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Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

This 331 sq km of spectacularly dense rainforest is located on the western edge of the great rift valley, in the Kigezi highlands, south west Uganda. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bwindi is home to the largest population of mountain gorillas in the world.

This rich ecosystem of original equatorial forest is home to around 120 special of mammals – 10 of which are primates, 350 species of birds, 200 species of butterflies and moths, 160 types of trees, 100 different ferns, as well as huge varieties of insects, frogs and chameleons.

The forest is an important water catchment area with a dense network of streams fed from an annual rainfall of around 2200mm. Peak rainfall in during March, April and September to November. Instead of short tropical deluges, rain in Bwindi often falls as long hours of soft drizzle.

Although the climate is tropical, temperatures throughout the year are relatively mild, ranging from 7-27 degrees celsius. This is due to the altitude in the park which ranges from 1190 to 2607m, with 60% of the park over 2000m.

In the local Rukiga language, Bwindi actually means ‘impenetrable’. This double warning is apt, for Bwindi is exactly that. Its steep, slippery hills and valleys of tangled vegetation draped over ancient trees and densely-matted forest floor. Although the terrain is far from easy to negotiate, it is well worth the effort. A trek through one of Africa’s most ancient rainforests, in search of the endangered Mountain Gorillas, ranks among the world’s premier wildlife encounters.

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