Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Gorilla Trekking Uganda

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gorilla trekking Uganda is a top safari experience. Many tourists prefer to trek gorillas in the park during Uganda gorilla safaris because of not only the amazing experience but also the ambiance and liveliness in the jungle. Situated in southwestern Uganda, Bwindi forest is a perfect gorilla trekking park just like Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and the other parks in Rwanda and Congo.

There are four gorilla trekking sectors in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where gorilla trekking is done, which are Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo.

Buhoma Gorilla Trekking Sector of Bwindi

The Buhoma gorilla trekking sector of Bwindi is home to 4 gorilla families and these are;

The Rushegura gorilla family has 16 gorilla families and is one of the large groups in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The group poses a short time for trekking since they do not stay further from the park headquarters. This is a splinter group from the Habinyaja gorilla group.
Habinyaja gorilla group was opened to gorilla tours in 1997 and was first seen near a swamp within the Bwindi forest. The group has 17 members though it was formerly bigger than this. The group split and the Rushegura group was formed.
The Mubare gorilla family is the oldest gorilla group in the Bwindi forest. It was opened to gorilla safaris in 1993 following a successful habituation process of 2 years. It was named after the beautiful Mubare Hills. The group has about 10 members.
The Katwe Gorilla group has 7 individuals and is the newest in the sector. In the group are 1 dominant silverback, 2 infants, and 4 adult females

Ruhija Gorilla trekking sector

Ruhija Gorilla trekking sector of Bwindi has 4 habituated gorilla families which are;

The Bitukura gorilla family is led by silverback Ndahura with about 14 individuals in the group. The group has 4 silverbacks and the group that was easily habituated in the fastest time.
The Oruzogo gorilla family has about 23 individuals and is therefore very large. The group has 2 silverbacks and twins.
The Mukiza gorilla family has 13 members with 1 silverback gorilla, 4 infants, and 8 adults. Silverback Mukiza leads the group. It was formerly part of the Kyaguliro group.
The Kyaguliro gorilla group has 15 individuals with 2 silverbacks.

Nkuringo Gorilla Sector Bwindi

The Nkuringo gorilla trailhead of Bwindi forest has 1 habituated gorilla group for gorilla safaris in Uganda and this is the Nkuringo gorilla group.

Rushaga gorilla sector of Bwindi

Rushaga gorilla sector of Bwindi has almost the highest number of gorilla families and these are;

The Kahunjye gorilla family has 13 members in the Rushaga sector. Silverback Gwigi leads the group.
The Busingye gorilla family was a splinter group from the Kahunjye group. These 9 individuals in the group with only 1 silverback.
The Nshonji gorilla group is very big and has about 25 gorillas. It is named after the river in which they were first seen.
The Mishaya gorilla group split from the Nshonji group led by silverback Mishaya.
The Bweza gorilla family has 9 members and is also split from the Nshonji group.

Each gorilla family is unique and trekking each is amazing. Book a Uganda gorilla trekking safari to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and have a memorable gorilla trekking experience.

How to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by Road or Air

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park inhabits half of the world’s total mountain gorilla population and knowing how to get there is key when planning to take a gorilla safari in Uganda.

How to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by road or air is upon the traveler depending on what they prefer. Getting to Bwindi Forest by road or Air is much more explained below to give tourists a better view of what they can choose;

Getting to Bwindi by Road:

By road, getting to Bwindi depends on where an individual is coming from. Here are how many hours and road distances from the major or popular safari start points to the park.

From Entebbe International Airport which is the only international airport in the country, it is about 514km to the park taking a drive time of about 10h 5min via the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Kabale route.

Kampala which is Uganda’s capital takes 9h 50min on a 521km road drive to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Many tours start from Kampala since it’s the capital of the country and the route follows the same as that taken from those starting their trips from Entebbe.

From Mbarara, it is about 206km via the Kabale-Mbarara road which is the fastest route, and via Mbarara-Kasese road which is about 253km on a 5h 36min road drive.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the closest wildlife safari park in the region and tourists visiting the park can connect to Bwindi by road. It is just about 2-3 hours’ drive to the park.

How to get to Bwindi by Air:

There are a few charter flight companies that organize flights to Bwindi but offer these effectively when booked. Close to Bwindi, three airfields serve the park and these are namely Kayonza and Kihihi airfields which are very suitable for travelers taking a Uganda gorilla tracking safari to the northern sector. Nyakabande airfield in Kisoro is suitable for those going to trek in the southern sectors.

Entebbe to Kihiihi airfield takes about 1 hour and 10 by Aerolink Uganda. From any of the airstrips, the traveler is transferred to their allocated sector to a booked lodge. The transfer from the airfield to the lodge is by safari vehicle and vice versa on return.

Flights can be from Entebbe International Airport or in Kampala at Kajjansi Airstrip.

Have a Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gorilla trekking Uganda experience with any kind of customized trip and have the opportunity to share the mountain gorilla habitat with these gentle giants.