Domestic flights from Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip

Domestic flights from Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip: Kihihi airstrip is located close to Bwindi gorilla park which is found in the southwestern part of Uganda and it’s one of the most visited destinations in the country. The national park was gazetted in 1991 to protect the natural forests and the animals that were living in the park most especially the mountain gorillas. As of today, Bwindi is home to the highest population of mountain gorillas, more than 10 primates, 120 mammals, 220 species of butterflies, and 350 bird species.

Domestic flights from Entebbe to Kihihi are for those that are interested in flying to the park is about 2 hours to avoid the long-distance drive on bumpy roads. Domestic flights from Entebbe international airport to Kihihi airstrip are available every day of the week with different airline companies. Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda are one of the airline companies that do organize flights to Kihihi airstrip of Bwindi gorilla park. To fly to Bwindi, you will have to do bookings first with the airline company or a local tour operator.

Booking domestic flights from Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip

Booking flights from Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip can be done using a trusted local tour operator or yourself. To book the flight to Kihihi by yourself, you can contact the airline company you want to use. You will contact them via email letting them know about the days of the month and year you want to fly to the park. They will use this information to check for the availability of the seats and once there is one available, you will be asked to send some money and then your permit shall be booked. When you use a local tour operator to book the flights for you, you do tell them the dates of the month and year you want to travel and they will check with the airline company first. Once the seats are available, you will send the money and the seat will be booked.

Best time to fly from Entebbe international airport to Kihihi

Domestic flights from Entebbe international airport to Bwindi gorilla park can be done at any time of the year but the dry season is the best time to fly to the park. During the dry season that occurs from June to September and December to February, the weather (little or no rainfall) is so good favoring the flights to the park. Flights can be done at any time of the day in the dry season, unlike in the rainy season when flights are delayed due to bad weather.

mountain gorillas in Bwindi

Encountering mountain gorillas in Bwindi

Bwindi gorilla park is one of the national parks where mountain gorilla trekking and habituation are done. The activity is done by those that have valid gorilla permits issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority that ais a government body managing the park. Encountering mountain gorillas is done in the different sectors of the park which are Nkuringo, Rushaga, Buhoma, and Ruhija. Only mountain gorilla habituation is done in only 2 sectors of the park which are Rushaga and Nkuringo.

The activity of encountering mountain gorillas in Bwindi starts early in the morning when trekkers gather at the briefing center. The armed ranger guides teach the trekkers about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity and group trekkers not exceeding 8 if they are going for trekking or 4 when they are going for habituation.

Each group is led by armed ranger guides that lead the whole trek taking the travelers through different trekking trails with opportunities of meeting different birds, plants, and animals such as bushpigs, duikers, elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, monkeys, and much more. The search for the mountain gorillas takes 2-7 hours and the time taken to meet the gorilla group depends on the location o the gorilla family and the speed of the trekkers.

When the trekkers meet the gorilla group, they are asked to keep the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity such as lowering voices, armed ranger guides will give trekkers 1 hour to be around the gorilla family and this will enable them to learn about different behaviors of the apes, take photos, record videos and watch the members do daily activities such as grooming, hunting, nesting, eating, breastfeeding and climbing trees among others.

Bird watching

Bird watching is another activity that can be done in Bwindi when you fly from Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip. Buhoma region is one of the besting birding areas in Bwindi where 350 bird species can be recorded in the region. The birdwatching activity is done with a help of a ranger guide that leads the birders to the best birding spots in the region. Birders should carry along birding books, a camera, and a pair of binoculars to spot a number of bird species.

Birds to look out for include red-throated wryneck, least honey guide, thick-billed honey guide, crowned hornbill, blue-throated roller, speckled tinker bird, black swift, yellow bill, klasss cuckoo, spotted eagle owl, diederrik cuckoo, common cuckoo, red-eyed dove, speckled pigeon, great blue turaco, dusky turtle dove, scaly francolin, eurasin hobby, African hobby, African jacana, African green pigeon, peregrine falcon, bat hawk, shikra, lizard buzzard, African hobby, and back crake among others.

reaching out to communities in Buhoma region

Community visits in Buhoma region

The community visits in the Buhoma region of Bwindi take you to the Batwa people who live around the park boundaries. The community visit is led by the Batwa guides that know all the information about the Batwa people and their long stories. They will pick you up from your places and take you around the park boundaries where they will keep telling you stories of how they used to live in the jungle, gather fruits, collect honey and use plants as local medicine.

You will be taken to their communities where you will be welcomed by the traditional dancers. You will be taken around different homes where you will meet people doing their day to day activities. You can be part of the food making and after you taste the local foods. You will get a chance to visit traditional healers that will teach you how different medicine act as local herbs and you will meet the elders to tell you stories of long ago.

Nature walks

On a domestic flight from Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip, you can be part of the nature walk activities after encountering mountain gorillas. The nature walk activities in Buhoma region are done using different trails of the park such as bamboo trail, Kashasha river trail, Mubwindi swamp trail, ivy river trail, Munyanga waterfall trail, and Rushura hill trail. The nature walks enable travelers to explore the national park on foot and encounter the different attractions in the park. What to look out for during the nature walks in Buhoma region are the different bird species, plants, and animals.