Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Bwindi impenetrable forest is one of the top destination visited while on a Uganda safari. The park thrills with the largest number of the remaining endangered mountain gorillas equivalent to more than 50% of the entire population which makes the best place to go for gorilla trekking safari at any given period of time.
Bwindi impenetrable forest is situated in far south western part of Uganda the pearl of Africa in Kanungu district thus can be accessed both by road and by air depending on the choice of the traveler.
Bwindi impenetrable forest covers a land area of approximately 321 square kilometers and was gazette in in the year 1991 to protect its rich biodiversity of both fauna and flora species under the management of the Uganda Wildlife Authority the board that governs all the protected areas in Uganda.
Bwindi impenetrable national park is not only a park but was as well established as UNESCO world heritage site in the year 1994 when the first gorilla family Mubare was opened up for trekking but as of now, Bwindi impenetrable forest thrills with over 21 habituated gorilla families making it the topmost park to visit for gorilla trekking not only in Uganda but in Africa.
Bwindi impenetrable forest harbors lots of wildlife including endangered mountain gorillas which are the major habitats of the park, mammals, birds, butterflies, moths, and several tree species.
Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable national park,
Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable forest by road requires tourists to land at Entebbe international airport which is the only international airport in Uganda and then embark on a road drive to the park which takes about 8-9 hours. The journey is long yes but with lots of stunning attractions that make it appear short. Travelers from Kampala to Bwindi enjoy stopovers at the Equator and as well enjoy beautiful views of the flat farms with Ankole long horns cattle before being welcomed by the rolling hills as you approach the park. The entire journey from Kampala to the park headquarters of Bwindi impenetrable forest in Buhoma sector covers about 460 kilometers.
Getting to Bwindi impenetrable forest by road can as well be from the heart of Queen Elizabeth national park in Mweya and it is approximately 160 kilometers taking about 2-3 hours’ drive to get to Bwindi. However, Bwindi impenetrable forest can also be accessed from Ishasha sector which rewards travelers with an encounter the rare tree climbing lions.
However, the choice of the roads used to get to Bwindi impenetrable forest depends on sector one wishes to trek in.
For instance, people who wish to trek in Buhoma sector which is the main trail head in Bwindi impenetrable national park can use the direct road from Kampala to Buhoma via Mbarara – Ntungamo –Rukungiri – Kihihi – Butogota and finally to Buhoma sector of the park.
For those intending to trek gorillas in the southern part of Bwindi impenetrable forest in Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors can take on a drive from Kampala – Mbarara – Ntungamo – Kabale then connect southwards for more 1-2 hours’ drive to Butogota. These sectors are as well used by tourists who wish to access Bwindi from Kigali Rwanda.
For tourist heading to Ruhija sector can as well use a Kampala- Kisoro road but this time round turns North wards in Kabale town which takes 2-3 hours’ drive to connect to Butogota unlike for Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors where you need to turn southwards in Kabale town.
Whichever road one chooses to use, a 4X4 safari vehicle is always advisable for easy navigation even in muddy and dirty roads especially the roads leading to the park.
Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable national park by Air,
As stated earlier on, there are 2 options of getting to Bwindi impenetrable national park one being by road as explained and the other option is by air that is the best option for tourists who feel like driving long distances is not a best choice for them probably due to limited travel time or probably they fear long journey drives. There are both scheduled and chatter flights organized at both Entebbe international airport and at Kajansi airfield that take travelers to either Kisoro Airstrip for those trekking gorillas in Rushaga and Nkuringo sector in the southern part of the park and those intending to trek in Buhoma sector and Ruhija sector can land at Kihihi air strip in the northern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park.
Now that you know how to access Bwindi impenetrable national park, let’s take you briefly to the tourist activities done in this park and they include;
- Mountain gorilla trekking
- Birding
- Batwa experience
- Gorilla habituation experience
- Community tour and cultural encounters
- Hiking and guided nature walks
- Cycling/Mountain Biking etc.
Where to stay in Bwindi impenetrable national park,
Each sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest thrills with several accommodation facilities catering for both budget, midrange and luxury tourists. Thus the choice of accommodation depends on the budget of the tourist as well the sector one intends to trek in that is either Buhoma, Nkuringo, Rushaga or Ruhija sector of Bwindi impenetrable national park.
