Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
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HISTORY

Bwindi Forest is described as Impenetrable due to its sheer thickness and vast area covered. It is no wonder that in the local language, “Bwindi” means a place of darkness. This is so because of the thick vegetation which indeed makes it Impenetrable. The name “Bwindi” is shrouded with mystery and myths as far back as 100 years ago. At the height of migration from the Kisoro area northwards, it is said that a family, during this migration, found itself stranded at the southern end of an incredibly impenetrable swamp which they could not cross. The parents consulted the swamp spirits on how they could cross. The spirits advised them that it was only if they sacrificed their most beautiful daughter, called Nyinamukari, would the rest of the family cross without danger. After two days of deliberation, the family decided to sacrifice their daughter by throwing her into the water to drown as they could not turn back south. The family crossed safely to the other side but the news of the sacrifice spread far and wide and people began to avoid the swamp, considering it impenetrable. They called it “Mubwindi bwa Nyinamukari” – dark place of Nyinamukari.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is part and parcel of the Bwindi Impenetrable forest which was first gazetted in 1932 by the British colonial government to the status of a Forest Reserve. In 1961, a year before Uganda attained its independence; the forest reserve was elevated to the status of an animal sanctuary. At this point, it was jointly managed by the Departments of Forestry and Game until 1991, when it became a National Park under the administration of the Uganda Wildlife Authority. This is not surprising as Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is regarded to be one of the most biologically diverse forests in Africa. This is largely due to its antiquity as it dates to before the Pleistocene Ice Age. This makes it over 25,000 years old.

Between 1954-1990, 27% of Bwindi forest was cut down and this was the Congo part of the forest. Therefore, during the last 45 years, almost half of the Bwindi forest was lost. In addition, the forest suffered from hunting, timber and mining extraction as well as encroachment on its borders. However, in the early 1970’s, when pressure for resources increased, the move to make Bwindi a National Park began. In 1996, Yoweri Museveni emerged as a veteran and popular president who was so much interested in the conservation of resources. Under his regime, in 1986, the Impenetrable Forest Conservation Project was launched and worked hand in hand with the forest and game departments to control the illegal activities and also plan for the successful management and conservation of the forest. Indeed, in 1991, several of Uganda’s forest reserves were upgraded to National Park status including Bwindi, which was gazetted as a National Park on August 13th. The main purpose of gazeting Bwindi as a National Park was its potential to avail income to the Uganda economy through Mountain Gorilla tourism. Indeed, the habituation of the first two groups of gorillas began in October 1991. The Mubale group of Gorillas was accessible to the visitors for Gorilla tracking in April, 1993. Because of its values, the forest was declared a Natural World Heritage Site in December 1994.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.

LOCATION

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in South Western Uganda. It is found on the edge of the Western Rift Valley. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which hosts the National Park, extends into the Democratic Republic of Congo, next to the Virunga National Park. It is in Kabale, Rukungiri and Kisoro Districts. It is 20km by road north west of Kabale, 20km north of Kisoro and 40 km south east of Lake Edward. The ancient rain forest is close to the Virunga volcano conservation area, which comprises of Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda.

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Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
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Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Safari, Tours and Attractions

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
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