Mountain biking is one of the ways to explore the spectacular Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
You can enjoy a mountain ride to support the Ride for a Woman organization in the park.
You can take a ride to the village countryside or within the forest, and this takes place in the Buhoma sector of Bwindi National Park.
The Ride for a Woman is managed by a women’s group that offers trained guides and a repair shop for the bikes.
Every participant who helps in this program receives direct reimbursement from visitors to Buhoma while enjoying a ride in Bwindi.
Ride for a Woman was set up to support women struggling with domestic violence, HIV, and poverty.
The organization now has over 300 members and they initially started by renting out bicycles to tourists but have now expanded to sewing, weaving, and providing accommodation.
Ride for a Woman also has a craft shop near Buhoma Hospital and offers sewing classes to visitors for only 30,000 Ugandan shillings.
Below are some of the trails used by the Ride for a Woman organization.
- Village Bike Ride: This ride takes you through the village with views of farmlands and plantations. You will see many villagers going about their business during this approximately 2-hour ride.
- River Ivy Ride: The River Ivy trail is quite interesting, with lots of primates like vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and other wildlife like squirrels, duikers, and much more to be spotted, along with various species of birds.
- Forest Trail Ride: The forest trail is also very interesting as you spot several species of birds, wildlife, and primates. This takes about three hours of biking through Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Apart from exploring Bwindi National Park on a bike, there are various walking trails where you can take guided nature walks, with durations ranging from 30 minutes to half-day or full-day walks.
- Gorilla Trekking: Gorilla trekking is a dream for every traveler who comes to Africa. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers a great opportunity for trekking the endangered mountain gorillas. Gorillas share about 95% of 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 in a day.
Gorilla Permits
Gorilla permits cost $700 per person per trek, and gorilla habituation permits cost $1500 per person per trek.
Only people above 15 years of age will be allowed to trek mountain gorillas.
Adults with communicable diseases like flu will also not be allowed to trek mountain gorillas.
