Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in southwestern Uganda. The park is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and is situated along the Democratic Republic of Congo border, next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge of the Albertine Rift. Its 331 sqkm of jungle forests, and both montane and lowland forest, are accessible only on foot. The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site.

The forest is one of the richest ecosystems in Africa and the diversity of species is a feature of the park. It provides habitat for some 120 species of mammals, 348 species of birds, 220 species of butterflies, 27 species of frogs, chameleons, geckos and many endangered species. Floristically, Bwindi is amongst the most diverse forests in East Africa, with more than 1,000 flowering plant species including 163 species of trees and 104 species of ferns.

The park is a sanctuary for colobus monkeys, chimpanzees and many birds (such as hornbills and turacos), but it is most known for its Mountain Gorillas, which amount to almost half of the world’s population of this critically endangered primate.