Kihihi Airstrip

Kihihi airstrip, also known as Savannah airstrip is located in a small town called Kihihi, south-west of Uganda in Kanungu district. Domestic flights can be taken from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Kihihi airstrip especially for clients who want to go trekking gorillas in Bwindi while on their Uganda safari holiday.

Kihihi airstrip helps tourists using air transport to easily connect to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or the Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The airstrip is so close to Buhoma sector of Bwindi where you can trek the endangered mountain gorillas. The main reason people fly to Kihihi airstrip is to go gorilla trekking in Bwindi. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to over half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas.

Mountain gorillas share over 98% DNA with humans making them humans closest relatives next to Chimpanzees. They are mainly herbivores and they eat leaves, bamboo shoot, stems, fruits and sometimes supplement their diet with termites and hunts. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has got 12 habituated gorilla groups that can be trekked by tourists, a maximum of one hour is given for observation after finding mountain gorillas and if gorillas are uncomfortable the visit is likely to end earlier.

Gorilla habituation is a lifetime experience that can only be done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the entire world. Habituation is the process of making mountain gorillas get used to human presence. This is done by joining researchers and scientists for four hours in the presence of gorillas.

You can also fly to Kihihi airstrip if you want to visit the Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park or drive your way to the busy sectors of the park through the Ishasha sector. Ishasha sector is renowned for its tree-climbing lions, that are not found elsewhere in the world except in Lake Manyara in Tanzania.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the country’s most visited destination. The park is endowed with over 600 species of birds making it a birders paradise. There are also other various species of animals like elephants, warthogs, leopards, bushbucks, hippos, crocodiles, and more. Chimpanzee trekking can also be done in the great Kyambura gorge in the Kyambura sector of the park.

Getting to Bwindi by road will take about 9-10 hours. For adventurers travelers, this is the best option because you will have greater views of Ugandan towns along the way with wildlife. Traveling by air transport will only take about 1 – 2 hours. This rewards a very good scenic view and is mostly used by luxurious travelers.