along the way, there’s plenty of opportunity for the expert ranger guides to point out other much-loved species, including chimpanzee, as well as colobus, red-tailed, and L’Hoest’s monkey.
Visitors will also likely encounter signs of shy forest elephant, alongside the color and song of at least some of the 350 species of bird which flutter amid the forest’s canopy, including 14 endemic species found nowhere else.
Although Bwindi Impenetrable Forest has a reputation for hardship, its modern lodgings provide the perfect blend of connection to nature and luxury. Predominately located in the north of the forest, most sit close to the park’s headquarters building. This makes them ideally suited for undertaking gorilla treks, thereby helping ensure the survival of these majestic animals into the far future.
Top Uganda Travel Destinations
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park / Kampala / Kibale National Park / Lake Mburo National Park / Murchison Falls National Park / Queen Elizabeth National Park
The Big Five
African Elephant / Cape Buffalo / Leopard / Lion / Rhino
