Walking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are a great way to explore the park in-depth and on foot! Walking safaris have in the recent past become an increasingly integral part of any traveler on a safari to Africa. Walking safaris in Africa are a great way to explore the national parks in the land, the great savannah Plaines where travellers get to see wildlife on foot and a great way to relax too. Walking safaris can be combined with other tourist activities like game drives, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, launch cruises, and a lot more. These walking safaris are regulated and made available by the Uganda Wildlife Authority who have well developed trails in most national parks and other protected areas that travelers can visit and enjoy exploring.
Walking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can be incorporated with the sole purpose that travelers influx the park, gorilla trekking. Travelers interested in walking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can also have other activities included in their itinerary, say mountain biking, Batwa cultural trail, community visits among so many others.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a great rainforest that hosts a number of wildlife, plant life, birds and so much more. Wildlife like forest elephants, bush pigs among others and primates that include the great endangered apes – mountain gorillas, unhabituated chimpanzees that can be heard from a far, black and white colobus monkeys, among others. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park also harbors a variety of bird species with a number of them endemic to the park, travellers with interest in birds could best carry binoculars that could aid their spotting the birds much faster and easily. The plant life in the park dates back to so many centauries for it is one of the very few that survived the Ice Age period. Visiting Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a park that is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for an adventure should be on every travellers’ to-do list. With all that the park has to offer, walking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are just the right and perfect way to delve into the park to not only explore its hidden little spots but to also learn of its history and also sight a number of wildlife and bird species plus butterflies and other park inhabitants.
Walking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can be done in all the four gorilla sectors of the park which include Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. Each gorilla sector has well developed trail heads that travellers can use to embark on a walking safari. The most popular trail among so many travellers on walking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the Buhoma community walk which gives travellers not only an opportunity to explore the park and sight some really beautiful places in the park like waterfalls but also has travellers experiencing the locals and their way of life as they go about their daily activities like digging, cooking, making waragi ( local brew) among so many other activities that travellers can take part it if they wish to and also taste on whatever it is they have made like waragi and food. travellers that would like an extra adventure and challenge but be rewarded with spectacular views and sights would best choose the Nkuringo walking safari, which is also a perfect trail for birders who when very keen can see about 100 birds a day. Other notable trail heads in the park include the Rushura hill trail and the River Ivy trail.
For travellers that are interested to have walking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and have only great experiences with them, they are advised to carry along important items like strong walking shoes/ boots with a great grip, waterproof jacket, sunscreen, sun hat, waterproof bag to safe-keep your important items, and also energy giving snacks. At the start of the walk, make sure to have a walking stick with you which can be given in your lodge of residence or at the starting point of the walk.
Walking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can take anything between 30 minutes to up to a full day, depending on one’s chosen trail. Travellers with time on their disposal can have half day or full day waking safaris in Bwindi. Short walking safaris are best for travellers that have little tittle time to spare.
Walking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and just about anywhere in the region are best done in the dry season, when the trails are less slippery and not muddy to make passage nearly impossible. During the dry season as well, the park is more accessible as there isn’t much over-grown vegetation. During the wet season, the roads and paths in the park are really slippery and muddy and the vegetation cover very thick given the rains facilitate plant growth. Travellers should however note that Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a rainforest and so rains fall just about any time. Travellers are then advised to carry warm clothing and also rain gear for when it rains. The dry season runs in the months of June-September and December-February, which also double as the peak season months when travellers travel most.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can be accessed by both road and air. By road it is an 8-10 hours’ road drive from Entebbe or Kampala to the park which is located in the south-western part of the country. By air, travellers can catch charter flights that depart from Entebbe or kajjansi to Kihihi airstrip or Kisoro airstrip and then be transferred to the park on a road drive that can take about 1hour or more depending on the gorilla sector you are going to. Alternatively, travellers can fly into Kigali International Airport in Rwanda and then be transferred to Bwindi through Cyanika or Katuna border points in a road drive that takes about 4 hours only.
Get in touch with a trusted tour operator to help you organize the best walking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and also have other activities incorporated into your itinerary and be guaranteed of great experience in Bwindi.
