Flying safaris to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is one of Uganda’s most visited national parks. The national park is located in the southwestern part of Uganda Kisoro district. It’s home to the highest number of mountain gorillas in the whole world a reason as to why it attracts thousands of people. Tourists dream of being around mountain gorillas because they are said to be close relatives to human beings.
Flying safaris to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park are the quickest way tourists can access the park. These are done by luxury travelers and those who hate traveling long distances. From Entebbe/Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, it takes tours 9 to 10 hours however with a flight it takes about 3 hours to get to Bwindi.
Flying to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is divided into sectors 2 of which are found in the north and other 2 in the south of the park. Tourists intending to fly to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park do use two airstrips Kisoro and Kihihi and what to use depends on the sectors they are visiting.
For Buhoma and Ruhija in the north tourists fly using Kihihi airstrip while Nkuringo and Rushaga tourists use Kisoro airstrip. From these airstrips to the lodges, it takes a few hours and the time taken depends on the nature of the roads and the speed of the driver.
Flights to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park normally start from Entebbe International Airport and Kajjansi Airstrip. There are different airlines within the country that help fly tourists to their preferred destinations. Aerolink Uganda, Kampala Executive Aviation, and Bar Aviation Uganda are the airlines we have available in Uganda.
From Entebbe International Airport/Kajjansi Airstrip tourists fly to Kihihi airstrip or Kisoro airstrip in 1 hour to 2 hours. From the airstrip to the lodges takes a few hours depending on where the lodges are situated, the speed of the driver, and the nature of the roads. Tourists can still fly back to Entebbe after doing activities in Bwindi using the same airstrips and airlines.
When is the most appropriate time to fly to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park?
The driest months of the year happen to be the best times to fly to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. June to September and December to February when rainfall is little favors flying safaris to Bwindi. The flights are not delayed and roads leading to the park are in good condition.
While in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the trekking trails are dry and passable which eases the movement of trekkers while searching for mountain gorillas or looking out for birds. The vegetation is short and scattered inside the jungles and this allows tourists to have a clear view of the mountain gorillas and other attractions within the park.
What luxury travelers do on flying safaris to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park?
Seeing mountain gorillas
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park hosts the highest number of mountain gorillas in the whole world. This has attracted a lot of tourists from different parts of the world to the park to see the endangered mountain gorillas said to have more than 98% human DNA with humans. The majority of people who visit Bwindi take part in normal mountain gorilla trekking while others want gorilla habituation which is a four hour activity around mountain gorillas.
Seeing mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park requires one to have a gorilla permit which is a document that allows tourists to be around these apes for 1 hour or 4 hours. With a gorilla permit, tourists move to the sector headquarters early in the morning and meet armed ranger guides who guide them about the activity.
When the briefing is done at the park headquarters, armed ranger guides and tourists move to the starting points of the trekking and head into the jungle to search for where the mountain gorillas could be. Searching takes trekkers through different trails and this comes with opportunities to meet different wildlife species in the park.
After hours of searching, trekkers get to locate the mountain gorilla family they have been looking for. If it’s normal gorilla trekking, 1 hour is given to trekkers to be around the mountain gorillas and watch them carry out daily activities while capturing images and recording videos. If it’s gorilla habituation, trekkers are given 4 hour to be with mountain gorillas making them get used to human presence around them.
Bird watching
With over 350 bird species, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is one of the best birding destinations. On a flying safari to the park, birders can be part of the exciting birding activities in different areas of the park to get opportunities to see as many bird species as they can. Bird watching in Bwindi is done majoring in the Ruhija and Buhoma sectors.
Bwindi bird watching comes with an opportunity of seeing bird species such as the regal Sunbird, black bee-eater, green-headed oriole, shelley’s crimsonwing, black-billed turaco, brown-capped weaver, grauer’s broadbill, ladgen’s bush shrike, archer robin chat, willard’s sooty boubou, and nuemann’s warbler to mention but a few.
Batwa cultural experience
Batwa cultural experience is an activity that can be done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park after mountain gorilla trekking. In the evening hours, tourists can move to the homes of the Batwa people to interact with them and see how they live their day to day live. The Batwa are good entertainers who dance and sing for the tourists. They also tell their history about how they lived in the jungle and the challenges they are still facing.
