Getting to Bwindi Forest National Park in Uganda
Getting to Bwindi Forest National Park in Uganda is important to know by any traveler looking to do gorilla trekking safaris in Bwindi Forest National Park. Bwindi Forest National Park also called Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the best and most visited national park of Uganda by travelers on Uganda safaris as well as Africa safaris, with most of the travelers making gorilla trekking Bwindi Forest National Park as the climax of their Africa safaris.
Bwindi Forest National Park is one of the four gorilla destinations in the world to inhabit the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, with the rest being Mgahinga Gorilla National Park of Uganda, Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda. There are a little over 1000 mountain gorillas still left in the world, with Bwindi Forest National Park alone hosting over half the total world population of mountain gorillas and the rest being shared by the other gorilla destinations. With the many gorillas recorded in the park with about 19 gorilla families being fully habituated for gorilla trekking safaris, many travellers do visit the park to encounter the endangered mountain gorillas among so many other attractions in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Bwindi Forest National Park that was gazetted as a national park of Uganda in 1991 and declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994 for its ecological importance and inhabiting the mountain gorillas, is one of the most visited national parks of Uganda. Bwindi Forest National Park is located in the south western part of Uganda, in the district of Kanungu, neighbouring both the Rwanda and the Congo border thus making it easily accessible especially from Rwanda. Bwindi Forest National Park is divided into four different sectors which all inhabit the mountain gorillas that tourists can encounter while gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Buhoma sector located in the northern part of the park, Nkuringo sector in the south, Rushaga sector in the south as well as Ruhija sector in the east are the four gorilla sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which inhabit habituated gorilla families that tourists can meet while on a gorilla trekking in Bwindi safari activity, among so many other activities there are in the park say bird watching, nature walks, community tours as well as the Batwa cultural experience among others.
With so much to offer asides gorilla trekking Bwindi Forest National Park, tourists do opt to visit the park day after day, every single year with Bwindi gorilla safaris, thereby making it important for them to know how to get to Bwindi Forest National Park in Uganda. Bwindi Forest National Park Uganda can be reached by both road and air, all throughout the year.
How to get to Bwindi Forest National Park in Uganda by Road
Tourists can get to Bwindi Forest National Park in Uganda by road using a number of routes that they choose from. First off, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is about 8 hours away from Entebbe International Airport and Kampala, with a number of stops along the way that are quite captivating say the Equator, as well as the scenic and culturally enriching countryside of Uganda. Below are a number of routes that tourists can use to get to Bwindi Forest National Park in Uganda by road;
Kampala-Kabale-Kanungu Route
This Kampala-Kabale-Kanungu route has travelers driving from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, and Kanungu and then to any of the four sectors of Bwindi Forest National Park that the traveler is going to. This route is majorly of tarmacked road taking 8-10 hours to get to the parks. Though quite a long journey, the scenic views en-route of beautiful homesteads. Amazing landscape, large plantations of say bananas and tea, large farm lands, among so many other great sights shall compensate for the long journey.
Kampala-Ntungamo-Rukunjiri-Kihihi Route
This route has travelers driving from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kihihi and then to the Buhoma sector which is nearest from here, and the most sought after by travelers when booking their gorilla trekking permits.
Travelers can however also access Bwindi Forest National Park from Queen Elizabeth National Park. Travelers on a wildlife safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park can access Bwindi Forest National Park via the Ishasha sector taking only 4 hours of scenic road drive. The Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park is famous for the tree climbing lions which are seen hanging in the acacia tree branches.
To get to Bwindi Forest National Park by road, travelers can use either public transportation which has them getting on buses from Kampala to Kabale and then hire taxis to take you further into Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to the sector you are to do your Bwindi gorilla trekking safari from, which is quite exhausting given you are in a foreign land. Having a tour operator handle all your transportation for your gorilla trekking in Uganda safari is more convenient given you do not worry yourself about stops and how to get to the park. Given the roads and the terrain of Bwindi Forest National Park, 4WD vehicles are the recommended to use while on a gorilla trekking Bwindi Forest National Park safari.
How to get to Bwindi Forest National Park in Uganda by Air
The aviation industry in Uganda has grown over time, with a number of airlines coming on board and providing both scheduled and chartered flights to the various national parks of Uganda. Aero link Uganda for example has scheduled flights from Entebbe International Airport to Bwindi Forest National Park in any of the available airstrips in and around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park say Kihihi airstrip, Kisoro airstrip, or Kayonza airstrip. These flights are however dependent on the prevailing weather conditions, and one should pre-book lest they missed out.
Also, travelers can choose to fly into Kigali International Airport Rwanda and then connect to Bwindi Forest National Park via Cyanika border or the Katuna border points, depending on the location of the gorilla sector you are to do your gorilla trekking in Bwindi Forest National Park safari. It is only 3-4 hours of road drive from Kigali to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, making Bwindi gorilla trekking from Kigali safaris very possible.
When to visit Bwindi Forest National Park
Bwindi Forest National Park can be visited all throughout the year given the park is open all year through. To most travelers, the dry season which is also the peak tourism season is the best time to visit Bwindi Forest National Park give the roads are easily accessible and the paths in the [park are not as muddy and slipper as would be in the rainy season, and viewing the gorillas is much easier given the vegetation in the park is not so over grown then. During the wet season, travelers can still visit Bwindi Forest National Park for a number of activities including gorilla trekking in the park. Bwindi Forest National Park is a rainforest and for this matter therefore the park receives rains any time of the day, irrespective of the prevailing season. Packing right, including warm clothes is therefore very important.
Looking to do a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda and wondering on how to get to Bwindi Forest National Park in Uganda, do not fret, the above information should be enough to answer your questions. Should you feel the need however to know more about gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and all there is about a Uganda safari to do various activities say gorilla trekking and wildlife viewing, do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
