A favourite park for a lot of visitors given the diversity of activities chief among them the boat cruise along the Nile to the bottom of the iconic Murchison Falls.

Murchison Falls National Park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, which winds its way through the park and gives life and prosperity to the diversity of wildlife that is home to Uganda’s largest conservation area – covering an area of 3,893 square kilometres (1,503 sq mi).

Located in northwestern Uganda, Murchison Falls was first gazetted in 1926 as a game reserve and later graduating to Uganda’s first National Park in 1952. The park protects a lot of wildlife and is home to about 76 mammal species and about 451 birds including the mythical shoebill, which can be spotted on a cruise to the delta.

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The park gets its name from its own Murchison Falls waterfall where the mighty river Nile explodes through a narrow gorge to thunder below – creating the world’s most powerful waterfalls.

Down below past the gorge, it becomes placid whose banks are thronged by hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks, elephants, buffalos – all of which can be seen on a 3-hour boat cruise to the bottom of the falls.

Once home to one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in the whole of Africa, Murchison Falls National Park is still recovering from devastating poaching in the 1970s and 80s which wiped out almost all of its wildlife.

Animal populations have recovered and visitors can see plenty of elephants, the endangered Rothschild giraffe, lion, leopard, Uganda Kob, waterbuck, buffalo, chimpanzee and many bird species.

Getting to Murchison Falls National Park

Visitors can get to Murchison Falls National Park from the south by driving from Kampala on the Kampala-Gulu road through Masindi and onto the park. Visitors can also get to Murchison Falls National Park when travelling from Kibale Forest National Park or Kidepo Valley National Park. You can as well fly into Murchison Falls National Park given that Aerolink operates daily afternoon flights into the park. Aerolink lands at two airfields inside the park – Pakuba and Bugungu. Charter flights can also be operated to Murchison Falls National Park.

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Accommodation in Murchison Falls National Park

There are several lodges in Murchison Falls National Park both on the southern and northern banks of the river Nile. On the southern bank, we have Murchison River Lodge, Nile Safari Lodge, Red Chilli Rest Camp. More lodges can be found across the river to the north as well as on the fringes of the park. You have Paara Safari Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Fort Murchison Lodge and others.

Things to do and see in Murchison Falls National Park

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Boat cruise to bottom of Murchison Falls

The boat cruise to the bottom of Murchison falls is not to be missed – nothing beats the 3-hour cruise in terms of experience on the African continent. Why? Because it’s along the Nile to the most powerful falls in the world with views of Nile crocodiles, hippopotamus, elephants, buffaloes, majestic birds and a lot more to die for.

Cruising along the Nile provides a great opportunity to observe the animals as they come down to the river’s edge for a drink. This section of the Nile supports a large concentration of hippos and crocodiles not to mention the dazzling variety of birds chief among them the African Fish Eagle.

The views of the falls as you approach by boat are spectacular. At the top of the falls, the Nile plunges 40 metres across a rift gorge to create the iconic falls.

Game Drives

Murchison Falls National Park is the largest game park in Uganda and a favourite of many. During a typical game drive, visitors can expect to see a large number of antelope species including the Thomson’s Gazelle, the water buck, the bush buck, dik dik etc. Larger grazers such as elephants, giraffes, cape buffalo in large numbers. Large carnivores include lions, leopards and hyenas.

Delta Cruise on the Nile

The delta cruise takes visitors from Paara to the delta where the Nile engorges into Lake Albert. The cruise is a must for keen birders as the birdlife is prolific. A boat trip to the delta leads you through papyrus swaps filled with wildlife and birds. The trip takes about 4-5 hours. The delta is the best place in Uganda to see the rare mythical shoebill.

Top of the Falls Hike

Visitors can access the top of the falls two ways – make the short drive from the southern bank at Paara or get off the launch cruise once it gets to the bottom of the falls. At the top of the falls, you can hear the thunder as well as get bathed in the misty spray that is the result of the Nile falling through the 7-metre cleft on the edge of the rift valley escarpment. Views from the top of the falls are stunning and offer excellent photo opportunities.

Chimpanzee Trekking – Budongo Forest Reserve

Visitors can trek to see chimpanzees in the Budongo and Kaniyo Pabidi forest reserves – a part of the Murchison Falls National Park Conservation Area.

