Uganda Fly-In Safaris
Uganda fly – in safaris are The Fastest, Most Rewarding Way to See the Pearl of Africa. This guide lets you know more about flying safaris and correct decisions to make.
Uganda's Domestic Flight Network: Routes and Airstrips
Uganda’s domestic safari flight network is operated primarily by Aerolink Uganda, the country’s leading tourism aviation company and the one that most safari operators work with. Aerolink operates Cessna Grand Caravans eleven-seat turboprop aircraft that can land on Uganda’s short, sometimes unpaved bush airstrips. Bar Aviation Uganda and Kampala Executive Aviation (KEA) operate charter services as alternatives. Aerolink’s scheduled service is the most practical option for most Uganda fly-in safari itineraries.
The Main Airstrips and Which Parks They Serve
Understanding which airstrip serves which park and which sector of which park is one of the most important practical pieces of information for planning a Uganda fly-in safari. Getting this wrong can mean arriving at an airstrip an hour’s drive further from your lodge than necessary.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Kihihi Airstrip: Serves the northern sectors of Bwindi Buhoma and Ruhija. Located in Kihihi town approximately 22 kilometers from the Buhoma park gate and about 90 minutes by road. This is the main airstrip for travelers headed to the most established gorilla trekking sector. Lodges in the Buhoma area include Mahogany Springs, Buhoma Community Camp, Silverback Lodge — use Kihihi as their standard airstrip transfer point.
Kisoro Airstrip: Serves the southern sectors of Bwindi Rushaga and Nkuringo. Also, the gateway to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Approximately 30 to 45 kilometers from the Rushaga and Nkuringo sector gates. Lodges in the Nkuringo area Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Camp use Kisoro. Lodges in Rushaga use Kisoro as the closest airstrip. Note that Kisoro is also the entry point for travelers doing the Uganda-Rwanda border crossing at Cyanika.
Murchison Falls National Park
Pakuba Airstrip: The most commonly used airstrip for Murchison Falls. Located on the northern bank of the Nile near the Paraa ferry crossing, close to the main game drive territory and the Paraa lodge cluster. Most mid-range and luxury lodges around Paraa Safari Lodge, Baker’s Lodge, Nile Safari Lodge organize transfers from Pakuba. The transfer to Nile Safari Lodge takes approximately 25 minutes after landing.
Bugungu Airstrip: On the southern boundary of the park near the Bugungu entrance gate. Used for lodges on the southern bank of the Nile and for travelers who want to do the top-of-falls walk as part of their arrival day without crossing the Paraa ferry.
Chobe Airstrip: Serves the western section of the park and Chobe Safari Lodge. Less commonly used than Pakuba but the shortest transfer for guests specifically staying at Chobe.
Mweya Airstrip: Located on the Mweya Peninsula, right at the heart of the park and within easy reach of Mweya Safari Lodge, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, and the Kazinga Channel boat launch. The shortest overall transfer from landing to lodge of any airstrip on the Uganda circuit guests are sometimes at the boat safari launch within an hour of leaving the aircraft.
Kasese Airstrip: The commercial town airstrip near Fort Portal, roughly 50 kilometers from Queen Elizabeth National Park’s northern boundary. Serves lodges near Kibale Forest National Park as well as Queen Elizabeth. Useful for itineraries that combine Kibale chimp trekking with a Queen Elizabeth game drive circuit.
Kidepo Valley National Park
Apoka Airstrip: The only practical air access to Kidepo for most visitors. Located within the park near Apoka Safari Lodge, Uganda’s finest Kidepo property. The flight from Entebbe takes approximately 90 minutes. Aerolink operates scheduled flights to Apoka on Mondays and Fridays with a minimum of four passengers. Charter flights are available on other days at higher per-seat cost. For a Kidepo visit of less than four days, flying is not just the most convenient option — it is essentially the only one that makes logistical sense.
Other Airstrips in the Network
Semliki Airstrip: Serves Semliki National Park and the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve in western Uganda. A specialist destination for birders and primatologists — the park holds several species found nowhere else in Uganda.
Kajjansi Airfield: Located on the Entebbe Road near Kampala, approximately 25 kilometers from Entebbe International Airport. Used primarily for charter flights when the main Entebbe terminal is the origin point for a scheduled connection.
