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.
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 town, accommodation is
available, as well as fuel stations and a range of supermarkets.
You can arrange
your travels through a tour operator from Kampala or email them on
info@gorillasandwidlfesafaris.com.
From Kabale, follow the
new tarmac Kisoro road
for the first 25 km. At a large brown sign board for Buhoma
and Bwindi, you
turn right onto a dirt road which passes through many
small settlements. This road develops bad patches in the
rainy season. After about 13 km you reach the Ndego gate where you
enter the park. Another 13 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. There is a safe parking
place halfway up the hill for vehicles that cannot climb up.
*** The road through the park is a rough murram road.
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 has recently often been
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.
Tell them you need to get out in Kabale! Another good option is the
Kampala Coach, leaving from the road past the National Theatre).
For
the journey from Kabale onwards, you may contact private-hire vehicles which charge around
90,000 UGX to drop you in Ruhija,
51
km from Kabale. Habib's is a taxi service we often use: 0772 557479.
Photo: public transport vehicles between Kabale and Butogota
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
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