One question that I usually hear people ask is why they should visit Bwindi Impenetrable forest in Uganda. As a matter of fact, there are a couple of reasons why this forest was made a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are several things that you can come here to see and do. In this brief, we are going to give you 8 awesome things that you can visit Bwindi Impenetrable forest to see and do.
Before we proceed, there are several facts that I think you should first of all bear in mind. Some of them include: Bwindi forest is the only park in Africa where Chimpanzees and Gorillas coexist peacefully in Africa.
The forest is also home to several other species of primates, elephants, rare birds and many more. The park hosts over 400 gorillas which are carefully conserved. The other thing is that most of the visitors don’t discover more in this forest simply because they only focus on the gorilla treks. Most visitors are likely to miss mountain climbs, hikes, birding, intercultural visits and much more.
This forest is considered as one of the best parks in Africa. In May 2017, CNN named this park as one of the best tourist attractions in Africa. It was also named by the lonely planet as one of the most unusual honeymoon destinations in the world.
This park is safe and secure. As a matter of fact, Bwindi impenetrable forest is one of the safest tourist destinations in the world. There are no cases of insecurity reported even when you are just visiting the forest alone or as a group. What this means is that this is a good place where you can go for hiking, nature walks and camping.
Am usually convinced that there’s so much to see and do in this forest. You have to be active and open-minded if you want to experience more in this forest. Here are some of the things that you can experience and do in this UNESCO world heritage site.
Gorilla Tracking
This is the number one activity that attracts most of the visitors to this park. The fact is that this forest is well known for Gorilla tracking and that is the main reason most of the people travel to Uganda. This forest offers once in a lifetime experience with Gorillas. However, you have to get the best trailhead where you can track different gorilla families.
Hiking and camping inside the Bwindi Impenetrable forest
For those hiking gurus, this is another very involving activity that you can do here at Bwindi Impenetrable forest. This can be one of the best days activities that you can do here. Take a long hike from the north of Bwindi to the South called Nkuringo. Nkuringo is a safe place where you can stay for night. The next day, wake up to another long hike down to Lake Mutanda. At this lake, you paddle across in a wooden dugout. You can now get out of the forest and end your hike in the town of Kisoro.
There are actually other trails that you can hike in. However, the one I have already described above is the most popular hike trail. There are several other places where you can walk through for a nature walk.
Bird watching
This is another activity that most of the visitors always understates. The forest hosts over 350 different species of birds which includes 23 Albertine endemic species. If you want to have a good time watching birds, then you are supposed to walk close to the waterfalls, the lake and even the swampland. A walk in the forest is a good way of paying closer attention to the birds and at the same time looking for other animals.
Forest walks
A walk in the forest is another good thing that you should do while you are visiting this forest. You can just walk on its misty covering for some time while you are looking for any unique things including trees and other small living things.
Watch the Ankole long-Horned Cows
Another great thing to look for while you are getting to the park is the Ankole long-horned cows. On your road trip to the 4th gate of the park, I bet you will not miss these native cows. They are sometimes known as Watusi. They usually carry a pair of cream white horns which makes them unique and good looking.
Interact with the local people
Uganda is one of the countries with the most social people. Don’t miss an opportunity to spend some little time with the locals. You can participate on their dances or even pay a closer attention to some of their activities. You can just walk along while enjoying the scenery and at the same time interacting with the locals.
Spectacular Virunga volcano
This area has some of the most beautiful landscapes which are dominated by volcanoes. Take a Uganda trip with Muhavura at 4127m, Gahinga at 3474m, sabyinyo at 3669m. These parts form some of the best volcanic landscapes in Africa.
Pay a visit to Lake Bunyonyi
You don’t have to end your trip to Uganda without paying a visit to Lake Bunyonyi. It is a Lava dammed stretch of water with several little islands. Most of the people don’t take time to visit and discover this lake which has up to 29 little islands which are dispersed throughout and overlooking the volcanoes. As a matter of fact, Lake Bunyonyi is one of the safest lakes in Africa for lake activities such as swimming and canoeing. Don’t miss a thing in this lake, take your time and if possible, you can involve in any of the activities here.
The above are just some of the best and the most involving activities that you can take in this awesome tourist attraction site. There are several other things to see and do here and for that reason, you shouldn’t visit in a hurry. Take a whole week or more in Uganda you will definitely enjoy the best sceneries and activities in the world.
