12 – Reasons Why You Should Visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Why Visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda? – Here are the reasons that you should visit
Why Visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda? It is the destination of choice for most Gorilla Trekkers because Gorilla tracking here is affordable and safe. The Forest is home to nearly half of all Mountain Gorillas. It has more gorilla families to track. More Gorilla Tracking Permits are available than in any other country with Mountain Gorillas.
Why visit Impenetrable Forest in Uganda? CNN Travel usually gets it right. In April 2019, it picked Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the ancient UNESCO World Heritage Site, as the most beautiful place. CNN Travel had already named Bwindi Impenetrable Forest one of Africa’s best parks.
Additionally, National Geographic Traveller (UK Edition) put Uganda on its Cool List for 2019 – the Reason – Safe Gorilla Trekking at an affordable price.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a Gorilla Park, different from the others in that it is not part of the Virunga Volcanoes. It is older than the other parks in that it survived the Tectonic Shift that shaped the surrounding area. This Afromontane Forest attracts Gorilla Trekkers and Birders worldwide since it was crowned the best Birding Destination in Africa.
On top of all that, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is the only Mountain Gorilla Park where Chimpanzees live in the same Forest as Mountain Gorillas. They are not tracked here, but you might see them on a Gorilla Trek.
Why Visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest? You might have enough reasons by now, but we have compiled ten more of them below for those that need a bit more convincing.
Here are 12 -Reasons Why you should Visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
1. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Affordable Gorilla Trekking
Uganda’s lower Permit price is the reason that Bwindi Impenetrable Forest has become the Premier Mountain Gorilla Destination. We call “the Great Gorilla Trekker Migration” to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest took place after Rwanda raised its Gorilla Permit Prices to $1,500 and declared itself a Luxury Gorilla Safari Destination.
Common Sense Prevailed with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and they kept the price of permits at the current levels. Affordability without a compromise in the quality of the experience. Add to that the vast array of lodges, safety, and security, and it is no wonder that African Travelers want to visit the Park.
Oddly, Uganda never used the price advantage in promoting Gorilla Tourism in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Thanks to Social Networks, Travel Forums, Lonely Planet, News Articles, and websites such as Kabiza Wilderness Safaris, the word did get out that Gorilla Trekking remains affordable and within reach of most in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Uganda offers safe and affordable Gorilla Tracking without compromising the quality of the experience.
2. Bwindi Forest is Home to more Mountain Gorillas – More Daily Permits.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to over 400 mountain gorillas. In both Mgahinga Gorilla Park and Bwindi, Uganda has over half of the Mountain Gorilla Population that remains in the Wild of Africa. Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla Park have more habituated Gorilla Families to visit than any other country- 19 Groups – Rwanda has ten groups.
There is also one group that you can visit for four hours on the Gorilla Habituation Experience Trek.
More Habituated Gorilla Families mean more Permits for visitors to the Park. There are over 150 permits for each day compared to 80 in Rwanda.
More Gorilla Groups to visit – More Permits Issued – another reason why many flocks to the Park.
3. More Time with Gorillas on a Gorilla Habituation Experience:
The Gorilla Habituation Experience is an all-day trek where you spend 4 hours with a gorilla family and researchers. This activity is only available in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the Rushaga, southern area of the Park.
The Gorilla Habituation differs from a Gorilla Trek in that you are not just an observer, but you are an active participant in the Habituation Process.
It is now a permanent activity offered by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Since its inception, it has become one of Uganda’s most successful new activities. Many Bwindi Forest-going clients choose it over a typical 1-hour gorilla trek. It is 1500 USD for the permit, and no one has ever complained.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience is a significant reason visitors come to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Spend more time, up to 4-Hours with a Gorilla Family on an All-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience.
Plan and book this safari activity early since there are only four permits per day.
4. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – 2019 CNN’s – Most Beautiful Place in the World:
In 2019 CNN Travel named Bwindi Impenetrable Forest the most beautiful place in the World. Something we in tourism already knew.
The rugged, stunning beauty of the ancient Afromontane Forest is breathtaking. Its ridges and steep valleys form a beautiful tapestry Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
CNN Travel only repeats what it has said before when it named Bwindi Forest one of Africa’s Best Park. Others have spoken, such as Lonely Planet, National Geographic, and others.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – magnetic-beautiful beyond Words.
The Park has been given many accolades and awards besides CNN’s Most beautiful place in the World award.
5. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest makes CNN Travel -Best Hiking Trails in the World List
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is known for its Gorilla Treks, where you venture into the Forest for three to six hours searching for the Gentle Giants of the Forest. Most do not know that Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is filled with hiking trails in and through the Forest.
You can hike through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest from Buhoma in the north to Nkuringo in the south of the Park. It is a 5–7-hour hike through the Forest, depending on the chosen trail.
CNN and others such as Lonely Planet National Geographic realize that Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a hiker’s delight.
Many visitors to the Park now understand that you can hike in, through, and around Bwindi Impenetrable Forest since CNN has put it on their list of “Best Hiking Trails in the World.”
As you hit the trail in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, wear the same clothing that you would Gorilla Trekking.
6. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site:
Why Visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda? It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Few African Parks have received that badge of honor, and the reasons are many, including the biological diversity found in this ancient Afromontane Rainforest.
