Budongo Forest and its hidden beauty
Budongo Forest is located in Masindi district, Uganda, and is part of the Murchison Falls National Park. It is a big forest made up of mostly trees, savanna, and river line swamps, covering approximately 435 sq km. The forest is home to many animals such as chimpanzees, duikers, and forest pigs. Bird watchers will love it in Budongo, as it is one of the best places for bird watching in East Africa. The forest is the second most important forest in Uganda for species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome. There are three eco-systems designed to protect the chimpanzees and endemic species residing in the reserve, and it’s the best place for chimpanzee tracking in the country. The forest is of medium altitude and is surrounded by sugar cane plantations and other cropland areas. The rivers Sonso, Waisoke, Wake, and Bubwa drain their waters into Lake Albert, and it is about 100 km from forests by the riverbank.
There are lots of things to do in Budongo Forest such as:
Chimpanzee Trekking:
At Kaniyo Pabidi Reserve, the main activity is visiting the chimpanzees. You can visit them in the morning or afternoon, for up to 5 hours. Once you find them, you can look at them for 1 hour before heading out. The morning session starts at 8am and the afternoon session starts at 2pm. Experienced guides will take you. You might also see other animals like monkeys or baboons, and old mahogany trees. The cost is USD 95 in the high season and USD 85 in the low season per permit.
Birding
The Budongo Forest is a great place for bird watchers since it has over 360 types of birds, including the rare Puvel’s illadopses that you can only see there. You can join a guided tour to follow the trails and see many different kinds of birds. You can go on a half-day or full-day Birdwatching safari and an expert birder will guide you through the best spots like the famous ‘Royal Mile’ where you can see birds like Paradise Flycatcher, Sabine’s spiny tail, and Kingfishers. You can also spot other birds like White spotted fluff Tail, Ituri Batis, Pulvus Illadopsis, Brown twin Spot, Cameroon Somber, Cassins hawk Eagle, Crowned Eagle, Yellow crested Woodpecker, Forest Robin, Little green Sunbird, and Grey headed Sunbird. Click here for more on Bird watching safaris in Uganda.