Top-rated Hiking & Walking Trails in Bwindi Forest, Best for Adventure

Discover all the top rated hiking and walking trails in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park best for adventures. The trails to explore on guided walking or hiking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park include the Munyanga River trail, Kashasha River trail, Ivy River trail, Muzubijiro Loop, Waterfall, Mubwindi Swamp, Habinyanja and more.

Hiking and walking trails in Bwindi offer complete immersion into the true African jungles. Think of any lush and bio-diverse natural forest protected area to explore on foot and think not beyond a guided walk through the different hiking trails in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park boasts classic hiking trails, each with unusual attractions for tourists to explore. Hiking trails in Bwindi are best explored on guided walking safari.

An experienced park ranger guide is availed to lead you on your hiking adventure on any of the trails you wish to explore. The hiking and walking trails in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park get visitors to numerous playful primates, birds, and diverse floral species.

The guided hiking and walking trails in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are distributed across the park’s four (4) main regions or sectors that is Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo, and Ruhija.

Visit Bwindi, embark on a guided walk, and enjoy the unmatched tranquility of the impenetrable forest while you keep an eye on the playful monkeys and several Albertine rift endemic birds.

List of Hiking & Walking Trails in Bwindi National Park

Early in 2019, Bwindi National Park featured among the top 23 places with the best hiking trails. Here is a complete list of hiking trails in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The Ivy River trail

The Ivy River trail is known to be the most scenic hiking trail in Bwindi. Walking through this 7-km long trail allows you to encounter some of the finest primates, birds, colorful butterflies, and duikers.

A walk through the Ivy River trail takes about 6.5 hours. A trek through the Ivy River trail begins from Buhoma to Nkuringo or starts from Nkuringo and then ends in Buhoma.

Mubwindi Swamp hiking trail

The Mubwindi hiking trail is excellent for birders. With an experienced park ranger guide, a walk through Mubwindi allows you to enjoy the sights of diverse bird species. This trail is based in the Ruhija area, and expect to sight birds such as the Shelley’s crimsonwing, blue-headed sunbird, African green broadbill, short-tailed warblers, and more.

Bamboo Hiking & Walking Trails in Bwindi

Bamboo hiking trails can take about 7 hours for hikers to have a complete trek. This trail takes visitors via the steep side of Bwindi to the scenic Rwamunyonyi hill (2607m). It leads visitors via the lush vegetation cover.

The Habinyanja trail (Railegh)

The Habinyanja hiking trail is a 4-6 hour walking trail and takes hikers via the scenic Munyanga River. There is a fairly steep slope at Habigorogo and Riyoyi Ridge overviewing the Buhooma River.

These and more insights await you on a guided walking expedition via the Habinyanja trail. This hiking trail is also most famous for its great sights of bird species, especially the black bee-eaters, African back ducks, Pel’s fishing owls, etc.

Kashasha walking trail

Kashasha River trail is a 3-4 hour walking trail and visitors explore it starting from Nkuringo to Buhoma or from Buhoma to Nkuringo (4-5 hours). This trail is known for its enriching primate encounters, butterfly sightings, birds, and reptiles.

Muzubijiro Loop

Muzubijiro Loop trail takes you on the breathtaking views of the scenic Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The beauty of hiking through this trail is that you can catch great views of the Virunga Volcanoes and the Western Rift Valley.

The most essential part not to be missed on a guided walk through Muzubijiro loop is the lush canopy forest in the vicinity of Ruhubira Hill. Here, expect to enjoy the refreshing air amidst the lush vegetation.

Rushura Hill Hiking & Walking Trails in Bwindi

The Rushura walking trail falls in the two states; Uganda and Congo. It is found in the highest peak in the Buhoma region close to Buhoma offices.

On a guided walk through the Rushura hill trail, hikers get a chance to enjoy the views of the terraced gardens and lush rainforest. Besides, it is possible to enjoy the breathtaking views of the Western Rift Valley, Lake Edward, and Rwenzori Mountain ranges.

Waterfall Hiking & Walking Trails in Bwindi

Created in 1970, the Waterfall is one of the best hiking trails in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This trail allows you to connect up to the Rushaga community in Kisoro. It is a 5-hour walk trail through the scenic trail. It is one of the best-guided trails to explore in the Buhoma region in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Through the waterfall trail, there is a chance to explore orchids, waterfalls, birds, and primate species.

What else is Bwindi most popular for?

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to over 10 (ten) primate species. The popular primates to explore in Bwindi Impenetrable Park include over 459 mountain gorillas, l’hoest monkeys, olive baboons, blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, and galagos.

Other animals that live in Bwindi include bush squirrels, golden cats, warthogs, black-fronted duikers, and more.

Birds; over 350 species of birds exist in Bwindi. These make it an essential birding destination in Uganda. Birds in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park include forest and Albertine rift endemic species.

They include the red-chested cuckoos, Elliot’s woodpeckers, blue malkoha, yellow-billed barbet, red-chested cuckoo, cinnamon-chested bee-eater;

In addition, speckled mouse bird, malachite kingfishers, Cassin’s honeyguide, yellow-spotted barbets, white-headed wood heap, tambourine dove, bronze-napped pigeon, bar-tailed trogons, MacKinnon’s shrikes, African goshawk, lesser striped swallows, and many others.

Gorilla trekking

Besides hiking adventures, Bwindi National Park is most popular for its rewarding mountain gorilla encounters. Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi involves exploring some of the habituated gorilla groups.

A total of about 23 habituated gorilla groups are distributed across Bwindi National Park and exist in the 4 regions; Ruhija, Buhoma, Rushaga, and Nkuringo.

Gorilla families to visit on gorilla safaris in Bwindi include Rushegura, Mubare, Mukiza group, Christmas, Katwe, Bitukura, Oruzogo, Nkuringo, Bweza, Kahungye, Mishaya, Nshongi, kyaguriro and more.

To engage in Bwindi gorilla trekking, you should have a valid gorilla permit. Each of the Bwindi gorilla permits costs USD 800 per person. A gorilla permit plus a gorilla tour should be booked in advance at least 2-3 months before the actual date of visiting mountain gorillas in the wild.

The best time to visit Bwindi

The dry season is the best season of the year for tourists to explore Bwindi on a gorilla trek or hiking tour. This occurs twice –during the long dry months; June, July, August to September then around the short dry months; December, January to February.

But there is the possibility to travel and explore Bwindi even during the peak wet or off seasons. This is from March, April, May, and October to November.

Accommodation to stay on Hiking & Walking Trails in Bwindi Tour

Available accommodation options in Bwindi range from budget to midrange to February. Top lodges in and around Bwindi National Park include Mahogany Springs Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Heights, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Agandi Lodge, Bakiga Lodge, Broadbill Forest Camp, Gorilla Leisure Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge and others.

Getting to Bwindi (from Kampala/Entebbe or Kigali)

Bwindi National Park can be reached either by road or air. By road, you can drive from Entebbe/Kampala via Masaka-Mbarara-Kabale which is approximately 8-9 hours, or Kigali via Katuna/Chanika border about 4-5 hours’ drive.

By air, you can have less than 2 hours on a fly-in gorilla tour to Bwindi. You set off from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Kihihi/Kisoro Airfield.