Kampala to Bwindi National Park Travel Guide for Gorilla Trekking.

How To Get To Bwindi National Park From Kampala: Bwindi Forest can be accessed from Queen Elizabeth National Park to the north, just a 2- to 3-hour drive; from Kampala through Mbarara, about a 6- to 8-hour drive; or from Kabale town to the south, just 1 to 2 hours. Then these roads converge at Butogota, just 17 kilometers from the Buhoma entrance gate. Uganda Tours and Travel recommends tourists hire a 4×4 vehicle, which is needed through the rainy months. A daily bus service leaves Kampala for Butogota via Rukungiri and Kihihi.

Travelers can choose to fly from Entebbe or from Kampala to the Kajjansi airfield to the up-to-date tarmac airstrip found in Kisoro. Bwindi is currently being served by 3 airfields at Kihihi plus Kayonza for the northern area, in addition to Nyakabande, found in Kisoro for people going to track mountain gorillas within the southern area (Mihaya, Nshongi, and Nkuringo). Bwindi is located in the southwestern part of Uganda, approximately 7 h 35 min (463.7 km) via Masaka Road from Kampala. The easiest means of transport to Bwindi Impenetrable Park is by road. On the way to the park, you will pass through Ishasha, and you will enjoy seeing the climbing lions along with monkeys on the road. Bwindi covers an area of about 160km from Mweya and about 64km from Ishasha.

Kampala-Kabale-Kanungu-Buhoma: The route on a Uganda safari has a tarmac highway to Kabale and covers an area of about 414 km, and it’s a 5-6 hour drive. The next route has a murram road and is about 120 km. The route goes through Kanungu as well as Kanyantorogo, and it takes about 4-5 hours. The most convenient vehicle is a 4WD.

Kampala-Ntungamo-Rukungiri-Kihihi-Buhoma is the easiest and most convenient route and has about 390 km in addition to a murram road to Buhoma. Kampala-Kabale-Ruhija-Buhoma is the route that covers an area of about 95 km on the murram road, and it takes about 3-4 hours, and the only vehicle that can pass through Ruhija is a 4WD.

Kampala-Kabale-Nkuringo

It covers a distance of about 105 km from Kabale town, and it takes about 4 hours to get to the mountainous murram road. Many tourists take up nights in Kisoro town, and the remaining distance is about 80 km from Kabale prior to Nkuringo. Kisoro Road is a meandering 35 km and takes about 1-1.5 hours. The most suitable vehicle for this area is the 4WD. By means of public transport, a bus is set every day from Kampala to Butogota. Thereafter, a tax can be got for the last 17 km to Buhoma. Nkuringo has no public means, and the best thing to do is to hire a vehicle from Kisoro.

Another means of transport can be by air. Tourists can fly from Kajjansi Airfield or Entebbe and land at Kisoro Airstrip. Those who may want to visit Buhoma may take on the charter planes and land at the Kayonza airstrip.

How Strong Are Gorillas

Gorillas are known for their majestic presence in the dense forests of Africa; the strength of a gorilla is both awe-inspiring and humbling. Gorillas are capable of lifting up to 10 times their body weight, with silverback gorillas capable of lifting up to 1,810 kg (4,000 lbs). To put the strength of a gorilla relative to their size into perspective, male western lowland gorillas weigh between 300 and 500 pounds on average. Gorillas’ strength is about 4-10 times that of an average human, where incredible power is the critical aspect of their survival, aiding in everything from foraging to defending against threats. Female gorillas are significantly smaller than males and typically weigh 68-91 kg (150-200 lbs). While females possess impressive strength for their size, male gorilla strength far exceeds females due to size and muscle mass differences.

Gorillas are the world’s largest primates and among the top strongest animals on earth. A silverback gorilla’s weight is between 136 and 227 kilograms on average, and it is believed that a silverback gorilla has an exceptional strength to lift twice the weight of dead weight lifted by a strong human being.

How Long Do Gorillas Live

The life span of gorillas differs; as for mountain gorillas, it is not easy to ascertain the fact that it ranges from 30 to 35 years on average, and they can even thrive for up to 40 years. Looking at their life span, we consider things like birth, reproduction, growth, and other significant traits, while mountain gorillas grow based on their life span, but their form does not change dramatically. The female gorilla gives birth to 1 baby gorilla after a gestation period of about 9 months, like it is a case with humans, while a newborn gorilla can weigh about 4 pounds. The newborn depends on the mother, and she carries her for about 4 months. They start clinging to their mothers’ backs up to the time they stop nursing at 2 to 3 years. When they reach 3 years, they can stay independently, although at this stage they still aren’t mature. Their juvenile stage lasts until they reach 6 years or more. The female gorillas become sexually mature at 10 years, while males do from 15 to 20 years, and this is usually termed the mature adult stage. Between the juvenile and mature adult stages, they are described as adults.

A gorilla group is composed of females, infants, juveniles, adult males, and others. A silverback gorilla is in charge of protection of other group members, mating, and deciding where other group members can go to feed. Therefore, the life span of mountain gorillas varies, as there are many other factors that claim their lives, including poaching, human infectious diseases, habitat loss, and others.