Popular Celebrities Who Have Visited Bwindi for Tourism – Bwindi is a national park situated in the southwestern part of Uganda, known for its mountain gorillas, the most endangered primates.
Bwindi became a national park in 1991, and the very first gorilla family to be opened for trekking in 1993 was the Mubare gorilla family in the Buhoma sector of the park.
The park has a variety of wildlife species, including 120 mammal species, tree species, ferns, flowering plants, amphibians, and 310 butterfly species, all of which contribute to a wonderful tourism experience.
Bwindi is a tropical rainforest found on the steep hills of Kisoro, and it receives heavy rainfall throughout the year, about 1700mm to 1900mm.
Bwindi is the major destination for gorilla trekking worldwide, with about 459 mountain gorillas, about half of the population left in the wild worldwide.
Several conservation efforts have been undertaken by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to protect the park’s wildlife.
Popular Celebrities Who Have Visited Bwindi for Tourism
- Akon: Akon, a Senegalese-American singer, visited Bwindi in 2021 to trek mountain gorillas, accompanied by his wife, Arizona Negusei. Akon had a fantastic time with the gorillas in the jungle and was referred to as “the papa of gorillas” when his wife wished to adopt a baby gorilla.
- Simon Curtis, Nicolas Brendon, Kris Wu, Eddie Kaye Thomas: These Hollywood stars visited Uganda to launch the “Friend-a-Gorilla” campaign in 2009. They trekked the Nshongi Family and had an amazing time interacting with the gorillas. The campaign aimed to raise funds for wildlife conservation to protect the endangered mountain gorillas.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit is during the dry season, although Bwindi can be visited all year long. The dry months are June, July, August, and December to February.
These months are ideal because the trails are dry and not slippery, making it easier to move through and engage in various tourist activities.
How to Access Bwindi National Park
- By Air: Traveling by air is the fastest way to reach Bwindi using domestic airlines. Tourists land at Kihihi Airstrip, the closest to the park, and then take a 1-hour drive to the trekking sectors.
- By Road: Tourists travel by road from Entebbe or Kampala for about 8 to 9 hours. This is the best way to enjoy the country’s scenery and impressions along the way.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is open to all kinds of people, both celebrities and common people, and both can have the same trekking experience.