Kisoro Airstrip is one of the upcountry Airstrips situated within the south-western district of Kisoro, near the southern border of Bwindi forest and Mgahinga national park in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo as well as Rwanda. This airstrip mainly serves the nearby gorilla trekking destinations – Mgahinga Gorilla and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks in addition to Kisoro Town and other bordering towns.
Road trips from Kampala to southern sectors of Bwindi or Mgahinga last 8-10 hours and if you don’t wish to go through the stress of long drives, domestic flights to this airstrip would be the best option.
Set at an elevation of 1890 meters above sea level, Kisoro Airstrip is about 343 kilometers by air from Entebbe International Airport (main gateway into Uganda) and was built to ease tourists’ access of the far south-western destinations. However, there are currently no International flights to Kisoro Airstrip although plans to upgrade it into an International Airport are underway and when this is done, visitors will be able to fly directly from their home countries.
It is only 6 kilometers north of the Rwandan border – Cyanika, mostly served by small aircrafts and domestic airlines especially Aerolink Uganda.
Like all airstrips and airports in Uganda, Kisoro Airstrip is also managed / or administered by the Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda. Flights departing Entebbe International Airport are for early and mid-morning, and last about 1-2 hours to arrive at Kisoro Airstrip.
Visitors then connect to their final destinations by road, with a journey to southern sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park taking about 1 hour and only 30 minutes to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Interesting Attractions near Kisoro Airstrip.
Some of the jaw-dropping and must-visit attractions near Kisoro Airstrip are the Virunga Mountains (Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura and Mount Sabyinyo), the endangered Mountain gorillas within Bwindi Impenetrable, Volcanoes and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks with their breathtaking attractions, golden monkeys, Batwa pygmies, Lake Bunyonyi, Lake Mutanda and many others.
About Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in south-western Uganda was established in 1991 and covers about 331 square kilometers. This Park is haven to almost half of the remaining population of mountain gorillas in the wild with over 20 habituated groups living here.
Trekking the mountain gorillas in Bwindi is done according to sectors with four gorilla trekking sectors – Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija and Rushaga. The park is also popular for sheltering other 119 species of mammals, 350 bird species, over 400 species of flora including 320 tree species and over 200 species of butterflies.
About Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park also in south-western Uganda is the smallest park in the country with only 34 square kilometers. Even with its small size, this park protects the slopes of three Virunga Mountains (which include Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura) and also offers safe haven to the endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.
There is only one habituated gorilla group, Nyakagezi, in this small protected Area but also boasts of over 75 rare species of mammals as well as over 200 species of birds including several Albertine Rift endemics.
