Fly to Kisoro airstrip and trek gorillas in Nkuringo Bwindi
Fly to Kisoro airstrip and trek gorillas in Nkuringo Bwindi: Tourists to Nkuringo Bwindi who don’t like traveling long distances or moving in a luxury way can now fly to Kisoro airstrip and trek the endangered mountain gorillas of Nkuingo Bwindi. The flight takes one and half hours from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Kisoro airstrip where you connect using road transport to Nkuringo Bwindi. Flights to Kisoro airstrip are conducted by Aerolink Uganda, Bar Aviation Uganda, and Fly Uganda and do operator every day.
To fly to Kisoro airstrip and trek Nkuringo Bwindi gorillas, you need a gorilla trekking permit and also a flight ticket. To book a flight to Kisoro airstrip where you will connect to Nkuringo Bwindi region, you need to look for a trusted local tour operator or contact the airline companies direct. If your safari is to be done by a tour operator, they do help in booking everything from permits, to flight to accommodation and transport.
You will contact your tour operator if you are interested in flying to Kisoro to trek Nkuringo Bwindi gorillas. You will tell him the dates of the month and year you want your safari to happen and this information shall be used to when contacting airline companies. The tour operator will forward your dates of the month and year to the airline company to check if they have space available and once you are lucky and they still have seats you will be asked to send money which shall be used to book your flight.
Nkuringo sector is one of the four sectors of Bwindi in the south of the park where mountain gorilla trekking can be done. Nkuringo region harbors some of the endangered mountain gorillas of Bwindi gorilla park and as of now, only 3 mountain gorilla families are found in the region. One gorilla family named Bushaho has been kept for gorilla habituation in this region and 2 gorilla families Nkuringo and Christmas are open for tourism.
How much is trekking Nkuringo Bwindi gorillas?
Tourists planning to fly to Kisoro airstrip and trek Nkuringo Bwindi gorillas should know that for any traveler to trek mountain gorillas they need a gorilla trekking permit. The gorilla trekking permits for Uganda can be got from the Uganda Wildlife Authority and trusted tour operators at the same fee. These gorilla permits are purchased at a fee of $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents, and UGX250,000 citizens of East Africa.
Booking Uganda Wildlife Gorilla Permit
How to book Nkuringo Bwindi gorilla permits?
To book Nkuringo Bwindi gorillas you will look for a trusted local tour operator like Africa Adventure Vacations or Uganda Wildlife Authority and contact them via email. The email should contain the dates of the month and year you want to trek the gorillas and this information shall be used to check for the availability of the trekking permits. Once the permits are available, you will be sent an email containing the price of the permits as well as the different banking details. When you have sent the money and it has been received, your permit shall be booked and if you booked with the Uganda Wildlife Authority you will collect them at the offices in Kampala.
The gorilla trekking experience in Nkuringo Bwindi
The gorilla trekking in Nkuringo Bwindi national park is done by two mountain gorilla families which are Christmas gorilla group and Nkuringo gorilla group. These gorilla families are open for tourism purposes and can be trekked at any time of the year. Bushaho gorilla family is another gorilla group living in Nkuringo Bwindi but that has been kept for habituation purposes to enable travelers to encounter mountain gorillas for 4 hours.
The gorilla trekking in Nkuringo region starts very early in the morning at the park offices where trekkers must be to attend the briefing. The briefing is led by park wardens who teach about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity, group trekkers not exceeding people, and then give each group ranger guides to lead the trekkers in the jungle.
The armed ranger guides lead trekkers in the jungle and they go through different trekking trails until they meet the mountain gorilla family assigned. During the search which takes 2-7 hours depending on the location of the mountain gorilla family and the speed of the trekkers, the trekkers are able to encounter different park mammals, primates, and birds.
The moment the mountain gorilla family assigned is located, the trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the group members, and during the hours given, they are able to watch members do day to day activities, take photos and learn about the different gorilla habits. Later the trekkers do get out of the jungle, meet their driver guides, and collect their gorilla trekking certificates.
Carry along with your camera on a Gorilla trekking safari to Bwindi
What to pack for a flying safari to Kisoro airstrip to Nkuringo Bwindi
For travelers to enjoy flying safari to Kisoro airstrip to Nkuringo Bwindi, they should pack good waterproof hiking shoes, long cotton stocks, a pair of gaiters, gardening gloves, a hat, sunscreen, long-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved pants, light backpack, camera, a pair of binoculars, insect repellents, facemask, sanitizer, drinking water bottle and energy-giving snacks among others.
When to fly to Kisoro airstrip and trek Nkuringo Bwindi gorillas?
Travelers can fly to Kisoro airstrip and trek Nkuringo Bwindi gorillas at any time of the year but there are certain times of the year that are better than the rest. The dry months are the best to Fly to Kisoro airstrip and trek gorillas in Nkuringo Bwindi and these occur from June to September and December to February. They are characterized by little or no rainfall that favors the flights, the trekking trails in the park are dry, vegetation is short and scattered giving good views of the gorillas, and the roads leading to the park from the airstrip are in good condition.
Travelers most especially those that love discounted things can fly from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airstrip and trek Bwindi gorillas in Nkuringo in the rainy season to enjoy accommodation facilities at a cheap price. However, the rainy season is characterized by too much rainfall that delays flights, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the mountain gorillas, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery while the roads leading to eth park from the airstrip are in bad condition.
Where to stay in Nkuringo Bwindi on a flying safari to Kisoro airstrip?
Travelers flying to Kisoro airstrip to trek gorillas in Nkuringo Bwindi don’t have to get worried about where they will stay because there are lots of accommodation facilities where they can stay. The lodges are of different prices and offer different facilities and so where to stay depends on the traveler’s choice as well as the budget. The accommodation facilities in Nkuringo include Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Virunga Campsite Bunyonyi overland view, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Homestay, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Mutanda Eco Community Centre, Gorilla Closeup Lodge, and Crested Crane Bwindi Hotel among others.
