From Entebbe International Airport, gorilla trekking
Gorilla trekking from Entebbe International Airport: For many people in Uganda, embarking on a gorilla trek is a popular, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Gorilla trekking has boosted Uganda’s tourism sector and brought the nation international renown. This explains why, especially during the summer high season, a significant number of tourists and people from over the world came to the country’s two popular gorilla trekking destinations.
Uganda is one of just three countries in the world where the critically endangered mountain gorillas are still found in the wild.
The other two hosts are the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. All three of these hosts are found in the Virunga region, which is home to the last mountain gorillas. Two popular destinations for gorilla trekking are the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and the Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
There are just two gorilla trekking safari destinations in Uganda: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi has become a well-known gorilla trekking destination worldwide since it is home to over half of the roughly 1,000 mountain gorillas that are found in the wild. In the southwest of the country, in the Kisoro district, are Mgahinga and Bwindi.
Uganda is currently one of the most popular gorilla trekking safari sites, attracting both domestic and international travelers. While Mgahinga only offers sanctuary to one habituated gorilla family, the expansive Bwindi forest, which is divided into four gorilla sectors, is home to 23 habituated gorilla families. Many people visit the Buhoma gorilla area since it is the most well-known. There are four gorilla families in the Buhoma sector: the oldest, Mubare, Katwe, Habinyanja, and Rushegura.
Following a guidance briefing, visitors are led by park rangers and tour guides to the hiking paths that are home to the critically endangered mountain gorillas. In both Mgahinga and Bwindi National Parks, gorilla trekking activities start at around 7:30 am. Hiking these human-like primate species will expose trekkers to a variety of fauna, including birds, butterflies, and primates.
After the tracked gorilla group has been assigned to these critically endangered mountain gorillas, trekkers are recommended to keep a minimum distance of approximately 7 meters and to avoid spending more than an hour with them.
During the encounter process, trekkers have the opportunity to learn more about the behaviors, feeding habits, and nursing procedures of these human-like monkey species, which share 98% of the human genetic code.
From Entebbe International Airport, gorilla trekking
Gorilla Trekking from Entebbe to Mgahinga and Bwindi.
Entebbe International Airport serves as Uganda’s national airport. From there, visitors can trek for gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga. Driving from Entebbe to Mgahinga National Park or Bwindi takes eight to ten hours.
A three-day gorilla trekking itinerary makes this possible: on the first day, tourists leave Entebbe for the gorilla trekking destinations; on the second day, they can get up early and prepare for a strenuous day of trekking in either Mgahinga or Bwindi; and on the third day, they return to Entebbe International Airport from Mgahinga or Bwindi.
Travelers can pause at various tourist spots along the way, like Lake Mburo National Park on the Masaka-Mbarara highway, during these long trips.
The distance between Mgahinga and Bwindi and Entebbe.
Two of the best places to go gorilla trekking in Uganda are Mgahinga and Bwindi, which may be reached by road or by connecting flights. From Entebbe International Airport, the road trip to Bwindi and Mgahinga takes about eight to nine hours. Entebbe International Airport is 500 kilometers apart by car from Mgahinga or Bwindi. The Kampala-Masaka highway can be used to reach the park, depending on which gorilla sector is being visited.
In the southern region of Bwindi, the Nkuringo and Rushaga gorilla sectors are accessible via the Kibale-Kisoro route.
Additionally, there are flight connections available, giving visitors the option of flying from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Kisoro airstrip, which offers access to gorilla territories in the southern sector, like Rushaga and Nkuringo, at around 7:00 am.