Yes, you can fly to trek gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. As the urge to trek gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park increased, alternative means of travel were introduced. This is where flying came into play with the ready presence of road transportation.
Flying to Bwindi for gorilla trekking was made possible with the development of the air transportation network. This was done through the construction of airstrips across the park that linked to the main international airport and other airports across the country. With these developments, transportation was eased and the time to the park was cut by more than half.
Flying to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi airfield to any of the airstrips around Bwindi takes about 2-3 hours. Driving from the capital, Kampala, to Bwindi takes approximately 8-9 hours of straight driving. One can now understand and see how flying to Bwindi has helped to ease this distance and also offer incredible aerial views.
Airstrips around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
The size of Bwindi is vast, and the two airstrips around this park are well distributed across the different regions or parts of the park for easy access. These airstrips close to Bwindi include the following.
Kisoro airstrip
With a runway length of about 1,130 meters and an average height of about 1,890 meters above sea level, Kisoro airstrip is a small civilian and military airstrip. This airstrip gets its name from the neighboring major town of Kisoro. It is located in the southwestern region of Uganda, about 6 kilometers from the Rwandan border. Kisoro airstrip serves as one of the main linkage airstrips to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Due to its size, this airstrip handles small aircraft, especially the domestic planes. This airstrip is best suited for visitors trekking gorillas in Bwindi’s two sectors of Rushaga and Nkuringo. This is because it is located in the southern region of the park. Accessing the park from Kisoro airstrip by road is under an hour, thus the closest to the southern sectors of Bwindi. This airstrip is operated and managed by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Kihihi airstrip
Kihihi airstrip is another airstrip located close to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This airstrip also eases the burden of driving over 8-9 hours from the capital to the park. It is located on the northern side of Bwindi in Kanungu district. This means it is the quickest access route for visitors trekking gorillas in the northern sector of Buhoma and Ruhija in the east.
Flight costs for flying to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Aerolink Uganda is a private company in charge of air transportation across the country and beyond. Flying to Kisoro or Kihihi airstrips from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airport comes at a specific cost. The price tag for flying to these airstrips varies with age and also for one-way or return flights. All flights from Entebbe to Kisoro or Kihihi airstrips for one-way flights for adults cost USD 308.1 and for children USD 215.7. The return flight costs USD 510.2 and for children USD 357.1.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Gorilla trekking is a tourist activity of venturing into the dense vegetation canopies of Bwindi, searching for the mountain gorillas, are spending an hour in their presence. This adventurous activity provides visitors with an exceptional moment of coming face-to-face with these primates.
Mountain gorillas are rare primates and are listed as endangered due to their few numbers left in the wild. This makes their encounter even more special. These mountain gorillas are social animals that live in groups called gorilla families. Their structure of a family is similar to that of humans, as it is headed by a strong, dominant male gorilla called a silverback. This explains why humans share over 98% of their DNA with these mountain gorilla primates.
About Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the leading gorilla trekking destination in the world. This is because it hosts the largest population of mountain gorillas in the world. Over 459 mountain gorillas are hosted in this park out of the 1,062 remaining in the wild in the entire world. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park distributes this population of mountain gorillas in its four different gorilla sectors. These sectors include Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija, and Rushaga. These sectors are perfectly positioned in all four compass directions of the park.
With this large population of mountain gorillas, there are over 50 gorilla families hosted in the park. However, gorilla trekking focuses on only 26 gorilla families that are habituated and ready to be trekked. The might of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as a top gorilla trekking destination extends back to its establishment as a national park in 1991. The three years that followed its establishment as a national park in 1994, it was recognized as a UNESCO site. This is generally merited by its prehistoric flora and fauna species it harbors.