Directions

The Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation lies near Ruhija village, and is just within the boundaries of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in south-west Uganda. If you have Google Earth, click here to know where we are located.

By car: the journey from Kampala to Kabale is approximately 420 km on a tarmac road of variable quality. It is wise to count on 8 hours for this journey and be prepared for more. In Kabale, you are advised to go to the UWA Information Office and ask for directions. You may be asked to give someone a ride to Ruhija, who can be your guide.

From Kabale, follow the new tarmac Kisoro road for the first 20km. At an UWA sign board for Bwindi, you turn off the road onto a dirt road which passes through many small settlements. This road develops bad patches in the rainy season. After about 15km you reach the Ndego gate where you enter the park. Another 14 km on a murram road takes you to the Ruhija gate. After signing in, keep going for another km and you will see a group of sign boards pointing right to Ruhija village and ITFC. Take this and sharply turn left when you see the institute's gate. The last stretch of the journey is rather rocky and steep.

*** The road through the park is bad at the moment, and good clearance is required. The use of a 4WD is advisable in the rainy season ***

By bus: several bus services ply the route from Kampala to Kabale. The PostBus leaves the main Kampala post office around 8am each morning (buy a ticket in advance). It is supposed to arrive in Kabale by 4pm, but was recently often delayed. There are many other options, including the relatively fast bushes from Kampala to Kigali (Jaguar, leaving from Namirembe road station Kampala, is a good option; call for reservations 0414 251855).

Once in Kabale, go to the UWA Information Office. They can advise whether there are UWA or ITFC vehicles in town that will return to Ruhija or Buhoma and might be able to give you a lift.

Alternatively, they can contact private-hire vehicles which charge around 70-80,000 UGX to drop you in Ruhija. 51 km from Kabale. Habib's is a taxi service we often use: 0772 557479.

NOTE: if you consider a visit to ITFC, make sure you inform us in advance.

Click here for a list of 'What to bring' for your visit to ITFC.