Bwindi National Park Weather
Bwindi National Park Weather: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park famously known for mountain gorillas is found in south western Uganda about 8 to 9 hours from the country’s capital Kampala. The park is named after the Impenetrable forest that is home to over 400 mountain gorillas and makes up almost 90% of the park.
The weather in Bwindi Forest National Park is influenced greatly by the park’s hilly/mountainous landscape and the impenetrable forest plus its proxy with the Equator that crosses through the nation.
Bwindi National Park, because it’s topography and its closeness to the equator it boosts a tropical climate that is characterised by 90% chilly weather and 10% sunny weather. The Park’s temperatures go as low as 7 degrees Celsius (7⁰C) to as high as 20 degrees Celsius (20⁰C), though in the rainy season the temperatures can go even lower, making the park really cold. The Park’s temperatures are lowest in the mornings, especially in the wee hours.
Because of the Park’s topography, it also receives quite more rainfall than other parts of the country registering an average of 2390mm of rainfall during the rainy season in March, April, and May – short rains; September, October and November – long rains. Though these are the months where rains are expected in the park, don’t be surprised when you see some little rain in the park in other months like December, January, February, June, July, and August which are the dry months. Because the Park is close to the equator, the chances of rain are normally high.
The high amounts of rainfall Bwindi Impenetrable National Park receives yearly are the reason for the park’s thick evergreen vegetation and this contributes to the suitability of it being a habitat for the endangered mountain gorillas.
The Impenetrable forest is said to have high amounts of evapotranspiration that contribute significantly to the precipitation occurring outside the park; meaning the areas surrounding the Park, experience some good amounts of rain too because of the forest.
For visitors visiting Bwindi National Park, It would be prudent for you to carry warm clothing like sweaters, scarfs, socks, and gloves, etc. because the park normally gets really cold in the nights and the mornings. The good thing is most of the accommodation facilities in and around the park have warmers, so you know you are able to keep warm when in your accommodation.
The coldest months at the park are June and July and the warmest is January, the rest of the months are not necessarily cold or hot, but they are a bit warmer than June and July.
Overall, Bwindi National Park weather is chilly tropical weather that is normally between the heat and the cold, and this is very good weather for the activities that are done in Bwindi National Park that include mountain gorilla trekking, mountain biking, Batwa trail experience, birding, nature walks, and others.
Of all the mentioned activities the majorly done activity in the Park is mountain gorilla trekking that is done all through the year. The weather conditions of the Park affect the trekking experience differently but generally, the experience is still the same.
During the rainy season, the trekking experience is more challenging because the trekking trails on top of being mountainous and slippery are also soggy and soft making your movement up the hilly/mountainous forest more strenuous and challenging. But apart from that the rest of the experience is the same as that of the dry season.
During the dry season, the trekking trails are still mountainous and slippery but much drier and firm, which makes moving up the hilly/mountainous forest slightly easier and less challenging.
However, whether you trek in the dry or wet season of the forest, you will still spend a maximum of one hour with the mountain gorillas, you will still pay 700 USD dollars for the trekking experience, you will spend almost the same time on the climb and the descend; above all, you will still enjoy this bucket list activity all the same.
So don’t hesitate to make a booking for a mountain gorilla trekking experience any time of the year, you would like to trek. Mountain gorilla trekking experiences happen daily in Bwindi National Park; however, trekking permits are booked at least 3 months in advance before the planned trekking experience. Mountain gorilla trekkers should be Physically fit or at least able to take on a 4 + hour climb up the hilly forest, 15 years of age and above and healthy and free from any disease that can be spread to the gorillas.