Lake Mburo Airstrip: Serves Lake Mburo National Park, the closest wildlife park to Kampala. Useful for very short safaris or as the first park on a western Uganda fly-in circuit.
Uganda Fly-In Safari Routes: Quick Reference
Route | Flight Time | Airstrip / Park |
Entebbe → Kihihi (Bwindi North) | ~1hr 15min | Buhoma / Ruhija sectors |
Entebbe → Kisoro (Bwindi South) | ~1hr 15min | Rushaga / Nkuringo / Mgahinga |
Entebbe → Pakuba (Murchison Falls) | ~1hr 15min | Northern bank / Paraa lodges |
Entebbe → Mweya (Queen Elizabeth) | ~1hr 00min | Kazinga Channel / Mweya hub |
Entebbe → Kasese (Fort Portal area) | ~1hr 00min | Kibale Forest / QE north |
Entebbe → Apoka (Kidepo Valley) | ~1hr 30min | Narus Valley / Apoka Lodge |
Kihihi ↔ Pakuba (inter-park) | ~1hr 00min | Bwindi → Murchison Falls |
Kisoro ↔ Mweya (inter-park) | ~45min | Bwindi South → Queen Elizabeth |
Entebbe → Masai Mara (via Kisumu) | ~2hr 30min | Cross-border Uganda → Kenya |
Scheduled and Chartered flights
Scheduled flights
Aero link’s scheduled service operates daily on most routes, departing from Entebbe International Airport in the morning and connecting to the national parks in time for a late morning lodge arrival and an afternoon activity. The return flight typically departs the park airstrip in the morning. Fares are per seat on a shared aircraft of up to eleven passengers.
For most Uganda fly-in safari travelers, Aerolink’s scheduled service is the right choice. It is significantly more affordable than chartering, it operates reliably, and the Cessna Grand Caravan is a perfectly comfortable aircraft for a 1-2 hours bush flight. The shared aircraft also brings a small social dimension that honeymooners on a pure charter miss — you spend an hour next to another couple who are also about to go gorilla trekking, and the shared excitement of arrival at a bush airstrip for the first time is genuinely pleasant.
The main scheduling constraint with Aerolink is that departure times are fixed and your overall itinerary needs to align with their schedule rather than the other way around. If the Kihihi flight departs Entebbe at 8am, you need to be at the airport by 7:15am, which means leaving your Entebbe hotel by 6:30am at the latest. The Kidepo service specifically operates only on Mondays and Fridays — your Kidepo visit must begin and end on these days or supplement with a charter.
Charter Flights
Chartering a light aircraft gives you complete flexibility on timing, route, and passenger configuration. You choose your departure time, your exact airstrip sequence, and you are not waiting for a scheduled flight to fill. A charter can connect airstrips that the scheduled service does not link directly for example, flying from Kisoro (Bwindi south) directly to Apoka (Kidepo) without returning to Entebbe as an intermediate stop.
Charter costs are calculated per aircraft rather than per seat. A Cessna Grand Caravan seats up to eleven passengers. For a group of six or more people chartering the aircraft, the per-person cost can approach or even undercut the Aerolink scheduled rate once you factor in the flexibility and time savings. For groups of four or fewer, the charter cost per person is significantly higher than the scheduled fare.
Operators such as Kampala Executive Aviation (KEA) and Bar Aviation Uganda offer charter services. The best approach for most travelers is to discuss the option with your Uganda safari operator, who will compare the scheduled and charter costs against your itinerary requirements and group size to recommend the better option.
Uganda Fly-In Safari Itineraries
5-Day Gorilla and Wildlife Fly-In Safari
The most popular and most efficient Uganda fly-in safari circuit. Five days covers gorilla trekking and two additional park experiences without a single long road transfer.
Day 1: Arrive Entebbe. Transfer to a lakeside hotel. Afternoon at leisure Entebbe Botanical Gardens or Lake Victoria waterfront. Overnight Entebbe.
Day 2: Morning Aerolink flight Entebbe → Pakuba (Murchison Falls). Approximately 1hr 15min. Vehicle meets you at the airstrip. Cross the Paraa ferry to the northern bank. Afternoon game drive on the Buligi circuit — lions, elephants, giraffes, buffalo. Overnight at a Murchison Falls lodge.
