Mountain biking is one of the ways to explore Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You can enjoy a mountain bike ride to support the Ride for a Woman organization in the park.
You can ride through the village countryside or within the forest. These rides take place in the Buhoma sector of Bwindi National Park.
About Ride for a Woman
The Ride for a Woman program is managed by a women’s group that provides trained guides and a bike repair shop. Every participant in this program directly supports women in Buhoma while enjoying the ride in Bwindi.
Ride for a Woman was started to help women struggling with domestic violence, HIV, and poverty. The organization now has over 300 members. It started by renting bicycles to tourists but has since expanded into sewing, weaving, and offering accommodation.
Ride for a Woman also has a craft shop near Buhoma Hospital and provides sewing classes to visitors for 30,000 Ugandan shillings.
Biking Trails in Buhoma
Village Bike Ride: This ride takes you through the village, offering views of farmlands and plantations. During this approximately 2 hour ride, you can see villagers going about their daily activities.
River Ivy Ride: The River Ivy trail is an interesting route where you can see primates like vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and blue monkeys. Other wildlife, such as squirrels, duikers, and various bird species, can also be spotted along the way.
Forest Trail Ride: The forest trail offers sightings of birds, wildlife, and primates. This ride takes about three hours through Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Other Ways to Explore Bwindi
In addition to biking, Bwindi has several walking trails where visitors can take guided nature walks. These walks range from 30 minutes to half day or full day experiences, offering a slower paced way to take in the forest’s wildlife and scenery.
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
Gorilla trekking is a dream activity for many travelers visiting Africa. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers an opportunity to trek the endangered mountain gorillas. Gorillas share about 95% of their DNA with humans, making them close relatives.
There are over 15 habituated gorilla groups in Bwindi, and 8 permits are available for trekking each family per day.
Gorilla permits cost $800 per person per trek, and gorilla habituation permits cost $1,500 per person per trek.
Only people aged 15 and above are allowed to trek mountain gorillas, and adults with communicable illnesses like flu are not allowed to trek.
Combining Biking With Gorilla Trekking
Many visitors choose to add a Ride for a Woman bike tour to their Bwindi itinerary either before or after gorilla trekking, using it as a lower key activity that also puts money directly into the local community. Since the rides depart from Buhoma, they fit naturally into a stay in that sector, making it easy to combine biking, cultural support, and gorilla trekking within the same visit.