Budongo forest is located on the southern side of Murchison Falls National Park and lends its uniqueness to the fact that it has the most varied forest faunas in the whole of East Africa.

The 790 square kilometre forest reserve is home to over 465 plant species, more than 250 butterfly species, a large variety of mammals, including the largest population of chimpanzees in Uganda – more than 800 individuals.

In terms of birds, Budongo forest is very much sought after given it is home to more than 366 bird species recorded, including 60 West or Central African birds.

Chimpanzee trekking takes place in the Kaniyo Pabidi forest reserve where visitors can make guided chimp walks/treks that depart at 8.00am or 3.00pm.

The success of seeing the chimpanzees is high, although it depends greatly on the fruiting seasons, with a better chance of viewing the chimps between the months of May and August.

The walk itself is not too strenuous but again, the beauty of the forest will compensate for any difficulty not to mention the sounds of the other animals and birds.

Birding the Royal Mile – Budongo Forest Reserve

The Royal Mile in Budongo Forest Reserve lies at the edge of the Albertine Rift and is attached to Murchison Falls National Park in the south. Named for its popularity as a traditional leisure stopover for Uganda’s royals, the royal mile is a superb birding spot with many west and central African species.

It is home to over 250 bird species with the major ones including; African Crowned Eagles, Nahan’s Francolin, White-spotted Flufftail, Sabine’s Spinetail, Cassin’s Spinetail, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Spotted Greenbul, Blue-throated Roller, Fire-Crested Alethe, Rufous-Crowned Elemomela and White-thighed Hornbill to mention but a few.

Rhino Tracking – Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Visitors can access Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary either on their way to or from Murchison Falls National Park.

A visit to the sanctuary where rhinos are being bred with the long-term goal of being re-introduced in both Murchison Falls National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park enables you to track and see them.

There are now more than 20 southern white rhinos roaming the savannah and wetland that is Zziwa rhino sanctuary – a 70 sq-km reserve located 170km northwest of Kampala.

Rhinos were wiped out in the Ugandan wild close to 40 years ago when a poacher shot the last rhino in Murchison Falls National Park in 1983.

Visitors will be led by a guide/armed ranger to where the rhinos are in the sanctuary for an up-close encounter either on foot or in your vehicle.

Other animals living inside the 6 feet tall electric fence include leopard, hippos, crocodiles, bushbucks and oribis. The Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary is also home to 350 species of birds including giant kingfishers, Ross’s turacos and shoebills.

Birds are best seen on early morning trawls on canoes in an adjoining swamp, where you have a very good chance of spotting them.

Fishing

Murchison Falls National Park offers anglers the best backdrop with the thundering roar of one of the most powerful water falls in the world cascading nearby. You fish in one of the most beautiful and picturesque spots in the world.

Species that will likely tag on your lines include Giant Nile Perch that feed in the pools below the churning falls. Others are Cat fish, Tiger fish and a lot more. Nile perch here can weigh up to 80kgs.

In terms of an extension, anglers can make the cruise to the Lake Albert-Nile Delta along the Nile. Anything caught at the Lake Albert-Nile Delta can be returned to your lodge and the chef can prepare the fish for you to enjoy.

Kibale Forest National Park covers an area of 795 square kilometres over varied altitudes. Kibale is highest at the park’s northern tip, which stands 1,590m above sea level. The lowest point is 1,100m on the floor of the Albertine Rift Valley to the south.

351 tree species have been recorded in the park, some rise to over 5 meters and are over 200 years old.

The park’s unique location – on the edge of the wet forests of West Africa and the savannah plains of East Africa means it can support a variety of flora and fauna.

Kibale is also prolific for birds with over 375 species recorded such as the endemic Kibale Forest thrush, great blue turacos and the African grey parrot. Kibale adjoins Queen Elizabeth National Park to the south to create a 180km long corridor for wildlife between Ishasha, the remote southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Sebitoli in the north of Kibale National Park.

The Kibale-Fort Portal area is one of Uganda’s most rewarding destinations to explore. The park lies close to the tranquil Ndali-Kasenda crater area and within half a day’s drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Rwenzori Mountains and Semuliki National Parks, as well as the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve.

