Flights to Bwindi National Park
Flights to Bwindi National Park : Flights to Bwindi national park are the fastest and most convenient means of transport to use during tours around the south western part of Uganda where the park is located.
Bwindi national park is located in south western Uganda and is a popular tourist destination in the country known for being home to the mountain gorillas in Uganda. Due to the location of the national park, some tourists prefer to fly to get there during their gorilla trekking experiences.
Scheduled and charter flights can be booked during tours in Bwindi national park to access the different parts of the park and engage in various activities including gorilla trekking, gorilla habituation, Batwa tours, guided nature walks, bird watching, hiking among others.
Permits for gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park cost 800 USD and 1500 USD for gorilla habituation experiences.
Entebbe International Airport (EBB) is the only airport in Uganda and it serves as a hub for both domestic and international flights during tours around the country.
Airstrips in Bwindi national park
There are 2 airstrips in Bwindi national park which can be used for accessing the destination during gorilla treks in Uganda and they include Kihihi airstrip and the Kisoro airstrip.
Tourists can book either one way flights to Bwindi national park or book return flights using the domestic airlines.
- Kihihi airstrip
The Kihihi airstrip is used by tourists visiting the northern part of Bwindi national park where Buhoma sector is located and also for gorilla trekking tours in Ruhija sector in the eastern part of Bwindi national park.
Flights to Kihihi airstrip can be booked through Aerolink Uganda which is a domestic airline which offers flights to Bwindi national park as well as other national parks in Uganda.
From Entebbe international airport, flights to Kihihi airstrip depart at 07:00am, 10:15 am and 01:00 pm. Arrival times in Bwindi national park for the above flights is 08:45am, 11:25 am and 03:00 pm.
From Kihihi airstrip, the flights to Entebbe international airport depart at 09:45 am, 12:15 pm and 03:45 pm and they arrive in Entebbe at 11:25am, 02:00 pm and 05:15 pm.
The duration of the flights booked from Entebbe international airport and Kihihi airstrip take about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Upon arrival at Kihihi airstrip, tourists can be picked up by their guides and driven to their lodges in Bwindi National Park.
- Kisoro airstrip
Kisoro airstrip is used by tourists visiting the sectors in the southern part of Bwindi National Park which include Ruhija sector and Nkuringo sector.
These flights are also offered by Aerolink Uganda and operate daily between Entebbe international airport and Kisoro airstrip.
The flight from Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airstrip departs at 07:00 am and arrives in Bwindi national park at 08:10 am.
Another flight to Kisoro airstrip in Bwindi national park departs from Entebbe airport at 10:15a m and arrives at 11:30 am.
From Kisoro airstrip to Entebbe international airport, the flight departs at 08:30 am and arrives in Entebbe at 11:25 am and another flight departs from Kisoro airstrip at 11:45 am and arrives in Entebbe airport at 02:00 pm.
How to book flight to Bwindi national park
Flights from Entebbe international airport to Bwindi national park can be booked by an individual or through a tour operator.
- Individual flight bookings
Individual tourists can also get in contact with the domestic airline to book the flights to Bwindi national park.
However this will require a lot of research for book the right flight to Bwindi national park. Inidivual bookings also tend to be higher as compared to flight bookings made by tour operators.
- Flight bookings through a tour operator
Using a professional tour operator to assist with your flight arrangements to Bwindi national park makes everything easier.
A professional tour operator gets discounted flight rates and can also arrange every detail of the gorilla trekking tour including accommodation, gorilla permits and any other activities during the trip to Bwindi national park.
Best time for flight to Bwindi national park
The best time for flights to the different parts of Bwindi national park is during the dry season around June to October which is a time when the weather is good and favorable for flying to the destination as compared to weather during the rainy season.
Gorilla trekking experiences around Bwindi national park are also best done during the dry season when the trails are too slippery making it easy to navigate the steep terrain in search for the mountain gorillas around the destination.
Other ways to get to Bwindi national park
Bwindi national park can also be accessed by road during tours in Uganda. The routes used to get to the national park include the Kampala-Mbarara-Kabale route which takes about 8 to 9 hours of driving to get to the destination.
Tourists can also drive from Kigali to Bwindi national park via Cyanika border for about 4 hours and another border used to enter Uganda form Rwanda is the Gatuna border.
The vehicles used to access Bwindi national park can be hired from vehicle rental companies and other transportation options for getting to the national park by road include booking a tour package inclusive of transport with a tour operator or using the bus to get to the national park for the tour.
Neighboring destinations which can be visited using tours in Bwindi national park include Mgahinga national park which is also home to mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, Lake Bunyonyi which is a good place to relax and enjoy canoe rides, Queen Elizabeth national park where tourists can encounter tree-climbing lions among other wildlife species, Kibale national park for chimpanzee trekking experiences and primate tours in Uganda.
Tourists can also cross over to Rwanda from Bwindi national park and enjoy visiting Volcanoes national park, Nyungwe national park, Lake Kivu among other destinations found in Rwanda.
In conclusion, flying to Bwindi National Park is a convenient and efficient way to reach the park, especially when using reputable airlines and trusted tour operators.
