You can save time as you visit Uganda’s mountain gorillas in the safest way with our customizable Uganda Fly in Gorilla trekking tour. Driving to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park from Entebbe is a minimum of 7 hours when using road transport. You can avoid the long drives with this fly-in gorilla safari to Bwindi with 2 gorilla trekking experiences with pre-booked flights from Entebbe to Bwindi and flying back to Entebbe.
This fly-in gorilla trekking tour is available on any day of the week subject to the availability of the gorilla trekking permits. Flying in to the gorillas in Bwindi is certainly better and more comfortable than driving for long hours to the park.
We book your domestic flights from Entebbe to Bwindi and back, accommodation and ground transfers to Bwindi as well as the gorilla trekking permits. Of the accommodation options offered for Bwindi, you could choose to upgrade at the time of booking.
The flight is usually about 1 hour and 10 minutes from Entebbe. Flights to Kisoro only go in the mornings. If you are flying to the gorillas via Kisoro, you are most likely to enjoy great sceneries of Lake Bunyonyi and the Virunga Mountain ranges on your way.
You can either land at Kihihi Airstrip or Kisoro Airstrip. The airstrip you would fly into depends on your gorilla permit location. If you will be trekking the gorillas in Buhoma or Ruhija Sector of Bwindi, you need to fly to Kihihi Airstrip. If your accommodation is Mahogany springs, Buhoma Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Silverback Lodge, Engagi Lodge, Bwindi Lodge, or any other lodge in the north of Bwindi, it makes more sense to fly into Kihihi Airstrip for your gorilla safari. From there, you will be picked by a vehicle to transfer you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The distance from Bwindi to Kihihi Airstrip is about 60 kms and can be driven for about 1 hours if the weather is good.
If your gorilla trek is in the south of Bwindi (Rushaga, Nkuringo and Mgahinga), your flights need to land at Kisoro Airstrip and if your accommodation is in south Bwindi like Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Mt. Gahinga Lodge among others, Kisoro Airstrip is the best to fly into for your gorilla trek safari. Flights to Kisoro however only happen in the mornings and cost at least $80 more than those via Kihihi.
It is advisable that you spend the night before this day in or near Entebbe so that you will not have to panic about catching your flight to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Most hotels in Entebbe offer complimentary shuttles to Entebbe Airport and if you cannot be able to access this, Nature Adventure Africa Safaris will be able to organize it for you.
By the time you arrive at Entebbe Airport, our team will be ready to give you the e-tickets for your flight as well as the gorilla permits. At Entebbe Airport, the terminal staff will ask you to present your passport to check in for your flight to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Aero link staff shall also be waiting to receive and show you to the aircraft.
When you arrive at Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip, you will be picked up by our representative who will be transferring you to your lodge for the night. The drive from either airstrip should normally be 1 hour through great sceneries.
If you have more time during the day, guided walking tours can be arranged. You could go for the Batwa pygmies community walk in Bwindi or just a guided Bwindi community walk. Also, if you happen to arrive in the morning, guided walks in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are possible.
On the next day after having breakfast, you will be driven to the park office for the pre-gorilla trekking briefing. Here, more information about the conservation and ecology of mountain gorillas is shared and short video clips about the gorilla might also be played. Sometimes, a piece of local cultural music and dance performance from the communities is performed by the local women’s group.
In briefing, a group of 8 members will be allocated to a certain gorilla group. Each group is allocated a team of ranger escorts and assisting trekkers. It is always recommendable for you to hire a porter to assist you to carry your backpack as these can be so tiring as you trek through the jungles of the thick forest undergrowth. The cost of hiring a porter for the gorilla trek is USD15.
The trekking process can be physically challenging but there are several breaks along the way to allow you to catch your breath and also for the rangers to give more information about the forest and the other wildlife species you shall be meeting as you hike forest. The locating of gorillas may take some several hours but when you finally encounter the mountain gorillas, you are allowed 1 hour with them.
After your one hour with the gorillas, you will trek back to the park office. Along the way, the rangers will find a comfortable place in the jungle for you to enjoy your picnic lunch. After gorilla trekking, you can spend the rest of the day relaxing at your accommodation.
The next morning you can decide to go again for a second gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will take the same process as the previous day though this time around you trek a different gorilla group with different characters from the one you trekked for the first time. And this gorilla trekking experience will be termed as a double trek.
After your memorable experience collections, the Uganda fly-in gorilla trek tour comes to an end. Depending on the departure flight you are booked on, our representative will take care of your transfer to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip at the most appropriate time so that you can catch up with your flight back home.
