Bwindi impenetrable forest
Bwindi Impenetrable forest is a large prehistoric forest found in south western Uganda covering the districts of kisoro , kabale snd kanungu .
The forest is nestled in the kigexi highlands at elevations ranging from 1160m to 2607m above sea level.
The forest covers an area of about 331 sq km and contains about 160 species of trees and over 100 species of ferns .
The name Bwindi comes from a Runyakitara word Mubwindi meaning a place of full darkness .
The forest on the other hand is called impenetrable because of the extensive stands if bamboo snd thick ground cover of ferns snd other plant growth which make it difficult to penetrate through the forest.
The forest is as well historically known as the ancient home of the Batwa pygmy people who are known as the original inhabitants of the forest.
The Batws obtained their food through hunting and fruit gathering thus their survival in the forest .
When Bwindi impenetrable forest was declared s national park in 1991 , the Batws people lost their traditional hine.
The forest was created into a park to protect the endangered mountain gorillas from poschers , diseases and habitat destruction.
Wildlife in Bwindi impenetrable forest
Bwindi impenetrable forest is one of the most biologically diverse areas in Africa and thus was established as a world heritage site by UNESCO .
The wildlife include
Mammals
Bwindi impenetrable Forest contains about 120 mammal species which include 11 species of primates such as mountain gorillas , chimpanzee , blue monkeys , I’ hoest’s monkeys , red tailed monkeys , vervet monkeys and black and white colobus monkeys.
Other mammals are elephants and yellow blacked duikers among others.
Bird species
Bwindi impenetrable forest contains over 350 bird species that nest in the trees and around the rivers in Bwindi . The birds include great blue turacos , Cassins grey fly catcher , white tailed blue fly catcher , brown necked parrot , white bellies robin chat , African green broadbill, Handsome francolin etc
Reptiles
Bwindi impenetrable forest has various reptile species which include snakes , chameleons and lizards .
The forest has about 14 snake species of which 9 are edemic to the forest they include ; Puff adder, Gabon viper , rock python , black mambas, green mambas , Boom slag etc .
Chameleons include ; graceful chamele3 , giant chame , flop necked chameleon etc.
Butterfly species
Bwindi impenetrable forest contains over 220 butterfly species of which 42 are Albertine rift endemics species . The forest has 3 species which are unique and they are cream banded swallowtail, Graphium gudenusi and charaxes foumierae.
Rivers in Bwindi impenetrable forest
Bwindi impenetrable forest is a water catchment area with various rivers that flow within the forest into near by lakes such as lake Edward , Lake Bunyonyi and lake Mutanda.
The rivers include;
River Ivi
River Ivi is located in Bugona sector north of the Bwindi and flows towards the south . The river can be accessed during nature walks and gorilla trekking experience.
River Muyanga
River Muyanga is found in Buhona sector of Bwindi forest . The river has waterfalls that can be accessed through the river Muyanga waterfall trail thus offering a wonderful experience.
River Ntengyere
River Ntengyere has its source in the hills of Bwindi impenetrable forest and the river pours its water in lake Mutanda , Lake Edward and Lake Bunyonyi.
How to access Bwindi impenetrable forest
By Road
Beindi impenetrable forest can be accessed via road transport by use of a car from Ent international airport or Kampala for about 10 hours covering a distance of over 340km
From Rwanda the forest can be accessed via the cyanika border for about 4-5hours.
By Air
Bwindi impenetrable forest can be accessed by air transport from Entebbe international airport or kajjansi air field to kisoro air strip or kihihi air strip and the jour takes about 1 hour.
Best time to visit Bwindi impenetrable forest
The best time to visit Bw impenetrable forest is in the dry season alth the forest can be visited all year round . The best months are June to August and December to February . Thus us because the trials are dry and it is easy to explore the landscapes and wildlife species within the forest..
Tourist activities
Bird watching
Gorilla trekking
Gorilla habituation
Community walks
Nature walks
By and large , Bwindi impenetrable forest is great forest because of its wonderful landscapes and wildlife species thus touring it is a fascinating activity.
