The road less traveled (hiking between Bwindi and Gahinga)

To get between many of the lodges in Uganda and Rwanda, you can utilize quick and easy flights on small planes, or travel much longer hours by road. However, between Bwindi Lodge and Mount Gahinga Lodge, you have the option of cutting out an 8+ hour drive, and replacing it with a hike through the Bwindi Impenabtrable Forest, followed by a 2 hour drive. This was a much cheaper option than the flight, and a much more exciting option than an 8 hour drive, so this is the path we utilized on our journey.

The hike through the forest is about 10 miles long, and it is all on an existing trail, so no bushwacking is required! The majority of the hike is fairly flat, with slight uphill and downhill grades throughout, and the setting is so lush and peaceful! 

The last section of the trail is a series of switchbacks climbing right up the side of a mountain, so this portion of the trek was quite the challenge for many of the hikers, but by keeping a slow pace, and taking lots of breaks to rest, everyone was able to successfully complete the hike! 

If you’re in top shape, the trek will usually take 3-4 hours. We took our time, letting a traveler with a bad knee set the pace, and our trek took just over 6 hours. This means our overall journey took about as long as it would have taken to drive the whole thing by car, but I would much rather spend my time on a beautiful trail than sitting in a car!