Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

Philip is the author of the Bradt guidebook to Uganda.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park supports approximately 460 mountain gorillas. Two-thirds of these are members of habituated family groups that can be tracked by visitors. Other Albertine Rift endemics include L’Hoest’s monkey, Rwenzori three-horned chameleon and 23 species of bird. The park is also home to unhabituated chimpanzees and a secretive population of perhaps 100 forest elephants. More regularly encountered forest dwellers are bushbuck and several species of duiker.

GorillaCommon

ChimpanzeeRare

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoNone

LionNone

LeopardNone

CheetahNone

HippoNone

BuffaloNone

ZebraNone

WildebeestNone

ElephantRare

GiraffeNone

Wildlife Highlights

Bwindi is an important conservation hot spot that supports many endangered creatures including mountain gorilla, chimpanzee and forest elephant. Of the 120 mammal species recorded, black-and-white colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey are most frequently seen by casual visitors. A checklist of 350 birds includes many rarities, notably 23 Albertine Rift endemics and 14 species recorded nowhere else in Uganda. Butterflies are also something of a specialty, with an impressive list of 220 species, three of which are unique to the park.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Rainfall is the main factor to consider when deciding the best time for gorilla trekking. Heavy rains result in slippery and challenging hiking trails. It can rain at any time of the year, but there is less rain from June to August and December to February, making those months the best times to go. The park stays open throughout the year.