Getting to Bwindi National Park from Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda: Mountain gorillas may be found in the most prominent mountain gorilla trekking destinations, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Volcanoes National Park. Mountain gorilla trekking is an activity in which participants travel into the bush to observe mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda is located in the Kisoro district, in the country’s south-western region, whereas Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is located in the Ruhengeri area, in the country’s north-western region. Although some national parks are on the outside of these countries, they are well linked and accessible from a range of locations within the countries.
Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is a small but readily accessible national park, particularly near Kigali. Kigali city acts as a hub for Kigali International Airport, the country’s largest and main serving airport, which can accommodate up to six small to medium-sized planes. Depending on traffic, the journey from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park will take between 2 and 3 hours.
Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in the Kisoro region in the country’s south. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is approximately an 8- to 9-hour drive from Uganda’s international airport, Entebbe. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is located 600 kilometers from Kampala, Uganda’s capital city. This is a long and beautiful journey with the option of traveling by the equator line en route for an adventurous experience.
Getting to Bwindi National Park from Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
If you want to go from Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, you can take a domestic flight. Aero link, a small airline, offers flights to Kihihi and Kisoro airstrips. There are two airstrips close to Bwindi National Park, and the one you land at is greatly impacted by your accommodation. Another airline, Fly Uganda, conducts one-hour flights from Kajjansi to Bwindi, which cost around $300 USD.
The drive over the Cyanika boundary between Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park takes around 3 to 4 hours. Both parks are accessible from the Cyanika border, so if you have an activity in both parks, you may include it in your Rwanda safari. Visitors who want to see the mountain gorillas from both gorilla habitats can do so by visiting both parks.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park from Kigali in Rwanda is also a shorter option, as the travel over the Katuna border takes 4 to 5 hours. The Ugandan mountain gorilla permit is less expensive than the Rwandan permit, so get a Bwindi gorilla permit and connect from Kigali city if you want a cheaper gorilla permit and less time on the road.
There are safaris that travel from Rwanda to Uganda as well as safaris that start in Rwanda and end in Uganda and vice versa to save time on the road. Rwanda and Uganda have an East African Community mutual agreement where you may apply for and acquire a multiple entry visa for 70 USD, allowing you to visit any of these East African Community member states – Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.
Uganda Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi National Park from Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
A permit for a mountain gorilla in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park costs $1,500 USD, whilst a permit in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda is $700 USD. The price difference is considered by the various national park administrations. The experience at a national park, no matter how close it is, is unique.
Volcanoes National Park’s vegetation is mostly bamboo, and the terrain is less tough, allowing you to identify the mountain gorillas faster and get a clear view of the family. As the name implies, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a deep rain forest with a pristine environment, so plan to trek through some shrubs and rivers in your hunt for mountain gorillas.
Uganda features roughly 19 habituated gorilla groups, while Rwanda boasts of about 12 habituated gorilla groups, with a daily limit of 8 tourists per gorilla family. The only gorilla park that offers the gorilla habituation experience, in which visitors spend more than an hour with a gorilla family as scientists strive to acclimatize the mountain gorillas to human visits, is Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
