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Welcome To Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
About Akagera National Park
An ancient rain forest, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest extends over a series of steep ridges in the Virunga Volcanoes mountain range. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site due to its ecological uniqueness and natural beauty, roughly half of the world’s total gorilla population live in this park.
In Uganda, mountain gorillas are seen in two parks, Bwindi forest Park and Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi in Uganda has four habituated families with 32 permits available daily. The gorillas there live in thick tropical forest and tracking in Uganda safaris is more challenging as the hillsides are steeper and it can take 3-10 hours. Three of the families (Mubare, Habinyanja, and Rushegura) are accessed from Buhoma in the north. The fourth family, in Nkuringo in Southern Bwindi, is accessed from Kisoro. Access to this group is on a very steep trail and tracking can take much of the day. The habituated gorilla family that used to reside at Mgahinga is no longer resident there full time and viewing is currently not being offered. This group is likely to remain unstable unless more females join the group. Mgahinga is also a great place to appreciate the unique Virunga volcanoes, where you can track the golden monkeys or go birding.
Coming face to face with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat is one of the most powerful and humbling wildlife encounters possible. You can always spot trekkers who are returning from having been with the gorillas: even the strong and silent types are grinning and chattering like birds. You should be prepared to walk through a challenging terrain of steep ridges and valleys, following animal paths through tangled undergrowth for about three hours to reach this point. Although sometimes contact can be made after 45 minutes and other times six hours.
There are four different areas within the park that are used for gorilla trekking: Buhoma and Ruhija in the north, and Rushaga and Nkuringo in the south. Buhoma is the most popular gorilla trekking trailhead.
Accessibility to Akagera National Park
By Road:
Whilst the journey by road is much longer than flying, the route passes through fantastic scenery, and driving through a country often gives you a much better impression and understanding of the country than flying ever could. Driving is the most popular way for visitors to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
There are a number of routes to take by road, depending on how much time you have and what you want to see. All the routes converge at the town of Butogota, which is then just 10 miles from the entrance gate at Buhoma.
If coming straight from Entebbe or Kampala, the drive time to the park will take roughly 9-10 hours.
For visitors who are already in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi is very easy to reach by a 2 to 3-hour drive south. You can drive through Ishasha on this route to see the famous tree-climbing lions before arriving in Buhoma.
If you’re coming up from Lake Mburo National Park, the drive is 5-6 hours.
By Air:
Travelling by air is the fastest way to reach Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and there are a number of flights each day. Most visitors arrive in Uganda at Entebbe International Airport (EBB), which is roughly 29 miles from the capital city of Kampala. From here, and from Kampala’s Kajjansi Airfield, there are many domestic flights connecting to Bwindi. It is also possible to book chartered flights to Bwindi.
For visitors travelling to the Buhoma or Ruhija trailheads in the north of the park, the closest airport is Kihihi. There is also the option of chartering a flight to the Kayonza airstrip.
Alternatively, if travelling to the southern trailheads of Rushaga and Nkuringo then Kisoro is the best place to fly to. The total flight times are generally around 2 hours, which are then followed by a short drive of around 1.5-2 hours.
