Bwindi Impenetrable national park airstrips : Bwindi impenetrable national park covers an area spanning to about 331km2 in southwestern Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable national park was established in 1991. It is home to almost half of the remaining population of mountain gorillas in the world, and comprising of more than twenty habituated gorilla groups ready for trekking. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi takes place in 4 distinct sectors including Rushaga, Nkuringo, Buhoma and Ruhija. Additionally, Bwindi impenetrable national park is home to 400 floral species (inclusive of 320 tree species), 119 Mammalia species, 200 butterfly species and about 350 bird species.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was established in 1991 to protect over 321 square kilometers of Impenetrable rainforest. This Park is popular for offering shelter to about half the World’s population of the endangered mountain gorillas. This Park is over 8-9 hours’ drive from Kampala and therefore our visitors who are limited by time or would not want to go through these long drives can opt to fly from Entebbe International Airport to Kihihi. There are four gorilla trekking sectors and Buhoma in the north is the nearest to this airstrip. There are four interesting gorilla groups in Buhoma sector, and these are Mubare, Rushegura, Katwe and Habinyanja, hence only 32 gorilla permits are available each day for this sector.
Aerolink Uganda Limited and Bar Aviation Limited are the domestic airlines serving domestic airstrips flying throughout the year to and fro Entebbe International Airport. They also organize direct chater flights for all tourist destinations, with the longest flight being to Murchison falls national park to Entebbe. This long flight lasts approximately 60 minutes and is also interestingly organized by Aerolink or Bar Aviation. Besides Entebbe and Pakuba, another popular destination from Kihihi is Nyakisharara Airstrip in Mbarara district and from Kisoro airstrip. These flight companies do not operate International flights hence visitors with plans of getting there from other countries are required to first make a stopover at Entebbe International Airport, then connect to Bwindi impenetrable national park airstrips.
Kihihi Airstrip
Kihihi airstrip is one of the small airstrips in Uganda and primarily used by tourists / travelers to southwestern parks of Uganda who prefer flights to road trips. It is surprisingly the third largest airstrip in Uganda with only domestic flights operated to the Airstrip. The official code of the Airstrip is KHX and is found near the small Town of Kihihi, Kanungu district within south-western region of the country. Travelers who wish to embark on gorilla safaris in northern Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by air can undertake domestic flights from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to Kihihi.
This small airstrip eases air travel to the sector of Buhoma (North) as well as nearby Ruhija sector (Eastern side) of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in addition to Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The main reason to fly to the Airstrip of Kihihi during gorilla safaris is to cut short the long distance (8-9 hours’ drive) from Kampala to Bwindi hence a perfect option for travelers who are limited by time.
Kisoro airstrip
Kisoro airstrip is located within the southwestern district of Kisoro next to Kabale and Kanungu districts, Kisoro Airstrip is one of Uganda’s upcountry airstrips. The airstrip also boarders Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, it is a gateway to the famous gorilla trekking destinations – Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable national parks. Travelling from Kampala to the southern destinations of Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable national parks by road may be quite longer, so this makes a flight to Kisoro Airstrip a better option.
Kisoro Airstrip is set at an elevation of 1,890 meter above sea level. By air, Kisoro Airstrip is about 343km from Entebbe International Airport. Its primary purpose is making access to south-western destinations an easy venture for tourists and other travelers.
The Kihihi and Kisoro airstrips are currently under management and administration of Uganda Civil Aviation Authority like all other airports/airstrips in the country. Departures from Entebbe International airport happen early morning and some in the mid-morning, taking only 1 and 1.5 hours to reach Kisoro Airstrip. Connecting to the final destinations is by road. It takes only two hours to drive from Kisoro airstrip to southern sectors (Rushaga and Nkuringo) of Bwindi Impenetrable national park and one hour to reach Mgahinga national park. It also take 2 hours flying from Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip (Ruhija and Buhoma sectors of Bwindi impenetrable national park)
Other Airstrips near Bwindi impenetrable national park
There are a number of alternative Airstrips near Kihihi and Kisoro, these include; Kasese, Mbarara and Mweya Airstrips as well as Kigali International Airport in neighboring Rwanda, Goma and Beni International Airports in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Interesting attractions near Bwindi Airstrips
Dare not to miss the spectacular attractions neighboring Kisoro and Kihihi airstrips among which include, but not limited to; Virunga Chain Mountains, four gorilla sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable national park, Volcanoes national park, Mgahinga national park, Lake Mutanda and Lake Bunyonyi
Queen Elizabeth National Park
The southern side of Queen Elizabeth National Park (Ishasha sector) can be easily accessed from Kihihi, especially if you wish to see the popular tree-climbing lions in the shortest time possible. These lions are not found anywhere else in the World except within Tanzania’s Lake Manyara National Park. When it comes to outstanding beauty and endowments, Queen Elizabeth National Park is indeed a medley of wonders with over 95 mammal species, over 600 species of birds and breathtaking Crater and freshwater Lakes.
This 1978 square kilometer National Park is one of the few places where you can see numerous lions, large herds of elephants, the elusive leopards, Uganda Kobs, highest concentration of Hippos, common warthogs, bushbucks, Topis and large basks of Nile crocodiles. It also offers exceptional chimpanzee trekking adventures in Kyambura Gorge in addition to other unmatched activities such as Experiential Tours (lions tracking, Bird counting and Hippo Census) as well as day and evening boat cruises.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Mgahinga national park is situated in the southwestern corner of Uganda, Mgahinga national park is the smallest park in the country covering not more than 34km2. The size of the park does not stop it from being a reliable and attractive Uganda tourist destination. It is home to elusive golden monkeys, over 75 less common mammalia species, more than 200 bird species – some of which are endemic to the rift valley region, a single habituated gorilla family and protecting the three mountains of Gahinga, Sabyinyo and Muhabura (known as Virunga chain Mountains).
