Overland region

Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth by 4x4: local guides and trips

Tree ferns and forest in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Photo: Thomas Fuhrmann, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage forest of 321 km² on the DR Congo border, is home to about half of the world's mountain gorillas, in four sectors: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. To the south lie the volcanoes of Mgahinga and Lake Bunyonyi; to the north, Queen Elizabeth National Park runs from Ishasha to the Kazinga Channel, Mweya and the Katwe craters. For anyone travelling with their own vehicle it means hill roads between the sectors and rough tracks like the one along the Katwe crater rims. Here are the local guides who work in the area and the trips that cross it.

8 local guides and 13 trips in Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth on GuideMeet.

On the map

  1. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park — Park. Small park of 33.9 km² in the Virunga Mountains, with the volcanoes Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo; altitude runs from 2,227 to 4,127 m. It lies about 15 km by road south of Kisoro. -1.3694, 29.6403 · Google Maps
  2. Kisoro Kisoro — Town. Chief town of Kisoro District, about 15 km by road from Mgahinga. Lake Bunyonyi lies between Kisoro and Kabale, close to the border with Rwanda. -1.2850, 29.6850 · Google Maps
  3. Lake Bunyonyi Lake Bunyonyi — Lake. Highland lake at about 1,973 m, 22 km long and up to 6 km wide, with 29 islands. Its name means 'place of many little birds'; Kabale is about 7 km to the east. -1.2833, 29.9167 · Google Maps
  4. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Bwindi Impenetrable National Park — Park. Forest of 321 km² on the border with DR Congo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to about half of the world's mountain gorillas. Gorilla groups live in four sectors: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. -1.0167, 29.6833 · Google Maps
  5. Nkuringo — Village. One of the four sectors of Bwindi where gorilla groups live, on the south-western side of the forest, near the border with DR Congo. -1.0790, 29.6265 · Google Maps
  6. Rushaga Rushaga — Village. One of the four sectors of Bwindi where gorilla groups live, on the southern side of the forest, with the village of Rushaga on the edge of the park. -1.1275, 29.6923 · Google Maps
  7. Ruhija Ruhija — Village. One of the four sectors of Bwindi where gorilla groups live, on the eastern side of the forest. Pictured: the hills around Ruhija. -1.0406, 29.7768 · Google Maps
  8. Buhoma — Village. Village at the northern entrance of Bwindi, in Kanungu District. Organised gorilla tracking began here in 1993, and the Buhoma Community Rest Camp was one of the first facilities. -0.9661, 29.6140 · Google Maps
  9. Ishasha Ishasha — Park. Southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, on the Ishasha River, which marks the border with DR Congo. The area is famous for its tree-climbing lions. Pictured: lions in a tree. -0.6139, 29.6653 · Google Maps
  10. Queen Elizabeth National Park Queen Elizabeth National Park — Park. Park of about 1,978 km², founded in 1952 and renamed after a visit by Queen Elizabeth II two years later. Known for volcanic craters and crater lakes, and for elephants, buffalo, hippos and lions. -0.1372, 30.0411 · Google Maps
  11. Kyambura Gorge Kyambura Gorge — Gorge. Deep gorge cutting the savanna of the Kyambura reserve, east of the park's main area. Its thick riverine forest, the 'underground forest', is home to chimpanzees, and the gorge links to the Kazinga Channel. -0.1684, 30.0922 · Google Maps
  12. Kazinga Channel Kazinga Channel — River. Natural channel 32 km long linking Lake Edward and Lake George, with hippos and Nile crocodiles. At Katunguru a bridge joins the two parts of the park. Pictured: elephants feeding on the bank. -0.1405, 30.0204 · Google Maps
  13. Mweya Mweya — Village. Where the Kazinga Channel joins Lake Edward: the park's headquarters and its most visited spot, with accommodation, an airstrip and access to the lake and the channel. Kasese is 55 km by road. -0.1903, 29.8997 · Google Maps
  14. Lake Katwe Lake Katwe — Lake. Salt lake in the Katwe explosion craters, north of Mweya. Salt has been made here for centuries and is still worked in ponds. A rough dirt track runs along several crater rims. -0.1333, 29.8667 · Google Maps

Local guides in Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth

Overland trips in Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth

When to go

There are two rainy seasons, February to May and September to December; at Mgahinga the monthly average ranges from about 10 mm in July to about 250 mm in October. Plan the hill sectors for the drier months.

Before you go

Photo credits

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, under the licences shown.

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