Things to do and see in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda
Things to do and see in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda – The Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park offers you diversity of tourism activities to participate in which are very enjoyable. The forest houses the biggest number of Mountain gorillas in Africa and many people come to Bwindi Impenetrable forest to see these great apes though many of them get mistaken and think that it is the only activity which takes place within the forest. Apart from gorilla tracking, Bwindi also offers you great potential to participate in birding, cultural and interactive visits with the Batwa people, village walks, mountain biking and also near other main tourist attractions including lake Bunyonyi, Lake Mutanda, Virunga volcanoes, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park with many tourism activities and queen Elizabeth National Park.
Gorilla tracking
Gorilla tracking is the most outstanding tourism activity in Bwindi Impenetrable and it has got four (4) major entry points for tracking the endangered mountain gorillas, which include;Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo.The most popular tourism activity within the forest is gorilla tracking and this can be done once or twice within the park.
Mountain Biking
This is becoming a one of the most popular activity with in Bwindi Impenetrable forest and the bikes are well maintained where you can enjoy the ancient forest from the back of a mountain bike which are some times rented for the day with or without a guide and it is a lot more fun. You will be guided with well trained guides in birds, wildlife and plants within Bwindi Impenetrable forest. The mountain biking around and in the Buhoma area is offered by a ride 4 women a self -helped group that guide you on biking through the forest, handle the rentals, repair and keep up the bikes in safe and good running condition
Village Bike ride
In most cases, this is a two hour drive option and basically follows the route that you take when you take the village walk except you are on a mountain bike. You should not get worried as there is not much traffic here, and it is you and inhabitants of Buhoma.
The Batwa people
You can a time with the Batwa people, the original people of the forest, there is the Batwa experience in the Buhoma area and near Nkuringo you can visit the Batwa people and learn about another culture and people of the Batwa community. For many years the Batwa people lived, hunted and gathered in their beloved forest a time before any people lived in Bwindi Impenetrable forest. While here the forest provided everything that they needed. In Bwindi, the Batwa experience is one way of keeping those ancient ways and traditions a love for the Batwa Pygmy people, a way of passing on the traditions and culture that had been such an integral part of who were to their children and grandchildren.
Village walks
Within Bwindi, there are several opportunities for a village walk around Bwindi Impenetrable most especially at Nkuringo being the most prominent areas where during an interactive walk, you will learn the ways and cultures of the people and you will learn how to plant, harvest, traditional healing, cooking, making of the gin and beer, watching a blacksmith at work and much more.
Forest birding
Bwindi Impenetrable forest is one of the prime birding destinations in Africa, having over 347 species of forest birds and all these are recorded in the park with at least 70 out of 78 montane forest species occurring in the Albertine Rift region which are found in the forest and 22 of the 36 species in the region.