Better to Drive or Fly from Entebbe to Bwindi Forest
Better to Drive or Fly from Entebbe to Bwindi Forest – Travel options to Bwindi
Better to Drive or Fly from Entebbe to Bwindi – Many travelers have asked this question on travel forums like trip advisor and lonely planet but Great Adventure safaris gives you a hands on touch on wether to drive or fly to Bwindi to trek one of the habituated gorilla families in Uganda.You can get to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park by either air or road transport. These two options have both advantages and disadvantages and Great Adventure Safaris explains what exactly is involved in each of the modes of transport used to get to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
Driving to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Driving to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park from Entebbe or Kampala takes approximately 9 hours with almost 500 kilometres. With this long drive, we therefore advise our clients to break this drive into two with a stopover at Lake Mburo National Park for wildlife viewing and a boat safari on the lake as well as an overnight stay. Alternatively, depending on time and budget you may consider adding two extra days to your safari plan and take a visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park for more wildlife viewing and a boat safari on the natural Kazinga Channel.
Lake Mburo National Park is about 225 kilometres from Entebbe or Kampala a journey that takes 4-5 hours driving on the road. Lake Mburo National Park is small but yet an interesting stopover for visitors driving to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is approximately 6 hours driving from Entebbe or Kampala. On your visit to this second largest National park among the ten we have, gives you a chance to explore the park and trek the Chimpanzee in Kyambura gorge, spend time on the lion experiential tracking with the Uganda carnivore project or a boat safari on the Kazinga Channel. Great Adventure Safaris recommends setting aside 3 extra days added to your itinerary for you to enjoy more of what Uganda can offer.
Advantage of driving to Bwindi National Park
Driving from Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park allows you to take in a lot more of the country side with stopovers at interesting places like the Equator line, Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth National Parks depending on your time and budget. The routes to Bwindi forest are rough and rugged thus a 4×4 safari vehicle is recommended, they are very scenic and you get to enjoy a much more authentic visual and photographic experience.
The disadvantage is that the drive is long which takes 9-10 hours driving from Entebbe or Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and can be very tiring to the tourists especially the seniors.
Flying from Entebbe International Airport to Bwindi Forest
It is now very possible to turn the 9-10 hour trip into one and half flight between Entebbe International Airport and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. While the flights are a bit expensive, if your budget permits this is the smoothest way of getting to Bwindi Forest National Park. Flights depart from either Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Kihihi Airfield mostly for those tracking Mountain Gorillas in Buhoma region, or Kisoro Airfield for those tracking Mountain Gorillas in Rushaga or Nkuringo regions of Bwindi forest.
The advantage of flying to Bwindi forest as opposed to driving is that you don’t lose much time getting to the mountain Gorilla forest. You enjoy a lot more time at your lodge than you would if you travelled by road.
Whether by road or air transport, one thing for sure is that Bwindi forest is an incredible must-visit place. Although popularly known for Gorilla tracking and Gorilla habituation, there is more to Bwindi forest than just Gorillas. For more information about driving or flying to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park contact Great Adventure Safaris and we provide you with more details to help you plan your Gorilla trip very well.