Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is home to almost half of the world's remaining mountain gorilla population. Mountain Gorilla Trekking is the biggest tourist attraction for Uganda’s visitors. Mountain gorilla trekking involves hours of hiking through the dense jungle forest since their giant apes tend to move up and down the slopes. Mountain gorilla tracking permits are booked in advance, as only a few permits are issued per day. Click here to view mountain gorilla trekking safaris 

 Gorilla Habituation Experience

The mountain gorilla habituation experience only takes place in Uganda, where travelers can be with a mountain gorilla family for 4 hours alongside the researchers and rangers in Bwindi’s Impenetrable Forest national park. This exceptional experience with a mountain gorilla family being habituated is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter in Africa. Click here to see our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour

 Mountain Bike Rides 

Ride for a Woman is a community project in support of a women's group that offers mountain bike rental services and guided bike tours within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

Visitors can also do a Bwindi Village Walk on a bike with a guide, as well as Birding Bike Rides or riding into Bwindi Forest via the Ivy River Trail. Bwindi Forest's average bike ride takes about 3 hours or longer, with a lot to see along the trails or road along with the well-trained guide and specialized birder.

 The Batwa Forest Experience:

The Batwa pygmies were the original people of the forest a thousand years ago before the Bantu people, the cultivators of the land, came. The Batwa pygmies were bushmeat hunters and fruit gatherers who lived in the forests of southwest Uganda and beyond, within the Great Lakes region. The Batwa pygmies left a small ecological footprint in the forest, where they lived in harmony with nature.

 Bwindi Village Walk: 

 Bwindi village walk takes approximately 3 hours of cultural walking through the village, where different travelers learn about the culture and ways the indigenous people live on the outskirts of Bwindi Forest. The Village Walk is guided by a friendly and knowledgeable person who knows the local culture and customs.

 Travelers get to see how the local people make crafts such as baskets with intricate designs, beer made from bananas, and the local Waragi Gin from bananas, as well as meet a traditional healer and get to know how they gathered in the ancient forest. 

Hiking through the Forest

Hiking through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest can be done in one day, or a longer hike can be done from the northern part of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to the south, called Nkuringo. Travelers can stay overnight and continue the next day by viewing the scenic Lake Mutanda. 

Bird watching

The diverse habitats in Uganda’s most ancient forest, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, are the perfect destination for the diversity of over 350 different bird species recorded, including the 23 endemics of the Albertine Rift Valley.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is situated in south-western Uganda, at the junction of the plain and montane forests. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covers approximately 32,000 ha and is known for its exceptional biodiversity.

Bwindi has more than 160 species of trees and over 100 species of ferns. Many bird species and a variety of butterfly species can also be seen there, as well as many endangered species, such as mountain gorillas.

The best time to go to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in June and August, and then again between December and February. These are the driest months in Uganda, with the best opportunity for sunny skies and clear days, which are perfect for wildlife viewing, although rain showers are expected at any time.