Getting to Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale Forest National Park can be easily reached from Kampala either from the north via Mubende and Fort Portal, OR from Mbarara and Kamwenge in the south.

Accommodation in Kibale Forest National Park

Visitors to Kibale Forest National Park can choose from levels of comfort including budget lodge, mid-range lodge and luxury lodge. Some of these lodges include; Primate Lodge Kibale, Kyaninga Lodge, Chimpanzee Forest Guest House, Isunga Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Kibale Forest Camp among others.

Things to do and see in Kibale Forest National Park

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Chimpanzee Trekking & Habituation

Visitors to Kibale Forest National Park can take on one of two major activities – either to track chimpanzees or go on a chimpanzee habituation experience.

A chimpanzee trek provides visitors the chance to observe chimpanzees in their natural habitat – either on the forest floor or high in the canopies of the fig trees that are dominant in Kibale forest. Once encountered, visitors stay in the chimpanzees’ presence for 1 hour.

A chimpanzee habituation experience is similar to the trek but different as visitors locate the chimpanzees and spend 4 hours in their presence as they go about their day. It is a much more active activity as you have got to keep up with the agile chimpanzees especially when they are on the move.

The chimpanzees in Kibale have been tracked since 1993 and the chances of locating them are excellent. Guided walks start at 8.00am and 2.00pm and last an average of three hours other factors remaining constant.

The chimps in Kibale are accustomed to human presence as some of these groups have been observed for over 25 years. The chances of locating them is over 90% – way better than anywhere in East Africa.

A chimpanzee habituation experience enables visitors to accompany researchers, rangers and guides into the forest for an experience that lasts more than 1-hour. The chimpanzee groups involved in the habituation exercise are less accustomed to the presence of humans.

The habituation experience is available on a full or half day basis. Early visitors can watch chimps leave their overnight nests between 6.00am-6.30am before feeding copulating, hunting, breastfeeding, resting, patrolling and displaying until it is time to build new nests around 7pm.

Please note that the habituation experience can be very strenuous as the chimpanzees are highly mobile – moving fast across the forest floor in search for food throughout the forest. Also, chimpanzees are wild animals and as such, sightings cannot be guaranteed. However, viewing success rates are over 70%.

Birding in Kibale

Kibale Forest National Park is a prime birding spot with about 375 bird species, including six Albertine Rift endemics. It is an excellent birding spot with habitats ranging from wet and dry tropical forests to woodland and savannah.

Kibale is prolific for forest robins, scores of brown and scaly-breasted illadopses, brown-chested alethe, green-breasted pitta, phantom-like black-eared and Abyssinian ground-thrushes, crowned eagle, red-chested owlet, African grey parrot, African fin-foot, hulking great blue turaco and a lot more.

Visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

Located just outside the park itself, the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary is a highlight of the area, a community-run reserve that provides a great example of how tourism and local communities can work hand-in-hand to benefit the environment. The sanctuary has over 138 bird species and at least five primate species. We usually recommend a visit in the afternoon for those guests that are active and energetic. A visit to the wetland should not be missed by birders as its prolific for birds.      

Hiking/Nature Walks

Visitors can choose a number of hikes including a nocturnal walk, a forest hike through Kibale Forest itself, a hike via 3 crater lakes referred to as the ‘top of the world hike’ and more.

The 12kilometre hike within Kibale forest (best during the dry season) lasts about half the day and takes visitors through rainforest jungle, swamplands and more. As you hike through different terrain, you see lots of birds, butterflies and lots of other primates beside chimpanzees. Within Kibale forest are also forest elephants, which you might see on the trail.

Visitors can also go on a Nocturnal Forest Walk in Kibale Forest. It is a 2-hour leisurely walk accompanied by Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers who carry powerful spotlights to enable you see the animals and birds of the night. Listening to the sounds of the night you will sport birds of the night such as owls and nightjars. Mammals you will spot on hear include pottos, bush babies and the tree hyrax, with its chilling shriek.

Visitors can also take on the so-called ‘Top of the World Hike’. The 3-hour hike takes you through villages, close to people’s gardens and tea plantations. This hike offers you the opportunity to meet the people, children will wave at you. There are 3 crater lakes along the way that you will see. The hike takes moderate effort and can be attempted by everyone. You marvel at the beauty of the crater lakes and other beautiful scenery including the Rwenzori Mountains on the horizon and the plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park in the distance.

