Known for its incredible mountain gorilla trekking experiences, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP is Uganda’s prime birding hotspot with a check list of over 360 bird species. The 330sqkm Bwindi Impenetrable forest is a UNESCO heritage site rising between 1160m-2607m of altitude along the eastern ridges of the Albertine Rift; an area known for its impressive biodiversity of endemic flora and fauna including the mountain gorillas. For visiting birders, Bwindi Forest provides a rewarding birding experiences where top of highlights include the 24 Albertine Rift Endemics and other good species favoring the high-altitude rainforests.
The ancient rainforest of Bwindi is one of the oldest on the continent to have survived the ice age hence boasting a wide diversity of plant, bird and mammal species unique here. This wide range of biodiversity occur across the park’s range of vegetation types from afro-tropical montane forest ranges, high-altitude swamps, bamboo zones and lowland forest on lower altitudes.
Bwindi’s Excellent Birding Trails and Bird Highlights.
The Bwindi Impenetrable Park is served by 4 visitor’s sectors which are also the trail heads to various mountain gorilla families available for daily treks. The same trailheads are exploited by birders to exploit the rainforest interior for specialists across varied habitat altitude ranges and habitats. Birding at Bwindi in not limited to the forest interior but agricultural lands, forest edges, and wetlands offer a rewarding birding experience for highland specialists and generalists.
Birding at Ruhija sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Located along the eastern boundary of the park, Ruhija lies at about 2304m covering the highest ranges of the entire Bwindi rainforest. Ruhija is also a trail-head of up to four (4) habituated mountain gorilla families available to daily treks. Birding at Ruhija explores various montane ranges and the bird-rich high-altitude swamp of Mubwindi, to which the rainforest park derives its name.
Bird highlights include up 15 Endemics recorded from this local hotspot among them the Grauer’s Broadbill, Dusky Crimsonwing, Grauer’s Swamp Warbler, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Dwarf Honeyguide, Purple-throated Sunbird, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Blue-headed Sunbird, Grauer’s Warbler, Rwenzori Batis, Handsome Francolin, Striped Tit, Rwenzori Batis, Rwenzori Apalis and the Black-faced Apalis. Other good birds include Handsome Francolin that occur along the forest edge but Dusky Tit, White-headed Woodhoopoe, Grey Cuckooshrike, Black-billed Turaco and other forest proper specialists occur
Birding The neck of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
The “Neck” is a narrow stretch of riverine forest along the northern park edges that extends out from the main forest block and offers a great birding experience. The neck is usually birded as a half day following the main road that runs through here, offering great views of the thick forest with its many skulkers. The local forest water pool here is a reliable place for African Black Duck, but Chapins Flycatcher and Mountain Wagtails hunts on the exposed rocks in the fast-flowing river Munyaga.
The luxuriant vegetations on the river edges hides Banded Prinnia, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Chubb’s Cisticola, Xavier’s Greenbul, Dark-capped and Mountain Yellow Warbler and more. The dead trees in the valley are a place to scan for Black Bee-eaters, while Wilcock’s Honey Guide, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Strange Weaver, Red-throated Alethe occur.
Birding the main trail at Buhoma
Buhoma is Bwindi’s parks headquarters, lying on lower altitude than all the park’s sectors. It is a prime birding hotspot exploring the transition zone between the high-altitude restricted species and generalists from lower altitudes. Birding at Buhoma follows the wide main trail that once was a major road crossing the rainforests, exploring first the secondary forest near the park offices.
Here Purple-throated and Petit Cuckooshrike, Grey-winged Robin-Chat, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Great Blue Turaco, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, White-tailed Blue-flycatcher. Getting into the primary forest, Kakamega Greenbul, Barred-longtail Cuckoo, Kivu Ground Thrush, White-tailed Ant-thrush, Brown-chested Alethe, Ayres Hawk Eagle, Equatorial Robin, Bar-tailed Trogon, Montane Oriole, African Broadbill, Fire-crested Alethe and Short-tailed Warbler (Neumann’s Warbler), occur.
Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
By Road: Bwindi Impenetrable NP lies some 485km from Entebbe covered in about 10hr drive allowing in lunch breaks and health stops. As on many typical Ugandan birding trips this distance is impossible to cover in one day, but such itineraries would have several birding hotspots before coming in to Bwindi. Nonetheless travelers aiming for mountain trekking and have short time on their hands can take this long drive.
By Air: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is also served by two small airstrips, Kihihi lies about 25km from the park gate of Buhoma and Kisoro airstrip lies some 30km to the southern sectors of Rushaga and Nkuringo. Domestic chartered flights link these two airstrips near Bwindi to others across various national parks with Entebbe International Airport
From Kigali-Rwanda. Travelers aiming for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and other attractions in Uganda’s along the southwest tourist circuit can as well fly in at Kigali in Rwanda from where the park will be 200-km away or about 5-hr drive. Depending on the sector you are going to, you can exit Rwanda from the borders of Chanika 40-km from either Rushaga or Nkulingo sector offices or if heading to Ruhija or Buhoma exit through Gatuna/Katuna which will be 60-km and 100-km respectively.
Travelers flying-in through Kigali, will require to purchase a single East African Visa that allows multiple entry to the 3 East African countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya.