By Joseph Mary Buwule
Tanzanian hosted travel agents and buyers visiting Uganda ahead of the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE 2026) have described their experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as remarkable after spending Day Two of their familiarisation tour tracking mountain gorillas in one of the world’s most celebrated tropical forests.
The delegation, hosted under a tourism promotion initiative coordinated by Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, traversed the thick forests of Bwindi during a memorable gorilla trekking expedition aimed at showcasing Uganda’s unique tourism attractions and strengthening tourism and travel trade partnerships between Uganda and Tanzania.
As the visitors trekked through the dense rainforest terrain, park ranger Cosmas guided them through the rich history and global significance of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, one of Africa’s oldest and most biologically diverse ecosystems.
Cosmas explained that the park spans approximately 321 square kilometres and was officially gazetted in 1991 as a protected conservation area. He noted that Bwindi hosted its first mountain gorilla trekking experience in 1993, opening a new chapter for Uganda’s tourism industry before later being recognised internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
The ranger further informed the delegation that mountain gorillas are among the world’s rarest wildlife species and are only found in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to Cosmas, Bwindi alone hosts 459 mountain gorillas out of the 1,063 recorded globally during the last international census conducted in 2018, making Uganda one of the leading destinations for primate tourism worldwide.
The Tanzanian travel agents and buyers were able to experience firsthand the breathtaking scenery of the forest, the rich biodiversity and the conservation efforts that have made Bwindi a globally respected tourism and environmental conservation site.
Beyond mountain gorilla tracking, the visitors were also introduced to other tourism activities available within the park, including bird watching, guided nature walks, cultural experiences and forest exploration adventures that continue to attract tourists from across the world.
Officials say the familiarisation trip is intended to equip the hosted buyers and travel agents with firsthand knowledge and experience of Uganda’s tourism products so they can effectively market the destination within the East African region and beyond.
Uganda continues to position itself as the “Pearl of Africa” by promoting its unique wildlife, natural beauty, cultural heritage and hospitality as key drivers of tourism growth and regional integration.