Besides being a UNESCO World Heritage, CNN named the Park one of the Best in Africa in May 2017, and Lonely Planet called it “one of the most unusual Honeymoon Destinations in all of the World.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a natural wonder, giving you another reason to Visit Bwindi Impenetrable in Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Uganda – was voted Africa’s number one birding site (2012) by the African Bird Club and Fodor’s Travel Picks Bwindi Impenetrable Forest as one of Fodor’s 10 Best Travel Destinations – 2013.
Most Visitors to the Rainforest do not realize that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
7. There are Authentic Cultural Encounters with the Batwa People:
Some come to visit Uganda to spend time with the indigenous people in the Batwa People area. You can see the forest through the eyes of its first people, who lived for centuries.
The Batwa has a lot to teach us how to live in harmony with the environment as hunters and gatherers. They had no permanent villages and did not burn down the forest to farm. They coexisted with their environment, including the Mountain Gorillas.
They were evicted in 1991 from their beloved Forest and today are conservation refugees living outside of the Forest. The
Batwa Forest Experience in the south and the Batwa Experience in the Buhoma keep the ways, culture, and traditions alive. You learn how the Batwa lived, and for most, that is a revelation.
8. More Things to Do and See:
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is more than Mountain Gorillas. You can easily spend a week trekking, hiking, birding, and experiencing the local culture with the Batwa People – the first people of the Forest or the Bakiga people who came later to this area on a village Walk.
Mountain Biking in the Buhoma is a favorite activity, as is birding. Hike inside or outside of the Park. You can even hike through the Park and continue down to Lake Mutanda the following day.
The park is home to Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees, other primates, birds, and even forest Elephants is found here. Explore and discover this UNESCO World Heritage site.
Visiting Bwindi Forest means Gorilla Trekking and hiking in and through the Forest, Birding, Cultural Visits with the Batwa People, Mountain Biking, Village Visits.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a place of Discovery in the Pearl of Africa.
9. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest means Safe & Secure Gorilla Trekking:
Bwindi Impenetrable is one of the Safe Gorilla Trekking Parks. The other two are Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla Park in Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is safe and secure for Visitors, including those trekking the Mountain Gorillas. Your Trekking Permits pay for conservation efforts, 20% go to Community projects in the surrounding area of the Park, and keeping the Park area safe and secure for Visitors.
Gorilla Tourism means you invest in the country you are visiting, and Uganda, in turn, keeps you safe and secure because you are an investor in the country.
There are no Guerillas in Uganda, only Gorillas, and the government is doing everything to keep it just that way. Uganda is the only country that has had no guerrilla activities in either Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or in Mgahinga Gorilla Park.
Safe Gorilla Trekking and other activities in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – a significant reason to visit.
10. More Lodging Choices – affordable prices:
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest gives more Lodging Choices from Shoestring to Exclusive Luxury World-Class Lodges. They are spread in, around, and near the Gorilla Trekking Trailheads located in the Park. Not only does Bwindi Impenetrable Forest give you a
variety of lodging choices but also value.
The daily rates of the exclusive lodges are hundreds of dollars less than in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. Bwindi Lodge in the Buhoma area gives you the most value in a luxury lodge is an example of an exclusive lodge within reach of many.
All Lodges that serve Gorilla Trekkers in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest have 24/7 Security for their guests.
You need a tour operator to help you pick the lodge that fits your budget and wishes regarding the level of comfort you desire.
11. Easy Access – Fly in from Entebbe – Drive from Kigali:
The quicker and most convenient way to the Gorilla Sanctuary is to take an AeroLink Flight in a grand Caravan Cessna to Kihi. In 75 minutes, you are in Kihihi or 90 minutes in Kisoro, both within an hour of the forest.
You can even fly in from the Masai Mara using Aerolink Safari Airline. Have Breakfast in the Masai Mara and dinner at a lodge in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
The other way to easily access Bwindi Forest easily is to fly into Kigali, Rwanda, and then drive to the southern Bwindi Forest area such as Rushaga in 4 hours plus and trek gorillas or do the Gorilla Habituation Experience. Flying into Kigali shortens the trip instead of a long drive from Entebbe or Kampala and saves money.
The third way is to include Gorilla Trekking in a longer Safari of eight to ten days in a vehicle with short drive times between parks. A very popular way with many of our clients since most like to combine, wildlife game drives, and chimpanzee trekking. You can begin your Safari in Entebbe, Uganda and end fly out of Kigali, Rwanda eliminating long drive times. Tou can also reverse it and begin the Safari in Kigali, Rwanda and end it in Entebbe, Uganda.
12. Favorable Weather
Gorilla Trekking is not a stroll in the Park; and it often is a four to six-hour hike. The picture of a hot steamy jungle comes up in the mind of many who do not know about Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The only thing that resembles steams is the morning mist over the Forest. The weather conditions are favorable for trekkers.
Daytime temperatures reach about 25 degrees Celsius, and it does not get over 30. At night temperatures will drop down to the teens and below. 10 to 12 degrees Celsius being the average in an area such as South Bwindi. It behooves you to bring a sweater for the evening or early morning.
You are in a rainforest where it commonly rains, and it can occur almost at any time of the day. Most rainfall occurs at night and early in the morning, and the sun comes out on most days.
Current Weather for the Southern Area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
