How to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

How to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park : Bwindi impenetrable National Park is the most popular travel destination in Uganda popular for mountain gorillas, the park is home to over half of the world’s mountain gorilla population.

Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in the Southwestern of Uganda along the rim of the Great Rift Valley, the park protects an extremely old forest which is one of the forests that survived the arid conditions of the final ice age about 18,000 years ago. The park’s slopes stretches over a broad altitudinal range of 1,447 meters with habitants ranging from lowland forest at 1,160 m to unique Afromotane vegetation above 2600m.

Bwindi national park is one of the most diverse places on earth and is home to over 400 species of birds, 200 species of butterflies in addition to mountain gorillas.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is very accessible Uganda travel destination, there are two main means of transport visitors on a Uganda safari can use to access Bwindi impenetrable National park as more detailed below.

By Air

Traveling to Bwindi impenetrable National Park is most convenient and fastest way to get to Bwindi impenetrable National park situated in the far corner of South western Uganda, most travelers getting to Bwindi for a Uganda gorilla safari land at Entebbe International airport the main gate to Uganda – The Pearl of Africa. The airport is approximately 29 miles from Kampala the capital of Uganda.

flying to Bwindi forest national park

There are domestic and chartered flights offered from Entebbe International Airport (EBB) and Kajjansi airstrip to airstrips servings the 4 sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, these airstrips include Kihihi Airstrip for visitors heading to Buhoma or Ruhija Sectors in the north region of Bwindi.

Note: Visitors of Buhoma and Ruhija sectors can also use Kayonza Airstrip

For visitors traveling to Rushaga and Nkuringo then Kisoro airstrip is the best alternative.

A flight from Entebbe International Airport to Bwindi impenetrable National Park is approximately 2 hours, from the airstrips to the park which is a drive of approximately 1.5 – 2 hours.

By Road

Getting to Bwindi impenetrable national park is the cheapest way and there are a number of routes used to get there, visitors using road transport are treated by fantastic scener y and the countryside giving you a better impression and understanding of the country.

Most safaris to Bwindi impenetrable national park start from Kampala – the capital of Uganda, it is approximately 463.7 kilometers from Kampala to Bwindi and a drive of approximately 9-10 hours depending on the route you are using to get there.

Note: Most of the routes to Bwindi impenetrable national park converge at a town of Butogota then proceed to the park, from Kampala it is a drive of 9-10 hours and from Queen Elizabeth National Park it is a drive of 2 to 3 hours through the Ishasha sector where you can see the rare tree-climbing lions.

Routes Used Get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Kampala to Kabale to Kanungu to Buhoma

This route is one of the longest and most popular routes used to get to Bwindi impenetrable national park covering approximately 330 miles through beautiful scenery , this route includes a tarmac highway for the 5-6 hours’ drive followed by a bumpier terrain on a gravel road for the rest of the 4 hours.

This route goes through Kabala, Kanungu and Kayantorogo.

Kampala to Ntungamo to Rukungiri to Kihihi to Buhoma

This is the easiest and most convenient route to Bwindi impenetrable national park from Kampala covering 240 miles, this route from Kampala direct to the tarmac road in Rjungiri with about 390 kilometers in addition to murram road to Buhoma.

Kampala to Kabale to Ruhija

This route connects Kampala to Kabale on a drive of 8 hours’ before leading on to Ruhija in the north-eastern area of Bwindi by gravel road through local communities.

Kampala to Kabale to Nkuringo

This is the best route to get to Bwindi’s Nkuringo sector, this routes from Kampala to Kabale before following a bumpy mountain road through small communities covering approximately 65 miles to Nkuringo.

Queen Elizabeth National Park (Mweya) – Kihihi – Buhoma

This route is idea for visitors on a combining safari of Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth National Park, this route passes through the Ishasha Sector where you can see tree climbing lions. This route covers a distance of 160 kilometers from Mweya and about 64 kilometers from Ishasha sector.

Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park from Rwanda – Kigali

To get to Bwindi impenetrable from Kigali is one of the easiest way to get to the park, visitors have to land at Kigali International Airport in Kigali City- capital of Rwanda. From Kigali City it is of approximately 2 – 3 hours through Gatuna/Katuna border .

Getting Around –Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

All the 4 sectors of Bwindi impenetrable national park that is Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija and Nkuringo can be accessed by vehicle. Inside the park there are no roads and you can get around by foot, paths in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park pass through the thick vegetation so make sure to use walking sticks which are normally provided at the start of the walks

Climate and Best Time to Visit

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is cold in the mornings and in the nights with moderate temperature between 7⁰C and 20⁰C, Bwindi is at its coldest from June to July which is also a dry season. March to May and September to November are wet season receiving annual rainfall of 2390mm.

March to May receive short rains and September to November receive heavier rains with long hours of gentle drizzles.

The best time to visit Bwindi impenetrable national park is during the dry season when it is relatively dry, note that Bwindi is a tropical forest so expect rainfall any time of the time.