Driving Distance and Time from Entebbe to Bwindi
When coming to Uganda for a Gorilla Trekking Safari, driving distance and time from Entebbe to Bwindi are crucial is so important. It takes approximately 10 hours to drive 524.4 kilometers from Entebbe to Bwindi.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is quite far from Entebbe International Airport. Therefore, one should take into account the time spent on the road as you travel. The location of Bwindi close to the border with Rwanda and Congo takes it to the extreme edge of the country.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the best gorilla destination in the world located in the southwestern region of Uganda on the border with Rwanda and Congo. The Park was gazetted in 1991 from its previous status as an animal and forest sanctuary. The park is among the few places on the planet where visitors can encounter the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural environment.
The other destinations with Mountain Gorillas are Volcanoes National Park, Virunga National Park, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. All these are all part of the Virunga conservation area.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park leads the race for epic gorilla trekking adventures. This is because Bwindi hosts the most gorilla individuals in the Virunga conservation area with approximately 459 mountain gorillas. These mountain gorillas in Bwindi are scattered across the four gorilla sectors. These sectors include the Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo gorilla sectors. These gorilla sectors play a significant role in the gorilla trekking process as they ease the location of the gorilla families.
What is Gorilla Trekking?
Gorilla trekking refers to the process of encountering the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat for an hour. The activity is not as simple as it may sound because it involves traversing the dense forest canopies and rugged steep terrains while searching for these primates.
Gorilla trekking begins with briefing where visitors what to expect. This briefing takes visitors through the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking and the expected code of conduct by the visitors in the presence of the mountain gorillas.
Gorilla trekking can take about 5-6 hours including the hour spent with the primates. This time depends on a lot of factors such as the distance of the gorilla family being trekked, weather, terrain, and physical ability.
How to Acquire a Uganda Gorilla Trekking Permit?
As visitors embark on a gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, they have to bear a permit. This trekking permit is acquired through a trusted and registered tour operator like Native Africa Tours who purchases the permit on your behalf from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
The Trekking permit is the gate pass document that grants you access to the mountain gorillas in their natural environment. After confirming your dates for gorilla trekking, our team reserves the dates in the system. We then purchase and send you a scanned copy of your trekking permit. Keep in mind that gorilla trekking is a competitive activity with limited slots on each date hence paying early assures you don’t miss out on the date you desire to trek.
How much is Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park?
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park comes at a cost varied per nationality and region a visitor comes from.
The trekking permits cost USD 800 for foreign non-residents and USD 700 for foreign residents. This money collected from the purchase of these permits goes to the conservation efforts of the Mountain Gorillas. Part of this money also goes to developing the community around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as a way of giving back to the community.
What is the Best time for Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi?
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is ever open for visiting at any time of the year. However, the best time to have a gorilla trekking experience in the park is during the dry season. This season is experienced from June to September and December to mid-February.
A dry season comes with dry conditions that possess little or no rainfall. This helps in keeping the tracks for gorilla trekking inside the park dry and navigable. You should note that the vegetation during this dry season remains sparse thus aiding visibility of the primates.
