I think you need more than three days to discover Uganda’s outstanding unique forest –Bwindi a place where you will encounter the rare world great apes the mountain Gorillas in their usual home. All the forest sectors are incredible big and beautiful with a blend between nature and culture. You can enjoy forest walks, gorilla tracking, birding, visit the forest people the Batwa, visit the local community projects, admire the sculptures and other art & craft works in the craft shops around the forest, have picnics with friends, listen to birds music ,forest winds which make you get socked and relax in nature. Around 120 species of mammals including primates, 30 elephants, 360 bird species, 200 butterfly species, 324 tree species have been recorded with 10 found nowhere else in Uganda. However the Mountain Gorillas are Bwindi forest’s major tourist attraction attracting thousands year round year to year.
10 habituated Gorilla families can be visited by trackers each day in the in the three different park sections –Buhoma,Rushaga and Rhija. Not like any other travel fun places but the main park activity has to be booked in advance due to the stiff demand for the Gorilla permits and if you book in April, May and November you get great discounts of the permit prices. If you want to see all the hidden corners of the forest you will need more than three days hours and good comfortable shoes. You can book a private tour –all arrangements are made by the travel agent, Hire a vehicle –drive yourself to the park but don’t forget the Uganda Map, Use public transport to the park- back park around bwindi forest with a map and in most cases keep inquiring from the locals if you not certain with the information you have. Though all options are good but booking a private tour is the best since you will even have an English experienced guide who will take you around all corners of the forest.
Bwindi forest is at approximately 411 kms from Kampala to Kabale minus the additional kms to the exact forest sector. In order to get there you can take a bus, hire a car or book a private tour with all included. There is no common or most used route since all the three sectors have different routes and choosing a route depends on what you going to do and the forest sector. But in most cases all bwindi forest tours start from Kampala Uganda’s Capital and the drive takes around 8-9 hours on road to Bwindi forest so you need to set off quite early enough. But consider some extra 120 kms from Kabale to Buhoma Park Headquarters via Kanungu and Kanyantoorogo on Murram surface takes 3-4 hours, Kabale- Ruhija-Buhoma is 95 kilometers and takes about 3 hours,Kabale –Kisoro-Rushaga takes around 2hours and half. A 4WD vehicle is recommended in all routes because of the hilly land.
Still you can connect to the forest from Queen Elizabeth National park and its about 2-3 hours from the northern part of Queen Elizabeth- famed for Tree climbing lions Ishasha sector to Buhoma sector. You can also go other sectors other than Buhoma though the drive is much longer compared to that of Buhoma.Take aroad to Butogota and its only 17 kms to Buhoma entrance gate if you using a private vehicle.However, there is A daily bus service which leaves Kampala for Butogota via Rukungiri and Kihiihi. We recommend.You can also access the Bwindi forest by Air means of transport and many scheduled flights are operated on the Entebbe-kihihi route daily and booking can even be done on the last minute. There are several accommodation options available in Buhoma, Nkuringo, Rhija, Rubuguri, and Rushaga all inside the bwindi impenetrable national park area (Bwindi forest) ranging from budget, mid-range and luxury and choice depends on your budget. Most lodges and camps at Bwindi forest have breath taking views of the forest, welcoming staff and good food so the ball remains in your hands to throw it to your best lodge option.