Day 3: Early morning game drive on the Buligi plains (dawn is when the lions are active). Afternoon Nile boat cruise from Paraa to the base of Murchison Falls. Hippos, crocodiles, elephants at the water’s edge, and the falls themselves. Overnight Murchison Falls.
Day 4: Morning Aerolink flight Pakuba → Kihihi (Bwindi). Inter- Park hop, approximately 1hr. Vehicle transfer from Kihihi to Buhoma sector, approximately 90min. Afternoon Walk in the forest or rest at the lodge. Ranger briefing on gorilla trekking.
Day 5: Early morning gorilla trekking at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. One hour with a mountain gorilla family. Afternoon Aerolink flight Kihihi → Entebbe. Return to Entebbe for international departure.
7-Day Uganda Fly-In Grand Safari
Seven days in the air gives you the complete Uganda safari circuit — four parks, five major wildlife experiences — with time at each destination to breathe and explore.
Day 1: Arrive Entebbe. Overnight lakeside hotel.
Day 2: Aerolink Entebbe → Pakuba. Transfer to lodge. Afternoon Murchison Falls game drive.
Day 3: Morning game drive, Murchison Falls. Afternoon Nile boat cruise to the base of the falls.
Day 4: Aerolink Pakuba → Mweya (Queen Elizabeth). Transfer to lodge. Afternoon Kazinga Channel boat safari — hippos, crocodiles, elephants at water level.
Day 5: Full day Queen Elizabeth. Morning game drive, Kasenyi Plains — lions, Uganda kob, buffalo, leopard possibility. Afternoon drive to Ishasha sector for tree-climbing lions.
Day 6: Aerolink Mweya → Kihihi. Transfer to Bwindi Buhoma. Afternoon forest walks and ranger briefing.
Day 7: Gorilla trekking at Bwindi. One hour with the gorilla family. Afternoon Aerolink Kihihi → Entebbe. Overnight Entebbe. International departure.
10-Day Ultimate Uganda Fly-In Safari — All Four Park
Ten days allows you to add Kidepo Valley National Park to the standard circuit — the park that rewards the most and requires the most deliberate planning to include. This itinerary covers the full range of Uganda’s wildlife experiences from the open Karamoja savannah to the ancient gorilla forest.
Days 1–2: Arrive Entebbe. Entebbe Botanical Gardens, Lake Victoria boat trip, overnight at lakeside hotel.
Days 3–4: Aerolink Monday or Friday flight Entebbe → Apoka (Kidepo Valley). Two days in Kidepo: morning and evening game drives in the Narus Valley. Lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, ostrich, and the most remote wilderness atmosphere in Uganda.
Days 5–6: Aerolink Apoka → Pakuba (Murchison Falls). Two days in Murchison: Buligi game drive circuit, Nile boat cruise to the falls, optional top-of-falls walk.
Days 7–8: Aerolink Pakuba → Mweya (Queen Elizabeth). Two days at Queen Elizabeth: Kazinga Channel boat safari, Kasenyi Plains game drive, night game drive for leopard, Ishasha sector tree-climbing lions.
Days 9–10: Aerolink Mweya → Kihihi (Bwindi). Gorilla trekking on Day 10. Afternoon flight Kihihi → Entebbe. International departure.
3-day gorilla fly in short break
The minimum viable gorilla trekking fly-in safari from Entebbe specifically designed for business travelers, those adding gorilla trekking to a longer East Africa trip, or anyone with limited time who refuses to skip the gorilla encounter.
Day 1: Arrive Entebbe (ideally on an evening flight from Nairobi, Kigali, or Addis). Transfer to Entebbe hotel. Rest.
Day 2: Morning Aerolink flight Entebbe → Kihihi. Approximately 1hr 15min. Transfer to Bwindi lodge. Afternoon rest and ranger briefing. Dinner at lodge.
Day 3: Early gorilla trekking at Bwindi. Return to lodge for lunch. Afternoon flight Kihihi → Entebbe. International connection from Entebbe that evening or overnight Entebbe for next morning departure.
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