FEATURE
Bwindi's Wonders Chasing Waterfalls, Meeting Gorillas By Hollie M’gog Bwindi is made up of four known tourist access sections: Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga. Aerolink flew me, fit-and-ready for my gorilla trekking, direct from Murchison Falls into Kihihi which is closest to Buhoma. Uganda offers the visitor so much but travel days detract from the ability to really explore what is on offer. Aerolink really solves that with its direct and scenic flights to all the four corners of the Pearl of Africa: Kidepo Valley in the North-East, Murchison Falls in the North-West, forests, tea and chimps in the West and mountain gorillas in the southern section of the country, either in the Virunga massif or in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bwindi is a place I have visited again and again. It is a place where nature's wonders seamlessly blend. Bwindi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is celebrated for its extraordinary biodiversity and its crucial role in the conservation of one of the world's most endangered species: the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei). The Buhoma section is a significant hub for gorilla trekking, offering a unique opportunity to encounter these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Somehow or other though, it is visited almost exclusively by trekkers keen to share magic moments with the mountain gorilla; and yet there is so much more: Crystal clear streams and waterfalls to picnic beside, to swim in, butterflies that murmurate in clouds, bird species that would get any novice birder applying for bird clubs, and a culture that permeates the very history of the forest itself.
36 | NDEGE NEWS |DECEMBER 2023 - FEBRUARY 2024