The smallest of Uganda’s national parks (34 sq-km), Mgahinga Gorilla National Park sits high in the clouds, at an altitude of between 2,272m and 4,127m. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is Afromontane tropical rainforest, with a montane forest belt, a bamboo forest zone and an alpine zone.

For a park of its size, it really has got more than enough to offer – from Gorilla tracking/trekking, golden monkey tracking, volcano climbing/hiking, birding the Albertine endemics and meeting the Batwa pygmies.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is part of the Virunga ecosystem and so it protects the Ugandan slopes of the Virunga mountains, a range of free-standing volcanoes that rise to a maximum of 4,507 metres on the border with Rwanda and the DR Congo.

The park’s only habituated gorilla family/group Nyakagezi is makes Mgahinga the alternative destination to Bwindi for mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda.

For visitors, there is more on offer than just gorillas. Other mammals though rarely seen because of the dense forest include elephants, forest buffaloes, bush pigs to mention but a few.

Given the park’s varied habitats, birdlife is prolific with more than 180 species of birds recorded.

In terms of weather and climate, given that Mgahinga is found high in the clouds, it rains all the time and the near constant threat of rain means Mgahinga does not have a dry season as such.

Like Bwindi, precipitation eases between June-August and December and January. However, Gorillas can be tracked all-year-round.

Getting to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Visitors can get to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park either by road (to see more of the country) or by Air as there are two scheduled daily flights into Kisoro town from Entebbe.

By Road – Mgahinga can be reached from Kampala via Mbarara and Kabale towns (10hrs) with an overnight stay in Kisoro town. It is from Kisoro town that most visitors stay overnight and then make the short drive to the park’s HQ.

A daily bus service leaves Kampala for Kisoro via Mbarara and Kabale. A matatu (public minibus), a hired car or boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) can be taken from Kisoro to the park’s gate.

By Air – Travelers can fly from Entebbe or Kampala (Kajjansi airfield) to Kisoro airstrip. From Kisoro, they can then make the road transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park – a 1-hour drive.

Accommodation in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

There are not too many accommodation options inside the small park’s boundaries except for the upmarket Gahinga Lodge. Most of the visitors who come to Mgahinga can stay either in Kisoro or the nearby lodges in the Nkuringo and Rushaga sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Things to do and see in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Gorilla tracking/trekking

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the alternative to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park when it comes to gorilla tracking. The small park has a single habituated gorilla family called Nyakagezi.

There are more than 70 gorillas on the Ugandan side of the Virunga volcanoes and 9 of them make up the Nyakagezi family/group. It is this family that visitors to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park get to track/trek.

Again, to track the Nyakagezi family, visitors have to buy and secure their gorilla permits in advance either by booking directly at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) headquarters or you can talk to one of our safari consultants to help you book your permits. Permits can be paid for up to two years in advance.

Only 8 visitors are allowed to track/trek to see this lone habituated group in Mgahinga. Participants must be aged 15 years and above, and they will be accompanied by UWA guides and rangers while with the gorillas.

Tracking the gorillas can last from a few hours to a whole day, depending on how far the group has moved since it was observed nestling up the previous evening.

Golden Monkey tracking/trekking

As a primate lover, if you have made it to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and have tracked the gorillas, we recommend that you add an extra day to track the Golden Monkeys and literally shoot two birds with one stone. Golden monkey trekking begins at 8.00am. Once the orientation is finished, visitors head into the forest along what is referred to as the Gahinga Trail. When you get into the presence of the Golden Monkeys you will know it – the forest comes alive with Golden monkeys everywhere. You are in their presence for 1 hour. If you wanted to spend longer with them, you can choose the Golden Monkey Habituation experience where you are in their presence for four hours, alongside researchers and trackers. You will enjoy your time with the Golden Monkeys of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Usually 1-hour is over and you come back to the starting point. The endangered Golden Monkey is endemic to the Albertine rift and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park offers a rare chance to track them high in the dense bamboo forests on Gahinga trail.

