Bwindi Impenetrable

The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a large primeval forest located in south-western Uganda in the Kanungu District. The Bwindi forest is on the edge of the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, at elevations ranging from 1,160 to 2,607 metres (3,806 to 8,553 ft). The forest contains around 160 species of trees and over 100 species of ferns.^[1]

Origin of name

The name Bwindi is derived from the Runyakitara word Mubwindi and means "a place full of darkness".^[2] This name comes from the extensive stands of bamboo interspersed amongst the larger forest hardwoods. The bamboo and thick ground cover of ferns, vines, and other plant growth severely hinder direct access on foot.^[3] Also known as the "Place of Darkness",^[4][5] the forest is on the edge of the western arm of the Great Rift Valley, only a few kilometres from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) border and about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the Virunga Mountains.