Budongo forest is located in the northwestern part of Uganda, on the way to Murchison falls National Park which is located on the escarpment in the northeast of Lake Albert.
The forest is commonly known for former abundance of East African Mahogany trees, as well as a habitat for the chimpanzees. Mahognay tree is found 80 meters in height.
The forest is composed of moist, medium, semi deciduous with number of patches of savanna, woodland. The forest covers rolling landscape, sloping down to the East African Rift.
There streams in the forest including Soso, Waisoke, siba and Kamirmbwa, drain the forest which keeps flowing into Lake Albert. The annual rainfall in the area is between 100 and 2200 mm, the rainy season runs through March-May, September-November, and the dry season runs from December –February.
The nearest town to Budongo forest is Masindi, the land around the Budongo forest dwelling and villages, places that continue to pressure on forest margins that lead to exploitation for building materials and bush meat.
Budongo forest has a number of 400 birds’ species, 130 moths, 300 butterflies, 500 trees, 30 mammal species, 9 primates and many more. Chimpanzee tracking is one of the popular activities with eco-tourists for visitors in order to avoid undue disturbance of the animals and forests.
The forest trials ease access for research workers and since then used by eco-tourists, poachers and wild animals.
Chimpanzee’s mothers were shot and infants taken from the forest and smuggled to collectors in Asia. Research team renovated and occupied buildings that had been constructed for the Budongo sawmills.
