Budongo forest is located on the escarpment in the northeast of Lake Albert, north-west of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, on the way to Murchison Falls National Park. click here to view mountain gorilla trekking safaris 

Budongo Forest can be reached within 3–4 hours from Kampala. Its major sites are Kaniyo ecotourism, Padidi ecotourism, and Busingiro ecotourism, which are located within the boundaries of Murchison Falls National Park and dominated by ironwood and mahogany trees that can grow up to 80 meters above the lowlands.

Budongo Forest is a moist, semi-deciduous tropical rainforest managed by the National Forestry Authority (NFA). The forest got its name from the local Bunyoro word meaning "fertile soil." It was protected by the Bunyoro King and was finally gazetted in 1932. click here to check gorilla trekking safari

The forest is the largest natural forest in Uganda, covering approximately 825 square kilometers, of which 430 square kilometers are full of continuous forest sited on top of the Albertine Rift, part of the rift valley. Budongo also occupies 115 kilometers of a remote chunk of land in isolation. Budongo is gifted with the Waiga River, which provides refreshments to different wildlife species in this forest.

Budongo forest is enriched with biodiversity, including 280 buffer flies, nine primates’ species, 24 small mammal species, and the natural habitat of more than 600 chimpanzees, with each family consisting of about 80 individuals, allowing visitors to encounter amazing apes in their natural environment.

Alongside other primates like olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys, Budongo forest is once home to buffalo, lions, and leopards, among others, once in apes, Budongo forest is home to buffaloes, lions, lions, and buffaloes, Budong.

Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest takes 3 hours, which includes trekking to the chimpanzee community, taking pictures with the chimpanzees, and interacting with the chimpanzees.

Although food is inadequate during dry seasons, chimpanzees tend to move deep into the forest looking for food, making it hard to find them sometimes.

Chimpanzee trekking in the Budongo Forest can be done twice a day, for example, in the morning at 7:00 a.m. and in the afternoon at 15:00 p.m. It depends on one’s choice to choose the one that is most suitable for them.

Budongo forest chimpanzee permits 

Budongo forest chimpanzee permits are being issued to visitors by Uganda wildlife authority offices, with eight people strictly per shift.

So only 16 permits are issued daily, and chimpanzee permits oscillate in price depending on the season; during peak seasons, permits are quite expensive in comparison to low seasons. Devine African safaris can help secure this booking.

NOTE: Chimpanzee habituation permits are slightly higher than chimpanzee tracking permits, and chimpanzee tracking is only done in the low season.

One is only eligible to track chimpanzees in this forest when they are 15 years of age and above 

Bird watching at Budongo forest

Budongo Forest has been in the records for having more than 360 bird species that reward tourists with an amazing birding safari experience, though Budongo is unique because of two bird species that can never be seen anywhere else in East Africa: Puvell’s illadopsis and yellow-footed flycatcher.

Budongo’s best bird-watching destination havens are "the royal mile" at the Busingiro ecotourism site, Kaniyo Padidi, offering excellent forest birding and being very easy to explore. contact us for more information at www.gorillasafariscompany.com