Hiking Trails in Bwindi Forest National Park
Hiking Trails in Bwindi Forest National Park
Besides taking a hike to see gorillas, many interesting hiking trails in Bwindi Forest National Park offer the best nature walking Safari experience. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site in southwestern Uganda. The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is popular as a home to half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas.
Most travelers visit Bwindi for gorilla trekking adventure but there are many other activities to do. Henceforth, there are lots of wildlife to see when you take a hike into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
The Hiking experience
Some visitors may prefer to stay long and enjoy more than this pristine jungle park can offer beyond the gorilla trekking tour. Therefore nature walk along any of the many hiking trails will lead you to different parts of the park. You will explore the beauty while enjoying the flora and fauna. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to 120 mammals with 10 primates, and 350 bird species. There are also 220 butterfly species, 27 frog species, and beautiful vegetation in the tropical rainforest.
The Best hiking trails in Bwindi impenetrable forest National Park take 4 hours to a full day. Time largely depends on the trail you have taken. These Hiking trails give you a chance to see endemic wildlife living in the park. Hiking through the Bwindi forest usually starts from Buhoma, the village in the northern part of the park. Then, the hikes end in the southern sector at Nkuringo or even through communities up to Lake Mutanda in Kisoro.
What to expect while hiking
Some of these walking trails are strenuous depending on your strength and others are easy to trek. While hiking some of them, you’ll experience some river crossing. There are many rivers in the Bwindi forest including River Ivi, Munyaga river, Kashasha river, Ihihizo, and River Bizenga. All these Rivers support the lives of wild animals living in this park. Thus, you will not miss crossing some of these rivers during your walking safari in the Bwindi forest.
On each Hike into Bwindi, ranger guides escort visitors, and answer all questions they ask. They also interpret nature as well as identify forest birds and monkeys. Visitors interested in Walking safari to Bwindi need to be physically fit. Moreso, everyone has a chance to choose a trail according to strength, interest, and hiking capabilities.
Some of the popular hiking trails in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Buhoma – Nkuringo Trail
This is the most exciting trail in Bwindi that usually starts from Buhoma the northern sector of the park. You walk across Bwindi forest and end in Nkuringo the southern sector of the park. This rewarding hiking adventure trail connects two villages of Buhoma and Nkuringo by this walking safari experience.
Depending on your interest and fitness, you may choose to hike through the forest along the River Ivi trail or the Kashasha River tail. The two hiking trails lead you to the same destination but vary in length and steepness. It takes 3 to 5 hours to walk across Bwindi forest. It depends on which direction one chooses to walk and what you see along the trail. Bird watchers usually take more time while trying to spot some of the Albertine rift endemic birds.
The Ivi River Trail
The Ivi river trail is 14km in distance and lasts about 7 hours to a full day. This trail takes visitors through the park starting at either Buhoma or Nkuringo Park headquarters. Visitors hike up the hills and down crossing Ivy River through an old jungle road. The trail passes an area called Mukempunu meaning a place of pigs where wild pigs are often seen. The trail rewards visitors with breathtaking views of Rift Valley. They also see how local people go about their day-to-day activities. You can see some wildlife like monkeys and bush pigs along the trail. Visitors can hike and complete this trail as a River Ivy walk. Alternatively, they can use it to walk through the forest to connect two villages in Buhoma and Nkuringo
Kashasha River Trail
Kashasha River trail is a moderate trail that takes 4-5 hours starting in the Buhoma sector and ending in the Nkuringo sector or vice versa. The trail goes up to an altitude of 600 m above sea level. This thus means that it not only takes visitors through steep terrain but it’s so rewarding with the magnificent views at the top. The trail goes through community land before joining the park’s buffer zone. Along the trail, visitors pass through a junction connecting two rivers River Kashasha and River Ivi. Hence, many consider it one of the best trails in the park.
Munyaga Waterfall Trail
Munyaga waterfall trail starts at the park office in Buhoma and goes along the Ivi River trail. It is where Visitors get a chance to see monkeys, forest birds, and 3 clear waterfalls of about 33 m high. Along this waterfall trail, you will have the opportunity to spot and see some of the wildlife. This includes monkeys, birds, butterflies, ferns, orchids and more. It’s good for children and visitors with little time to spare in the park. Munyaga waterfall trail takes about 3 hours to walk to and come back.
Habinyanja Trail
This trail takes 4-6 hours and goes through the steep slopes of Riyoyi and Habigorogoro ridges after crossing the Munyaga River. The trail overlooks the Buhoma River. It’s good for birders especially as they slope to the Habinyanja swamp. Some of the birds to look out for are Pel’s Fishing owl, African Black duck, and Black bee-eaters.
Rushura Hill Trail
The Rushura Hill trail takes visitors up through a forest. You enjoy a clear view of Lake Edward, Lake George, and Rwenzori mountains on a good clear day while at the top of the hill. This Rushura hill is the highest point in the Buhoma sector giving great views of the areas around. The trail takes about 3 hours with many scenic points along the way.
Muzabajiro Loop Trail.
Muzabajiro is a loop trail of 6 km that takes you around a hill in about 3-4 hours. This interesting trail offers great views of the Virunga mountains in clear weather. Visitors can encounter primates like black and white colobus monkeys and red-tailed monkeys. Additionally, you can see blue monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys (montane monkeys), and several birds along the trail.
Munyaga River Trail
The Munyaga River trail is the shortest in the Bwindi forest and takes 2 hours to hike. The hike starts either at the park office in Buhoma and comes back by turning at Bizenga where the primary forest begins and vice versa. This wonderful short trail is best recommended to visitors who have little time to spare in Bwindi. We also recommend it for those who are not strong enough to walk long distances. Along the Munyaga River trail, there are chances to spot primates such as monkeys and birds on the forest edge.
Mubwindi Swamp Trail
The Mubwindi Swamp trail is one of the best trails in Bwindi. It takes you to one of the best birding spots in the Bwindi Rhuhija tourism zone. Visitors on a lucky day can spot some forest elephants, chimpanzees, bushbucks, and monkeys. Also, tourists can spot bush pigs and if lucky they can also see gorillas. For bird lovers, this is the best trail to take and see most of the Albertine rift endemic bird species. These include the African Green broadbill and many others.
Bamboo Trail
The bamboo trail takes visitors up a hill up to the highest elevation of Bwindi at 2,607m above sea level which is called Rwamunyonyi Peak. This is the highest point of the park and this bamboo hiking trail takes about 6 hours. This is more likely through thick vegetation of alpine, bamboo, and afro-montane. The trail grants amazing views of Lake Bunyonyi and Virunga Volcanoes. The trail is strenuous and requires physically fit people. This trail is so rewarding with amazing scenery of the forest.
To sum up, these hiking trails in the Bwindi forest can be organized by your trusted tour agency in Uganda. Thus, we can organize it as an activity to do after gorilla trekking or just as an independent tour program. For anyone interested in taking a guided walk in Bwindi forest jungle on a safari to Bwindi forest in Uganda we advise you to express your interest to your trip planner.
