Getting to Budongo Forest Reserve : Budongo Central Forest Reserve is located in Mpanga town in the southeast part of Murchison Falls National Park whose distance from Kampala is 236.6 kilometers and it takes approximately 4 hours to reach there via Kampala Masindi.
This has made it easy for the national park to be accessed by all those who would love to have an adventure at the forest perimeters as they get to carry out some of the most excellent safari activities within the forest.
The game reserve is reached through the use of Kichumbanyobo gate, which is located in the southern part of Murchison Falls National Park and the gateway is provided around 30 kilometers from Masindi town.
After you have driven into the gate you drive 8 kilometers through Main Road to the headquarters office which is located near the eco lodge by the Itipini Pari Reserves.
Budongo Central Reserve is crossed by small rivers that empty into Lake Albert, these rivers include waisoke, sonko, Bubwa and Wake these give more reasons as to why one should visit the forest reserve which is also known to be home to the largest number of chimpanzees in the pearl of Africa.
Attractions in Budongo Forest Reserve
Chimpanzees and primates.
Budongo Central Forest Reserve is the largest surviving natural forest in Uganda and East Africa and this destination is known to be home to the largest number of chimpanzees and besides the chimpanzees it is also home to various other primates such as red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and blue monkeys, Olive Baboons, Grey-cheeked Mangabeys, potto and galago. Potto and galago are nocturnal animals spotted in the night.
It is known that the reserve has over 600 chimpanzee individuals which makes the forest to be so interesting as they jump from on branch to another playing and picking up fruits.
Bird species
Over 360 bird species with 60 of them considered west or central bird species are recorded to be within the forest and this implies that the Budongo forest is a notable bird-watching safari destination in the republic of Uganda.
Sightseers at the forest reserve to chance to encounter different birds which include; Cassin’s spine tail, chestnut-capped flycatcher, chocolate-backed kingfisher, crested Guinea fowl, crowned eagle, grey-headed sunbird, African dwarf kingfisher, black-eared ground thrush, blue-breasted kingfisher, brown twin spot, Cassin’s hawk eagle, olive-breasted greenbul, plain greenbul, Puvel’s illadopsis, Sabine’s spine tail, white-spotted fluff tail, white-thighed hornbill, yellow-crested woodpecker, yellow-footed flycatcher.
Tree species
As earlier mentioned that Budongo Central Forest Reserve is the largest forest in Uganda and in East Africa this means that the forest is made up of numerous trees that make it look so elegant and attractive to the travellers
Budongo Central Forest Reserve has over 465 tree species with a famous mahogany tree species and other tree species which include; Cordia, Acanthus arboreus, Maesopsis eminii, Spathodea, companulata, Celtis mildbraedii, Aningeria altissima, Chrysophyllum, Ficus, Alstonia and boonei, Albizia, Sapium ellipticum.
And these act as homes to the numerous wildlife species in the forest plus also being shade and makers of the fresh air that pollutes Budongo forest.
Butterfly species
Budongo Forest is also home to over 290 species of butterflies which can be noticed within the forests perimeters as sightseers get to marvel at the different beauty they provides within the forest.
The butterfly species found in Budongo Forest are incredibly diverse, ranging from colorful swallowtails to intricate hairstreaks and elusive skippers. Butterflies play crucial roles in ecosystem functioning, serving as pollinators and indicators of environmental health.
These are some of the few attractions found in Budongo Forest and for more information about Budongo Central Forest sightseer’s contact out trusted safari companies such as Achieve Global Safaris.
