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The rugged terrain makes hiking in search of the gorillas streneous
work. There are two habituated groups, 'Mubare' and 'Katendegyere'.
Only the Mubare group is fully habituated and a maximum of 6
visitors are allowed per day. Tracking begins with a fairly
strenous walk through the forest up steep and slippery slopes,
to where the Gorillas were found on the previous day. Then the
trackers look for any signs - pressed-down grass, broken twigs,
dung - that might tell them the direction the group has taken.
Visitors follow through the dense undergrowth until they reach
where the Gorillas spent the night. Then the search continues,
at times crawling through the thickets, until the gorillas are
found.
Mountain Gorillas cover long distances each day and tours can
last anywhere between three to eight hours. There are very strict
rules to follow when around the gorillas, to prevent behavioral
disturbances and transmission of desease from human beings to
gorillas. Even the common cold could be fatal to a gorilla and
sick participants are not allowed to join.
Even if
you don't go see the gorillas, there is plenty to do in the
Impenetrable Forest. You can join guided walks and choose
between a two-hour stroll to some beautiful waterfalls and
various hikes, lasting up to seven-hour and leading to a number
of peaks. The area around Buhoma is an excellent place for
watching primates and birds and you may catch a glimpse of
the noisy but evasive Chimpanzees or the beatiful Hornbills
and Turacos. The forest is home to 120 species of mammals,
346 species of birds, 202 species of butterflies, and 163
species of trees, making it one of the richest ecosystems
in Africa.
Accommodation
Camping facilities are available within the park at Volcanoes'
Bwindi Camp. Other accommodation facilities include Buhoma
homestead run by African Pearl Safaris and Uganda Wild life
Authority Bandas.
Mantana
Luxury Tented Camp you will enjoy accommodation in fully furnished
Selous tents with verandah, bedroom, dressing room and ensuite
shower. The camp is situated just outside the Bwindi Park
The White
Horse Inn is situated in the terraced hills of Kabale, known
as the "Switzerland of Africa. Many rooms have private
facilities.
Visitors
to this Park can also be accommodated in Kabale at the Victoria
Inn, and the Visitor's Rest Hotel.
Vegetation
This is the richest forest in Uganda, in terms of the number
of plant species, as the area is one of the few large expanses
of forest in East Africa where lowland and montane communities
merge. The valley bottoms contain a dense ground cover of
herbs, vines, and shrubs with only a few trees hence its name,
the 'impenetrable forest." |
