Arranging a flying safari to Buhoma to see gorillas
Arranging a flying safari to Buhoma to see mountain gorillas: A flying safari is the quickest way to get to Buhoma sector of Bwindi gorilla park which is in the north region. A flying safari to Bwindi gorilla park is to save a traveler from the long distance of 9-10 hours from Kampala/Entebbe to the park. Africa adventure vacations arrange flights to Buhoma region of Bwindi for tourists to see mountain gorillas. The region is home to 5 mountain gorillas namely Mubare, Rushengura, Habinyanja, Katwe, and Muyambi.
Flying safaris to Buhoma to see mountain gorillas starts from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport and land at Kihihi airstrip which is located in the Buhoma region itself. The flights do take 1 hour 45 minutes to land at Kihihi airstrip where you will meet your driver guide to transfer you to your lodge. Flights to Kihihi airstrip of Buhoma region are organized by Bar Aviation Uganda, AeroLink Uganda, and Fly Uganda among others.
Arranging a flying safari to Buhoma to see gorillas
Using a local tour operator
The best way to arrange a flying safari to Bwindi to see mountain gorillas is by Uganda a local tour operator. Africa adventure vacations is one of the local tour operators that can help you fly to Buhoma region to see mountain gorillas. Once you decide to deal with us, all we ask from, you are the travel dates and we shall use these to contact different airline companies to see if they have seats available. Once the seats are available, we shall send you an email containing the different ways of payment and the price for the flight. when you send the money, we shall go ahead and book the flight for you.
A domestic flight with Aerolink flight to Buhoma for Gorilla trekking
Contacting the airline company by yourself
If you are a traveler intending to organize a flying safari to Buhoma to see mountain gorillas by yourself, you can contact the airline company yourself and secure yourself a seat. The email should contain the dates of the months and year you want to travel and once they see the email, they will check for the availability of the seats. Once the seats are available, they will send you an email telling you how much it costs and the different banking ways you can send money. If the money has been received, your seat will be there for you on the travel dates given.
Seeing mountain gorillas in Buhoma
Buhoma sector of Bwindi gorilla park is the first region where mountain gorillas were seen by tourists in 1993. The region is home to the oldest mountain gorilla family in the park and other gorilla families like Habinyanja, Muyambi, Katwe, and Rushengura. All the mountain gorilla families in Buhoma region have been fully habituated and can trek trekked by tourists at all times of the year.
Gorilla trekking is the most done activity in Buhoma region of Bwindi and it starts at the sector offices with a briefing from the park wardens. Trekkers must gather here very early in the morning to learn the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity. The trekkers must be grouped not exceeding 8 people and armed ranger guides must lead them in the jungle.
The search for mountain gorillas in Buhoma region takes 2-7 hours of going through different trails in the jungle where you meet different park mammals, primates, and birds. The time taken to meet the mountain gorillas in the Buhoma region depends on the location of the mountain gorillas and the speed of the trekkers.
The moment the mountain gorilla family assigned is spotted, armed ranger guides do give trekkers 1 hour to be around the gorilla family, watch the members do daily activities, take photos with a camera that has no flashlight, and learn about the gorilla habits. After spending some good time around mountain gorillas, trekkers will be asked to move away from the gorilla family, keep low voices and trek out of the jungle to meet their driver guides.
How much is gorilla trekking in Buhoma on a flying safari?
The gorilla trekking permit for Buhoma region at Uganda Wildlife Authority costs $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 for citizens of East Africa. These gorilla permits should be booked in advance of at least 3-4 months to avoid the disappointment of missing out on your favorite region. If you use a tour operator to book your permits, you can trek that Buhoma the region you want to trek from and they will buy you the permits for that region.
What to pack while arranging a flying safari to Buhoma region to see mountain gorillas.
Things to include on your packing list for a flying safari to Buhoma region include long-sleeved pants, waterproof hiking shoes, long cotton stocks, a pair of gaiters, a hat, a pair of binoculars, sunglasses, rain jacket, insect repellents, sunscreen, camera, and extra batteries, drinking water bottle, energy-giving snacks, face mask, and sanitizer.
Buhoma Lodge accommodation facilities
Where to stay on a flying safari to Buhoma to see mountain gorillas?
There are so many accommodation facilities where travelers can stay on a flying safari to Buhoma to see mountain gorillas. These do range from budget to mid-range to luxury options such as Buhoma Lodge, Engagi Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Bwindi Forest Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Bwindi View Bandas, Ride 4 Women Guest House, Silverback Lodge, Buhoma Rest Camp, Haven Lodge, and Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge.
When to have a flying safari to Buhoma region to see mountain gorillas?
Travelers can have flying safaris to Buhoma to see mountain gorillas at any time of the year but there are those months that are better than the rest. The dry months are the best to fly to Buhoma region because the weather conditions favor flights, there is little or no rainfall in the park, the trekking trails are dry and passable, the vegetation is short with clear views of the park animals and the roads from Kihihi to the sector are in good conditions.
Travelers can still have flying safaris to Buhoma to see mountain gorillas in the rainy season of March to May and October to November t enjoy discounts on the accommodation facilities. However, during this time there is plenty of rainfall which sometimes delays the flights, the trekking trails in the park are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall with unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park from Kihihi airstrip are in bad conditions.
