Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is found in the south-western part of Uganda near the democratic Republic of Congo situated on the border next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge of the Albertine Rift.
The park can be accessed by road and it is 520 Kilometres from Kampala, Uganda’s capital city. Normally for one to enjoy the journey, 4Wheel drives are recommended taking the below routes:
Move from Kampala-Kabale about 414 Kilometres, about 5-8 hours drive, then Kabale-Kanungu- Kanyantorogo – Buhoma Park Headquarters, about 120 kms, a 3.5 hour-drive.
Alternatively you can move from Kampala-Kabale about 414 Kms, and then proceed to Ruhija and finally to Buhoma which is 95 kilometres, a three-hour drive. From Queen Elizabeth National Park to the northern sector like 2 to 3 hours drives, from Kampala through Mbarara about 6 to 8 hours drive or from Kabale town to the southern just 1 to 2 hours. All those roads converge at Butogota, just 17 kilometres from the Buhoma entrance-gate.
A daily bus leaves Kampala for Butogota via Rukungiri and Kihiihi.You can get a taxi from here for about 20 km to Buhoma. Nkuringo has no public means unless when you hire a private vehicle from Kisoro.
For those on self drive Uganda safari, please consider a whole day since it may take you approximately 9-10 hours to drive on a winding road.
By Air, you can choose to fly from Entebbe or from Kampala at Kajansi airfield to the up to date tarmac airstrip found at Kisoro. Additionally Planes may as well be chartered to the Savannah or the grass Kayonza airstrips. Bwindi is actually well served by 3 airfields at Kihihi plus Kayonza for the northern area in addition to Nyakabande found in Kisoro for people going to track mountain gorillas within the southern area including Mishaya, Nshongi and Nkuringo.
Popular Routes to Bwindi
Bwindi lies in south-western Uganda, about 530km from Kampala. The park can be reached by road from several directions.
Queen Elizabeth National Park (Mweya)-Kihihi-Buhoma
This route passes the park’s southerly Ishasha sector, providing the chance of a stopover to search for the famous tree-climbing lions. Bwindi is 160km from Mweya and 64km from Ishasha.
Kampala-Kabale-Kanungu-Buhoma
This route follows a tarmac highway to Kabale (414km) and takes 5-6 hours. The next section, which follows winding murram roads for 120km, passes through Kanungu and Kanyantorogo and takes 4-5 hrs. A 4WD vehicle is required.
Kampala-Ntungamo-Rukungiri-Kihihi-Buhoma
This, the quickest and most direct route from Kampala, follows tarmac roads to Rukungiri (390km) followed by 82km on murram roads to Buhoma.
Kampala-Kabale-Ruhija-Buhoma
The Kabale-Ruhija-Buhoma segment on this route is 95 kilometres on a murram road and takes 3-4 hours. The Ruhija section is in poor condition and should only be attempted with a 4WD vehicle. The public does not frequently use this road.
Kampala-Kabale-Nkuringo
Nkuringo is 105km from Kabale. The drive takes 4 hours on a mountainous murram road. Most visitors overnight in Kisoro (80km from Kabale) before proceeding to Nkuringo. The road from Kisoro is a winding 35km that takes 1-1.5 hours. A 4WD vehicle is recommended for both approaches to Nkuringo.
Drive Times to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
The driving time to Bwindi depends on where you come from. If you are from Kigali, Rwanda, its 3-4 hours drive while from Kampala or Entebbe Airport, it is 8 -9 hours drive. The journey is amazing as it enable visitors view the rolling hills of Kigezi region, Lake Bunyonyi, the Uganda Equator, road side craft and fresh fruit shops. The changes in vegetation, rivers and escarpments before reaching Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park – the home of mountain gorillas. In terms of kilometers, from Kampala to Bwindi is 550 kilometers on a fairly good road that is currently under construction.
From Lake Mburo national park in Kiruhura district, it’s approximately 5-6 hours. Some companies prefer stopping over in Lake Mburo to break the long distance to the home of Mountain Gorillas. If you are from Queen Elizabeth National Park (the second Largest park in Uganda), the driving duration is approximately 5-6 hours passing through ishasha section (the territory of the tree climbing lions) of the park, to Kihihi town and then Buhoma Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
It should be noted that, the road through Ishasha sector is impassable most especially in rainy seasons when bridges tend to breakdown partly due to heavy down power and heavy tracks going to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Alternatively, you can use a short cut that drivers use but in most cases, you might find yourself using the Ishaka road then Rukungiri to Nengo and then Kihihi and lastly to Buhoma.
Getting to Bwindi from Kigali Rwanda
For those coming from Kigali to Bwindi Forest park, Virunga express bus service has different bus terminals in Rwanda so board any Virunga bus from any part of Rwanda up to Kigali Virunga Express office in Nyabugogo Taxi Park. They also have Virunga Express costa buses on routes from Gisenyi, Musanze and Butare daily from Kigali to Kabale at 3:00 pm (Rwanda time)
If you are in Musanze (Ruhengeri) board the Matatu to Chanika-Rwanda-Uganda boarder and then contact Car Rental Uganda company to pick you and proceed to the next destination.
The Southern Region of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a reasonable distance from Kigali Airport.
Uganda has many trusted tour operators who can organise you a stress free trip to Bwindi Impenetratable National park.