Fly to Kihihi and Embark on Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari in Buhoma
Fly to Kihihi and Embark on Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari in Buhoma: Travelling to Kihihi to trek mountain gorillas in Buhoma takes you to the park’s northern region, where you can spend an hour with the primates in their natural habitat. Luxury tourists who can afford to fly to Kihihi and embark on Bwindi gorilla trekking safari in Buhoma from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Air Field. Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda are two of the several airline companies that provide flights to Kihihi airstrip. It is necessary to purchase a ticket in advance in order to travel with these airlines. Booking flights to Kihihi airstrip requires either contacting the airline directly or using a local travel operator.
To find out if there are any seats available, you will need to send them an email with the dates of the month and year your safari is scheduled to take place. You will receive banking information as soon as seats become available, and you will be requested to send the full amount or a portion of it. Your seat will be reserved, and you will receive a scanned copy as soon as the payment is processed. The Buhoma region of Bwindi, which is situated on the park’s northern edge, is home to Kihihi Airport. There are several mountain gorillas in the area, including the Mubare gorillas, the oldest gorilla family in the nation. This gorilla family was the first in the world to be trekked, having been habituated in 1991 and made accessible to tourists in 1993.
Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari in Buhoma
Gorilla families to trek in Buhoma, including Habinyanja, Mubare, Katwe, Muyambi, and Rushengura families, can be found in the Buhoma region. Trekking the families in the Buhoma sector of Bwindi is possible throughout the year, but you must be at least 15 years old to secure a gorilla permit in order to trek these mountain gorillas.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority or any reliable local tour company can provide the Buhoma gorilla permits. You must email the Uganda Wildlife Authority or a local tour operator to reserve gorilla permits for the Buhoma region. You must inform them of the days of the month and year that you wish to trek the gorillas as well as the Buhoma sector where you must trek. Your banking information and the cost of the permits will be available to you after they have used the information to determine whether gorilla trekking permits are available. They will schedule the permissions for you after you make your payments on time.
The cost of the Buhoma gorilla trekking licenses is UGX300,000 for East African citizens, $800 for foreign non-residents, and $700 for foreign residents. Since the Buhoma sector permits are offered on a first come, first served basis, reservations should be made at least three to four months in advance to avoid last-minute hassles. Permits must also be reserved in advance for anyone planning to visit the Buhoma region during peak travel times.
Embark on Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari in Buhoma Sector
The Mubare, Katwe, Rushengura, Muyambi, and Habinyanja families are among the gorilla families encountered during the gorilla trekking activities in the Buhoma sector. A group of eight people must have valid gorilla trekking permits from the Uganda Wildlife Authority in order to trek with any of the gorilla families in the Buhoma region. At the sector offices, the gorilla trekking activity begins quite early in the morning. Trekkers congregate here and interact with park wardens, who instruct them on the guidelines for the gorilla trekking activity. Later, groups of not more than eight individuals are allocated a specific gorilla family, where armed ranger guides lead the trekkers the entire time.
It can take 2–7 hours to find a family of mountain gorillas in the Buhoma sector, depending on the group’s position and the trekkers’ pace. Trekkers are allowed to spend an hour with the mountain gorilla family once they have been identified. This allows them to observe the gorillas going about their everyday lives, take pictures of them, and learn about their habits. Trekkers eventually leave the jungle, meet their driver guides, and proceed to the sector offices to pick up their certificates for gorilla trekking.
In addition to trekking, visitors can engage in other sector activities when they fly to the Kihihi sector to visit Buhoma. These activities include nature walks, where they can explore the area on foot; community visits, where they can tour the Batwa people, who were the park’s original habitats; and birding, where they can see over 350 recorded birds, including the crowned hornbill, African jacana, black bee-eater, regal sunbird, and kivu ground thrush, among many others.
What to carry for a flying safari to Kihihi in the Buhoma region?
Dare not to miss your camera, binoculars, long-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved pants, a rain jacket, a hat, sunscreen, a sweater, sanitiser, a facemask, insect repellents, a drinking water bottle, energy-boosting snacks, waterproof hiking shoes, cotton stocks, gardening gloves, a pair of gaiters, a light backpack, and more should be packed by luxury travellers flying into the Buhoma region.
Best time to fly to Kihihi and Embark on Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari in Buhoma
Although there are months that are better than others, visitors can fly to Kihihi and trek the gorillas in the Buhoma region at any time of year. The best time of year to fly to Kihihi is during the dry months because of the pleasant weather, the park’s little to no rainfall, which keeps the trekking trails dry, the short, sparse, and dispersed vegetation that provides excellent views of the mountain gorillas, and the well-maintained roads that connect the sector to the airstrip. Because of the favourable weather, planes do not delay throughout the dry season.
During the rainy seasons of March through May and October through November, travellers, especially those who enjoy steep discounts, can fly to Kihihi and explore the Buhoma region. To draw in the few visitors who consistently visit the park, flights are inexpensive during this time of year, and lodging options are discounted. Visitors should be aware that the roads leading to the park are in poor shape, the trekking trails are muddy and dangerous during the rainy season, and the vegetation is tall and dense, making it difficult to see the mountain gorillas. On some days when the weather is bad, travellers can anticipate a flight delay due to heavy rains.
Where to stay in Buhoma region of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
There are numerous lodging options available to visitors in the Buhoma region, which are dispersed among the various regions. Budget, mid-range, and luxury lodging alternatives are available, and where a traveller chooses to stay depends on their preferences and financial situation. Among the lodging options are Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Silverback Lodge, Haven Lodge, Buhoma Rest Camp, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Engagi Lodge, Bwindi Forest Lodge, Bwindi View Bandas, and Ride 4 Women Guest House.