Chartered flights to Bwindi gorilla park
Chartered flights to Bwindi gorilla park: Using chattered flights to Bwindi is arguably the quickest way to get to gorilla park for different tourism activities. Depending on your budget, local tour operators can now organize chattered flights to Bwindi gorilla park. chattered flights to Bwindi gorilla park are normally used by luxury travelers who hate traveling long distances. To fly to Bwindi gorilla park, you must be having some good money for the flight.
The flights to Bwindi gorilla park are organized by different airline companies but the most common ones are Aerolink Uganda, and Bar Aviation Uganda which organizes chartered flights to Bwindi gorilla park more than once every day except in the low season. Flights to Bwindi gorilla park can either land at Kihihi airstrip that’s for those going to visit Buhoma region or Kisoro airstrip for those visiting Nkuringo, Rushaga, and Ruhija regions.
Travelers intending to visit Bwindi most especially in the high season are advised to book the seats in advance with a help of a local guide. To book the seats, you will have to contact a local tour operator via email, and the information in the meal should contain the dates your safari is ending and starting and the local tour operator will contact the airline company to see if the seats are available. If you are lucky and they are available, you might be requested to send some of the money for the flight and your seat will be booked.
To book chartered flights to Bwindi gorilla park, you need to book the gorilla permit first because this is a ticket that will allow you to encounter mountain gorillas in the park. Even if you fly to Bwindi but if you don’t have a valid permit, you will not be allowed to trek mountain gorillas. The gorilla permits for Bwindi are issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority but can still be got from a trusted local tour operator.
Price of Bwindi gorilla park permits
A single gorilla trekking permit for Bwindi gorilla park costs $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 citizens of East Africa. The normal gorilla trekking permit allows a traveler to be around mountain gorillas for 1 hour in the jungles of Bwindi. A gorilla habituation permit that allows a traveler to be with semi-habituated mountain gorillas for 4 hours costs $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 foreign residents, and UGX750,000 citizens of East Africa.
Booking gorilla permits for Bwindi
How to get the gorilla permits
However, many travelers can get the gorilla permits direct from Uganda Wildlife Authority, it’s better if a person uses a local tour operator because they will get you the permit at the same price and this will save you from collecting them at the UWA offices on the safari day. To gorilla permits with a local tour operator, you have to contact them via email and the information should contain the dates of the month and year you want to trek so that they check for the availability of the permits at the Uganda Wildlife Authority. When the permits are available, you will be sent an email containing different banking details and when you send the money, your permit will be booked.
Top activities to do on chartered flights to Bwindi
Gorilla trekking: Gorilla trekking is the most done tourism done by people who fly to Bwindi gorilla park. The activity can only be done if a person has a valid gorilla trekking permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The activity starts very early in the morning at the different sector offices where trekkers have over 19 mountain gorilla families to trek. Wardens check if the permits are valid, teach the trekkers about the rules and regulations of the trekking activity, group members not exceeding 8 people, and get armed rangers to lead trekkers in the jungle.
Armed ranger guides lead the activity creating a way for trekkers and protecting them from dangerous wildlife animals. The search for a gorilla group can take 2-7 hours of meeting different park animals such as buffaloes, duikers, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, elephants, bats, otters, birds, and much more. the moment mountain gorillas are spotted, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the gorilla group, watch the members do daily activities, take photos, and learn about their habits.
Gorilla habituation: Gorilla habituation activity is a unique activity that can be done by luxury travelers to Bwindi. The activity is not found anywhere else in the world but in Bwindi gorilla park. In Bwindi gorilla park, travelers that want to habituate mountain gorillas will fly to Kisoro and connect to Rushaga and Ruhija sectors since that’s where mountain gorilla trekking is done.
Gorilla habituation in Bwindi begins with a briefing that enabled trekkers to know about the rules and regulations of the activity. Only 4 trekkers are allowed to habituate a mountain gorilla group going through habituation, and these are accompanied by armed ranger guides, researchers, and conservationists. When the semi habituated mountain gorilla family is located, armed ranger guides do allow trekkers to be around the mountain gorillas for 4 hours. Researchers and conservationists teach the trekkers how to make mountain gorillas get used to human presence. Trekkers will be able to take photos, record videos, learn about gorilla habits and watch gorillas do daily activities.
Apart from encountering mountain gorillas, travelers on fly-in safaris to Bwindi can engage in other activities of the park which include community visits where they will visit the Batwa pygmies that used to live in the park but are now living around the park boundaries, birding where they encounter over 350 bird species, and nature walks which will help them explore that national park on foot.
stay at Four Gorilla Lodge in Rushaga sector
Where to stay
Bwindi gorilla park has a lot of accommodation facilities where travelers on a fly-in safari to Bwindi can stay. The park has 4 sectors and travelers must stay in the accommodation facility located in the sector they are going to trek gorillas from so as to keep time in the morning. The accommodations range from budget to mid-range to luxury options such as
Lodges in Buhoma sector
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.
Lodges in Rushaga sector
Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Nsongi Camp, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Resort, and Wagtail Eco Safari Lodge.
Lodges in Nkuringo sector
Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Mutanda Eco Community Centre, Nshongi Camp, Crested Crane Bwindi Hotel, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, and Virunga Campsite
Lodges in Ruhija sector
Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Bakiga Lodge, Gorilla Mist Camp, Broadbill Forest Camp, Agandi Lodge, Gift of Nature Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Cuckoo Land Tented Lodge, Ecomarvels Gorilla Lodge, and Trekkers Tavern.
When to visit Bwindi gorilla park using chattered flights
Bwindi gorilla park can be visited by tourists from different parts of the world at any time of the year using chattered flights but there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months (June to September and December to February) are good for a visit to the park and also favor the flights because the weather is good. There is little or no rainfall, the trekking trails in the park are dry, the vegetation in the park is short and thin giving good views of the gorillas and the roads connecting to the park from the airstrips are in good conditions.
