The next region we visited during our FAM tour was Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. This extraordinarily biodiverse area was perhaps the highlight of the entire trip. The six-hour road journey from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bwindi was anything but uneventful. We stopped at several excellent birding sites along the way and, in fact, saw some of the most iconic birds of the entire tour on December 9th—our travel day.
Papyrus Gonolek is one of the most sought-after birds when visiting Uganda, and I certainly gave Herbert a headache about it. Every morning I asked him the same question: “Will we see Papyrus Gonolek today?” We tried our luck at several papyrus swamps during previous days, without visual success (although we did hear them calling on a couple of occasions). Finally, at Orusindura Marsh, luck was on our side. A pair first vocalised, then hopped into view rather briefly, displaying their brilliant colours before melting back into the depths of the papyrus. Wow.
I had unfinished business with Papyrus Gonolek after my 2023 Kenya Rockjumper tour was cut short, when I had to return home due to the October 7th war. So it was both a huge relief and a moment of great excitement to finally set eyes on this stunning bird.
Another special bird we encountered on December 9th was spotted from the main road by our expert guide, Patricia. “Stop!” she shouted to our driver, Shindishi. He slammed the brakes, and we pulled over on a busy main road in the middle of a bustling town, Nyaklgugwe. Arnott’s Chat! Patricia had expertly picked out a male perched on roadside wires, and there was another male there. It was a challenging spot—too much traffic and too many curious onlookers. We stayed for barely nine minutes before moving on (eBird checklist here), but what a bird. Truly beautiful and fascinating. With its patchy and limited distribution in Central Africa, subspecies collaris ('Ruaha Chat') may well deserve full species status.
The main reason for visiting Bwindi, of course, is the Mountain Gorilla experience. I had dreamed of seeing Mountain Gorillas for many years, and finally that moment arrived. Our trek was scheduled for the morning of December 10th. We arrived at the Rushaga Sector headquarters and went through the full ceremony, briefing and formalities before being assigned to track the Kutu gorilla group.
Anticipation built steadily. Eventually, the entire group set off—11 of us in total, including trackers, guides, porters, and security guards. It was quite a procession. We climbed the mountain for over an hour, birding along the way (eBird checklist here) and soaking in the beauty of the forest and scenery (check the habitat photos added to the checklist). I enjoyed the climb immensely—just the right level of effort. When we finally met the trackers who had located the Kutu group, our magical hour with the gorillas began.
I was almost breathless—not from the climb, but from excitement. I could hardly believe I was standing there with them. The gorillas were so close we could smell them; they brushed past us as they moved through the forest. I felt an extraordinary sense of connection—an intimate, deeply moving experience.
When the massive silverback appeared, we all seemed to stop breathing. His sheer power and size, as he walked past me, made me feel suddenly small and fragile.
There were also some wonderfully comical moments. One involved a playful two-year-old clearly having the time of his life.
Another came when the silverback sat down inside a dense bush. One of the guides tried to move a large branch that was blocking our view. The silverback disagreed, calmly pulling the branch back to cover himself again. Perfect.
BTW, you can see in the videos that were lots of flying insects. worry not, they didn't bite, they weren't even that annoying.
Our accommodation in Bwindi was Four Gorillas Lodge, and I cannot praise it highly enough. The rooms, food, and service were excellent, but for birders the real highlight is the setting. The lodge is surrounded by superb habitat, and the management team are keen local birders themselves. There aren’t really “grounds” as such—the lodge is nestled right within the forest. Gorillas are sometimes seen from the balcony. Just outside is a birding trail that we walked several times, including once with a group of young local birders, which was awesome.
Birding along the Four Gorillas trail was outstanding, with many excellent species showing extremely well. This region is especially important for Albertine Rift endemics, and during our short stay we managed to see—and photograph—quite a few of them.
Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher
Red-faced Woodland Warbler
Dusky Crimsonwing
Blue-headed Sunbird – here with a Kikuyu Mountain Greenbul
Regal Sunbird – spectacular
Purple-breasted Sunbird – breeding at the lodge, their nest visible from the balcony
We also observed, but didn’t photograph, Strange Weaver and Rwenzori Batis. Other birds I enjoyed there were Brown-capped Weaver - so cool how they crawl along trunks and branches nuthatch-like.
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