Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park sits in the far southwest of Uganda, spread across 321 square kilometres between 1,160 and 2,607 metres above sea level. It is one of the largest surviving stretches of afro-montane forest in East Africa, and its altitude alone supports a tree density unmatched by any comparable forest on the continent. Thick undergrowth tangled through mature tropical canopy gives the park its name, and its reputation.

What draws most travellers here is simple: Bwindi holds more than half of the roughly 1,000 mountain gorillas left in the wild, a species the IUCN still lists as endangered. But the park earns its status well beyond gorillas. Researchers count at least 163 tree species, 350 recorded bird species, 120 mammal species, seven types of diurnal primate, and over 200 species of butterfly inside its boundaries, among the richest biodiversity counts of any forest in Africa.

Bwindi's story as a protected area goes back to 1932, when the Kayonza and Kasatora forest reserves were first set aside in the park's northern and southern sectors. The two reserves merged in 1948 to form the Impenetrable Central Forest Reserve, and in 1961 the area was gazetted specifically to protect its mountain gorillas. Full national park status followed in 1991, giving Uganda the Bwindi we know today.

Bwindi ranks among the best afro-montane birding destinations on the continent, with 350 recorded species, 23 of them endemic to the Albertine Rift and 14 found nowhere else in Uganda. Serious birders come specifically for the African Green Broadbill and Shelley's Crimsonwing, both rare finds even within the park.

Expect encounters with handsome francolin, black and cinnamon-chested bee-eaters, black-billed turaco, regal sunbirds, mountain and yellow-streaked greenbuls, and the white-tailed crested flycatcher, among many others. The Ruhija sector consistently produces the highest species counts, making it the pick for a dedicated birding morning.