Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Getting to Bwindi impenetrable national park is essential since it is the one-stop center for gorilla trekking in the whole of Africa. Bwindi forest national park is found in the south western region of Uganda; near to the Uganda- DRC border. Bwindi forest national park is part and partial fo the vast Virunga conservation area which includes Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Virunga National Park in the democratic republic of congo, mgahinga national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park itself.
The fame of Bwindi forest national park is much attributed to the population of endangered mountain gorillas it holds. Bwindi impenetrable is home to over 450 mountain gorillas, which is like half of the total population of mountain gorillas in the whole world. Bwindi forest national park has the most families of mountain gorillas with in Virunga conservation area and it is the best destination for mountain gorilla trekking safaris in the whole world.
There are about 17 mountain gorilla families in Bwindi forest national park which are habituated and always ready for visitors; they are found in different areas of Bwindi such as Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo areas. A lot of visitors flow into Uganda for mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park. Some trips are planned by the different tour operators in Uganda, however, you may want to organize your own mountain gorilla trekking safari to Uganda. And this is the reason for you to know how to get to Bwindi forest national park.
It is over 9 hours from Kampala the capital city of Uganda to Bwindi. This proves that Bwindi forest national park is one of the most distant protected areas in Uganda. However, the proximity of the Bwindi forest national park to Rwanda creates quick access from Kigali international airport to Bwindi forest national park. You can also do some short mountain gorilla trekking safaris from Kigali City to Bwindi impenetrable national park, such as 1-day trips are very possible from Rwanda.
By road: There are about four gorilla trekkings trail heads in Bwindi forest national park and they are far away from the Kampala capital city. However, the trail heads of gorilla trekking in Bwindi forest national park are easily accessed by road when on a Uganda safari tour. You can easily reach buhoma gorilla trekking trailhead when from Queen Elizabeth national park, which is about 2 or 3 hours from the Ishasha sector. From Lake Mburo National Park, by road, you can reach Bwindi forest national park in about 7 hours. However, a full road trip from Kampala heading to Bwindi forest national park will take you about 9 to 10 hours.
To note, there are other routes that travelers can use to reach Bwindi forest national park for gorilla trekking safaris, they include; Kampala- Kabale- Kanungu-Buhoma which is one of the longest routs to Bwindi forest national park, but so interesting because the way is full of spectacular views of the undulating landscape of the wild west. Another route is the Kampala-Ntungamo-Rukungiri-Kihihi-Buhoma route; it is the quickest route to Bwindi with a distance of about 390km from Kampala. Other routes include to Bwindi national park by road include, including Kampala-Kabale-Ruhija and Kampala- kabala- nkuringo routes, however, it is a good deal to see a four-wheel drive (4WD) since the roads are dumpy and slippery during the rainy season.
By air: You can also get to Bwindi via the several air routes from the different airports in Uganda. Entebbe or kajjansi airports are the most used air travel portals used by a lot of visitors to the western national parks in western Uganda. You can fly from Entebbe or Kajjansi airfield to kisoro airfield, then to Bwindi impenetrable national park. There are several chartered flights to the different airstrips near Bwindi impenetrable national park such as Kihihi which is the closest to buhoma and Ruhija Gorilla trekking trailheads, kisoro airfield is near the southern trail heads like rushaga and nkuringo.
You can book for your air ticket from the different chartered flight booking agents such as sky scanner or Expedia. Alternatively, you can tell your travel agent to do all the nitty-gritty work for you. Your tour operator will also provide road transport from the airport to Bwindi if at all you are going to travel by road. The same applies to the gorilla trekking permits; they can be booked by your trusted tour operator.
Accommodation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
You got nothing to worry about especially about where to lodge during your gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi impenetrable national park, because, Bwindi is supplied with a number of accommodation facilities ranging from luxury to midrange facilities to suit your travel budget. The lodges in Bwindi national park include; buhoma community camp, Bakiga Lodge, Gorilla mist camp, Silverback lodge, nkuringo clouds lodge, buhoma lodge, buhoma forest lodge, engage lodge among others.
Besides gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park, you can also enjoy the other activities with in Bwindi national park such as birding. Bwindi national park holds over 350 bird species, of which, 23 species of birds are endemic to the Albertine rift region. You can also enjoy the nature walks in Bwindi impenetrable national park which takes you to very attractive areas of Bwindi impenetrable national park like the waterfalls, community gardens among others. visit Bwindi impenetrable national park for a life-changing experience offered by the endangered mountain gorillas.
