Bugungu gate is one of the six gates used to access Murchison Falls National Park. The gate is located in the southern sector of the park, about 288 kilometers in approximately 4 hours and 30-minute drive via Kampala-Masindi highway. There are 304 kilometers in about 5 hours and 20 minutes via Kampala-Hoima highway.
The attractions within and around Bugungu gate have made it more popular, thus making it more usable than other gates.
Bugungu gate is surrounded with Bugungu Wildlife Reserve, which is enormous to Murchison Falls Conservation Area, that makes up Murchison Falls National Park. The reserve is unique and small in size, harboring and protecting the savannah grassland and seasonal wetland, at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment.
Bugungu Wildlife Reserve boosts Uganda tourism with different attractions and tourist activities you can participate in. Such attractions include over 240 bird species which have been recorded within this area. These include the saddle-billed stork, the rare shoebill, dart chanting, Goshawk, and black-billed bustard swamp flycatcher among other species, which make it among the top bird-watching spot in Uganda.
Mammals in Murchison Falls include buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, sitatunga, and warthogs, which can be seen during your game drive safari. Several primates are also observed within the reserve, including the black and white monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, and olive baboons. Picnic, nature walks, community visits are also other activities you can engage in when you use the Bugungu gate.
Activities that can be done when using Bugungu gate
Visitors using Bugungu gate are closer to enjoy more activities in Budongo Forest Reserve, the only largest surviving natural forest in Uganda. This hosts the largest number of primates that include chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys and grey-cheeked mangabeys. Nocturnal creatures include potto and several galago species.
So, such activities like chimpanzee trekking, nature walks, and bird watching among other activities can be carried out within Budongo Forest Reserve.
Bugungu gate has a nearby airfield known as Bugungu Airstrip which is just a few meters to the gate – the main entrance to Murchison Falls National Park. The airstrip is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and it serves the Bugungu Wildlife Reserve, Murchison Falls National Park, Karuma Wildlife Reserve, Budongo Forest Reserve and other surrounding areas.
Besides various tourist attractions, using Bugungu gate provides quick access to luxurious lodges that offer comfortable accommodation, beautiful sceneries, sightseeing, mammals, bird species and so much more. Such lodges include Paraa Safari Lodge, Murchison River Lodge, Baker’s Lodge, and Budongo Eco Lodge among others.
After visiting Murchison Falls National Park, you can make an extension to visit Kibale Forest National Park for an amazing chimpanzee habituation safari. Closer to Kibale is Semuliki National Park that is worth visiting for the famous Sempaya hot springs and countless beautiful birds. Don’t miss the authentic amazing gorilla trekking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.