Budongo forest
Budongo is a natural mahogany forest that is located in Masindi district in Murchison falls national park which is the largest and most visited national park in Uganda. the forest covers an area of 825 square kilometers and harbors wildlife species including 9 primate species which include chimpanzees, grey cheeked Mangabey, blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, 24 mammal species, 280 butterflies, 130 moths, 465 plant species with old mahogany trees which can grow up to 80 meters long, 360 bird species such as black headed paradise flycatcher, forest robin, yellow manted weaver, little green sunbird, chocolate backed kingfisher, dusky long tailed cuckoo, yellow hornbill, African emerald cuckoo, cassins hawk eagle among others
Things to do in Budongo forest
Chimpanzee trekking, this is an interesting and adventurous activity where visitors move into the forest in search of the habituated chimpanzee families. Chimpanzee trekking is the second popular activity in Uganda after gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park. Budongo forest harbors over 600 chimpanzees which make it the one of the best chimpanzee trekking destinations in Uganda after Kibale forest national park which harbors the highest number of chimpanzees. In Budongo forest, chimpanzee trekking is done in two sessions that is the morning session which starts at around 8:00am and the afternoon session which starts at around 2:00pm. Trekking starts early in the morning with a briefing at the information Centre at Budongo eco lodge. After the briefing you will be grouped into 6 people, allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and a guide and then start trekking in the forest.
Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest takes about 2 to 3 hours or even the whole day depending on the location of the chimpanzees because they like to move deep into the forest in search of food during the dry season. Once the chimpanzees have been found you will be able to spend one hour with the chimpanzees in their natural habitat learning about their lifestyle, behaviors, habits, taking photos and recording the moments.
Visitors who want to engage in chimpanzee trekking activity in Budongo forest should first acquire a chimpanzee trekking permit which costs $90 allows you to spend one hour with the gorillas and valid for one day. A chimpanzee trekking permit in Budongo forest should however be acquired 3 months in advance because they are competitive and usually get sold out.
Chimpanzee habituation experience, this is a process where the chimpanzees are trained to get used to human presence and the process takes a period of 2 years to be complete. Budongo forest carries out chimpanzee habituation experience during the low season in the months of March to May and October to November. During chimpanzee habituation experience visitors are given an opportunity to go with a team of researchers, trackers, park guides as they learn about the chimpanzee behaviors, habits, monitor their feeding, movement and also participate in naming of the chimpanzees. Visitors who participate in chimpanzee habituation experience spend 4 hours with the chimpanzees in their natural habitat compared to the one hour during chimpanzee trekking.
Guided nature walks, this is a thrilling activity where visitors get an opportunity to explore the forest while on foot as you enjoy the fresh air, cool breeze as you listen to the sweat sounds of the birds. During the guided nature walk you will follow trails to Kaniyo Pabidi forest where you will be able to view tall mahogany trees that are over 70 years, wild animals which come to lick salt from the trees. you will also follow trails through the savannah plains connecting to Murchison falls national park where you will be able to view animals like elephants, buffaloes, lions, Uganda kobs, bird species among others.
Bird watching, Budongo forest harbors over 360 bird species with some bird species which are not found anywhere in East Africa which makes it one of the best birding areas in Uganda. Birding in the forest is done with an experienced birding guide who will take you to the royal mile which is found within the Busingiro area and extends to a forest college. during birding you can look out for bird species like yellow footed flycatcher, pygmy crake, white spotted flufftail, Cassin’s hawk eagle, crowned eagle, yellow browed carmaroptera, blue throated roller, yellow crested woodpecker, brown twinspot, little green sunbird, grey headed sunbird, chestnut capped flycatcher, dwarf kingfisher, fire crested alethe, red capped robin chat, brown eared woodpecker, ituri batis, black capped apalis among others.
When to visit Budongo forest
Budongo forest can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June to September and December to February. During this period there is less rainfall in the forest therefore access roads to Budongo forest will be passable, trails in the forest for chimpanzee trekking, nature walks and birding will be dry and passable compared to the wet season when the trails are muddy and slippery.
Budongo forest can also be visited in the rainy season during the months of March to May and October to November. Though the forest receives heavy rainfall during the rainy season chimpanzee trekking activity is easy in that there will be plenty of food for chimpanzees therefore they can easily be viewed at the information Centre, chimpanzee trekking permits are less competitive and you can also engage in chimpanzee habituation experience.
Where to stay in Budongo forest
Budongo forest has a number of luxury, midrange and budget accommodations where visitors can stay including Masindi Hotel, New Court View Hotel, Budongo Eco Lodge, Hotel Victory Bijja, Kabalega Resort Hotel among others. The accommodations offer quality amenities and facilities like comfortable rooms with en-suite bathrooms, restaurant, bar, conference halls, free Wi-Fi in public areas, gift shop where you can buy souvenirs, gardens for relaxation among others.
Budongo forest is situated in the southern sector of Murchison falls national park therefore visitors who want to travel to the northern sector will cross River Nile by a ferry which departs on schedules daily. The northern sector of the park harbors the largest concentration of animals therefore you can engage in activities like game drives and boat cruise up stream to the bottom of the falls an downstream to the Victoria Nile Delta where you will enjoy spectacular views of the landscape, bird species and animals like elephants, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, giraffes among others.