Birding

Birding in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park offers visitors an opportunity to see a good number of the Albertine rift endemics especially if you take the gorge trail. 180 bird species have been recorded here. Some of the birds you will see include; the Dusky Turtle Dove, Cape Robin-chat, Brown-crowned Tchagra Rwenzori Batis, Shelly’s Dusky Crimsonwing, Olive Pigeon, Western Green Tinker bird, Malachite Sunbird, Bronze Sunbird, Black-headed Waxbill and Streaky Seedeater. Others are Handsome Francolin, Kivu Ground Thrush, Cinnamon Bracken Warlber, White Starred Robin, Cape Robin, Malachite and Scarlet-tufted Sunbirds, Striped-breasted Tit and a lot more.

Volcano climbing/hiking

When you visit this part of Uganda, three volcanoes dominate the horizon in the distance and your eyes cannot miss them. They are the Virunga Mountains/Ranges – Gahinga, Sabyinyo and Muhavura – found in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mount Muhavura is the highest of the three and climbers/hikers can see Sabyinyo and Gahinga from its peak.

Mount Sabyinyo is a gateway to neighbouring Rwanda and the DR Congo while in Uganda. At its peak, visitors are geographically standing in Rwanda, Uganda and the DR Congo at the same time.

All three of these Virunga ranges can be climbed in a day each up to their peaks as long as you are in good physical shape.

Meeting Batwa Pygmies

When Mgahinga Gorilla National Park was set aside for the purpose of being a national park to protect the endangered mountain gorillas, the Batwa people or African pygmies shared the forest with the gorillas as hunter-gatherers. To create the park, they were expelled from the park but some of them still live around the park to participate in the tourism industry as porters or guides. The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has created a community tourism project – a Batwa trail experience for them to participate in Uganda’s tourism offering. The Batwa trail experience takes you through their history and transition over time. The Garama Cave, a very sacred piece of Batwa history is a good place to start.  

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Great Rift Valley. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the best place in Uganda to go on a trek to see the endangered Mountain Gorillas.

The park protects around 500 of the world’s mountain gorilla population and has 19 habituated groups/families. The forest is also a bird-watchers’ paradise with 350 species recorded, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics.

The 331sq-km World Heritage Site that is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of Africa’s most ancient and most biologically diverse rainforests. It harbours ten tree species which don’t occur anywhere else in Uganda.

Beside the endangered mountain gorillas, this biologically diverse nature reserve also provides shelter to a further 120 mammals, including several other primate species such as olive baboons, black and white colobus and chimpanzees, as well as forest elephants and antelopes.

In terms of weather, given that it is a pristine rainforest, rain never lets up in Bwindi or it can pour down anytime without warning. However, the heaviest rains fall from March to May and September to November.

The forest’s mild climate is easily enjoyed in the drier months (June to August and December to February).

Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Visitors can get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park either by road (to see more of the country) or by Air as there are two scheduled daily flights into and out of Bwindi.

By Road – Bwindi can be reached from Queen Elizabeth National Park to the north (2-3 hours), from Kabale to the south (1-2 hours) or from Kampala via Mbarara (8-10 hours).

A daily bus service leaves Kampala for Butogota via Rukungiri and Kihihi. A matatu (public minibus), a hired car or boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) can be taken from Butogota to the park’s gate at Buhoma.

By Air – Travelers can fly from Entebbe or Kampala (Kajjansi airfield) to either Kihihi or Kisoro airstrips – all in the viscinity of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Planes can also be chartered to the grass Kayonza or Savannah airstrips.

Bwindi is well served by three airfields at Kayonza and Kihihi for the northern sector and Nyakabande in Kisoro for those going to track gorillas in the southern sector of Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Things to do and see in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla Tracking/Trekking

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the jewel in Uganda’s nature tourism offering. For visitors who are here to track the mountain gorillas, there are 4 locations of Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. The 4 locations have a total of about 19 gorilla families/groups as of December 2018.

To go and see the gorillas, visitors have to buy and secure their gorilla permits in advance either by booking directly at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) headquarters or you can talk to one of our safari consultants at Uzuri Uganda Safaris to help you book your permits. Permits can be paid for up to two years in advance.

