If you are searching for how to access Bwindi Forest National Park, this is the right page. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can be accessed by either air from Entebbe International Airport (EBB) or by road from Kampala, Uganda and Kigali, Rwanda.
How to access Bwindi by air from Entebbe
From Entebbe, there are scheduled flights to Kihihi which is close to Buhoma, the northern sector of Bwindi and flights to Kisoro which is close to Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south. Flights to Kisoro only leave in the morning while Kihihi has both morning and afternoon departures from Entebbe. You can also take on chartered private flights from Kajjansi Airstrip to either Kisoro or Kihihi near Bwindi.
How to access Bwindi by road
Kampala – Kabale – Kanungu – Buhoma follows a tarmac highway until Kabale for about 414 km from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. This takes about 6-8 hrs before connecting to a murram road through Kanungu and Kanyantorogo, for about 120 km to Buhoma section. For the latter route, it is highly recommended to have a 4WD vehicle and this journey can take about 4-5 hrs.
Kampala – Kabale – Ruhija – Buhoma follows the same route as the above first option except that the Kabale – Ruhija – Buhoma route is about 95 km on a murram road. This can take about 3-4 hrs so it is also highly recommended to have a 4WD vehicle.
Kampala – Kabale – Nkuringo also follows the same as the above two routes to Kabale. You will then take on an additional 105 km, that’s about 4-5 hrs drive on a mountainous murram road to Nkuringo section from Kabale. Some people prefer spending a night in Kisoro which is about 80 km from Kabale before proceeding to Nkuringo section in the morning for gorilla tracking.
Kampala – Ntungamo – Rukungiri – Kihihi – Buhoma is regarded as the quickest and most direct of all the routes from Kampala. This follows a tarmac route to Rukungiri in about 390 km, followed by a murram road of about 82 km to Buhoma section.
Other routes to access Bwindi by road
There is also another route that goes through Queen Elizabeth National Park via Kihihi and then to Buhoma. This passes through the southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park which is famous for the tree-climbing lions. Sometimes this route is not favored because of the Katunguru bridge that is some times blocked for repairs.
Several bus companies operate these routes on a daily basis and these include Post Bus, Gateway Bus Services, Horizon Buses, and Bismarkan Bus Company among others.
Whether you are to visit the south or north of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, no public means will transport you up to the park headquarters. If you decide to go to the north, then you need to budget for a car hire or motor cycle to transfer you from Butogota Town to Buhoma park headquarters.
Please check with your lodge if they can offer you transfers to and from Butogota Town.
If you decided to visit the southern section, buses are likely to drop you both in Kabale or Kisoro. From there; you will need to organize transport either to Nkuringo or Rushaga sections.
While travelling in these buses, you need to be extra cautious with your luggage since some may target you. Please ensure that you hold your luggage all the time, and move with it when moving out of the bus at all times. Most targeted items include laptops, and money among others.
Fly through Rwanda to track gorillas in Uganda
With direct flights to Kigali it is now easier to connect to Bwindi forest by road from Kigali, Rwanda. It is only 4 hours drive from Kigali to Bwindi forest in Uganda with some stopovers and border crossing.
Flying through Rwanda will save you a long drive of 8-9 hours from Entebbe International Airport in Uganda to Bwindi.