Entebbe to Bwindi gorilla safari by road

Entebbe to Bwindi gorilla safari by road takes about 9-10 hours where you drive through different districts watching the amazing sceneries and landscapes till you reach Bwindi gorilla park in the southwest of the country. The Bwindi gorilla safari by road starts from Entebbe international airport or Entebbe town and takes you through Kampala, Masaka, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, and Kisoro. The best cars to use during the Entebbe to Bwindi gorilla safari by road are the 4×4 wheel safari vehicles and these should be driven by well professional guides from your local tour operators.
The road trip to Bwindi from Entebbe has different stopovers like at the equator crossing at Kayabwe, royal drum makers at Mpambire village, Lake Mburo national park, Igongo cultural centre, and much more. From Entebbe to Kisoro is the main road with well-constructed roads but you will go traveling on hilly and curving roads. The roads leading to the different sectors of the park from the main roads are of marram and bumpy but they are always passable most especially in the dry season.

Entebbe to Bwindi gorilla safari by road

What to do in Bwindi

Encountering mountain gorillas

Gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation are the most done activities in Bwindi gorilla park. Travelers can encounter the mountain gorillas of Bwindi any day as long as they have valid gorilla permits from Uganda Wildlife Authority. Encountering mountain gorillas in all park sectors starts early in the morning with a briefing from the park wardens, groups of 8 people can trek a fully habituated gorilla family while 4 people can habituate a gorilla group.
Armed ranger guides lead the trekking activity by taking trekkers through the best trails and also protecting them from dangerous wild animals. To meet the mountain gorilla family can take 2-7 hours of meeting different plant species, birds, mammals, and primates. When the mountain gorillas are found, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around a fully habituated gorilla family or 4 hours to be around a semi habituated gorilla family. The time given is to enable you to know about the different gorilla behaviors, watch the, do daily activities, take photos and learn about gorilla habits.

Watch black kite in Bwindi Forest

Birding

Birding is one of the activities that can be done in all the Bwindi sectors for the park harbors over 350 bord species. The activity is popular in Buhoma and Rushaga sectors because they have the best birding spots. Different trails have been designed in the park to enable birders to spot several birds and some of the trails include Buhoma waterfall trail, bamboo zone trail, Mubwindi trail, and ivy river trail among others.
Birds in Bwindi include addims stork, little grebe, sacred ibis, black kite, southern pochard, marabou stork, cattle egret, black-headed heron, woolly necked stork, African black duck, palm nut vulture, hadada ibis, brown snake eagle, African goshawk, shikra, cassin hawk-eagle, African hobby, crested guinea fowl, scaly francolin, white-spotted flufftail, African hobby, red-eyed dove, black crake, ross turaco, African jacana, yellow bill red chested owlet, and African emerald cuckoo among others.

Community tours

There are different communities living around Bwindi gorilla park but the most visited community is that of the Batwa because of their history. The Batwa were the initial habitats of Bwindi gorilla park but they got evicted in 1991 by the government when they wanted to gazette the land. They chased the Batwa out of Bwindi gorilla park to protect the animals most especially the mountain gorillas and the forest. The visit to the Batwa community enables you to see how they live their day to day live, be part of the community activities, visit homesteads, traditional dancers, and gift shops.

Nature walks

To explore Bwindi gorilla park very well, you need to be part of the nature walk activities. The nature walks in Bwindi are guided and they are done in different areas of the park. The armed ranger guides lead the nature walks by taking you to the best areas of the park and protecting you from dangerous wild animals. During the nature walks, trekkers are able to meet different park animals such as monkeys, buffaloes, bush pigs, duikers, giant forest hogs, birds, and much more.

Best time to visit Bwindi by roads transport

Road transport users can visit Bwindi at any time of the year however there are months that are better than the rest. The dry season is the best to drive and visit Bwindi gorilla park and this happens from June to September and December to February. During this period, there is little or no rainfall which makes the roads leading to the park passable, the trekking trails in the park are dry, and the vegetation is short with good views of the animals.
Travelers most especially the budget travelers can visit Bwindi gorilla park in the rainy season of March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities since they are always on discount. The problem with visiting Bwindi by road is that the roads leading to the park are in poor conditions, the trekking trails in the park are muddy and slippery and the vegetation in the park is tall and thick giving unclear views of the park animals.

Mahogany Springs Lodge in Bwindi national park

Accommodation facilities in Bwindi

Accommodation 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.

Accommodation 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.
Accommodation 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
Accommodation 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.