Only 8 visitors are allowed to track/trek to see one of the 19 gorilla families/groups across Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for one hour per day. Participants must be aged 15 years and above, and they will be accompanied by UWA guides and rangers while with the gorillas.

Tracking the gorillas can last from a few hours to a whole day, depending on how far the specific group/family you have been allocated has moved to since it was last seen nestling up the previous evening. During the drier months, gorillas travel far in search for food so treks will last longer.

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Bird-watching

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a birder’s heaven – home to many endemic and rare bird species. This forested heaven boasts about 350 species, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics of which 14 are not recorded anywhere else in Uganda.

The forest trails around Buhoma in the north are alive with opportunity as birders stand the best chance to catch a glimpse of olive long-tailed cuckoo, bar-tailed trogon, dusky tit, Abyssinian (Kivu) ground-thrush, white-bellied robin-chat, equatorial akalat, grey-chested iladopsis, red-throated alethe and a lot more birds.

After birding Buhoma, you can continue onto Ruhija and head to Mubwindi Swamp for very serious birders.

The walk down to the swamp is not for the faint-hearted but its where the most coveted of Bwindi’s Albertine Rift endemics can be found. The rare Grauers’ broadbill, one of Africa’s most sought-after birds can only be found here and a very remote forest in eastern DR Congo.

Other species to look out for in Ruhija include western tinkerbird, white-headed wood-hoopoe, barred long-tailed cuckoo, black-billed turaco, red-chested flufftail, localized Grauers’ swamp warbler and Carruthers’ cisticola.

Nature Walks/Hiking

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a perfect place for Hikers and Nature Enthusiasts. The park is world-famous for the over 500 endangered Mountain Gorillas that call it home.

The forest is dense, lush and enchanting. Beyond visiting to see the Mountain Gorillas, visitors can go on walking safaris/nature walks to see Bwindi from a very different perspective.

Visitors can do this by taking anyone of the many trails, or take one of the two paths that take you from the northern sector of the park to the south. You will find a diversity of Flora and Fauna that is quite different from what you are used to in your part of the World.

The trails you take on a Bwindi walking safari have been used by local people for hundreds of years, others for thousands such as the First People of the Forest – The Batwa Pygmy who left a low ecological footprint behind them.

Visitors can choose any one of the seven trails including; Munyanga trail, Waterfall trail, Muzabijiro loop, Rushura hill trail all in the Buhoma sector. Others are the Ivy river trail which connects the Buhoma sector to Nkuringo sector, Kashasha river trail connecting Nkuringo to Buhoma, Bamboo trail and Mubwindi swamp trails found in the Ruhija sector.

Cultural encounters

Before Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was declared a National Park and World Heritage Site in 1992, the Batwa people shared the forest with the endangered Mountain Gorillas. The indigenous people were the original dwellers of the ancient forest and were known as the ‘keepers of the forest’.

The Batwa lived in harmony with the forest and survived by hunting small game using bows and arrows and gathering plants and fruits for both food and medicinal purposes.

In 1992, their lives changed forever when the forest became a national park and heritage site in order to protect the endangered Mountain Gorillas that reside within its borders.

The Batwa were expelled from the forest and as a result, they became homeless. With the help of the Uganda Wildlife Authority and other well-wishers, the Batwa cultural experience was created to educate the Batwa children about their cultural heritage and to share their culture with the world.

A day spent with the Batwa gives visitors an opportunity to:

• Hike in the forest with the people of the forest.
• See how they lived and hunted in the traditional manner.
• Talk to a medicine man and learn about the medicinal properties of the forest flora.
• Hear ancient legend and traditional songs.

Accommodation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Where you will stay in Bwindi depends

1. on your budget for a gorilla safari and
2. where we have secured your gorilla permits.

As you already know, gorilla trekking can happen in the four sectors that make up Bwindi Impenetrable National Park namely Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo.

Accomodation types or levels of comfort can be booked in all the four sectors ranging from Budget Lodge, Mid-range Lodge to Luxury/High-end Lodge.

They include; Buhoma Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Clouds Lodge, Silverback Lodge, Engagi Bwindi Lodge, Haven Lodge Buhoma, Bakiga Lodge, Buhoma Community Camp, Bwindi Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Nkuringo Bwindi Lodge among others.