Kisoro is a characterless town, located in a wonderful setting under the peaks of the Mufumbiro Mountains which are part of the Virunga chain of volcanoes and home to the rare mountain gorilla. Because of this Kisoro has become a magnet to tourists.
Mountainous scenery, Lake Mutanda, Mountain Gorillas, colorful markets, and volcano trekking provides much for visitors to the district to do.
Kisoro is just about the end of the road for those visiting western Uganda. It is the nearest town to the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and is the access town for those proceeding to Rwanda’s Volcanoes Park or the the Parc Des Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo for gorilla tracking.
Access:
Kabale-Kisoro: 88 Kms 3 hours
Cyanika-Kisoro: 14 kms 0.5 hours
Bunagana-Kisoro: 14 kms 0.5 hours
Most visitors arriving in Kisoro will of come by way of the route over the mountains from Kabale. The route is a marrum road with very steep accents and descents. Large truck trailers use this route proceeding to and from the DRC. Arriving by way of Rwanda at the Cyanika border or from the DRC at Bunagana the road through to Kisoro is well graded volcanic stone. Delays should not be experienced. The border crossings should be easy going as both borders experience tourist traffic in relation to gorilla trekking activities in their respective national parks.
By Public Transport:
Both Gateway and Horizon bus companies operates 4 or 5 buses a day from Kampala through to Kisoro and vice versa. The first bus leaves Kampala around 07.00am but incredibly all buses leave Kisoro around 06.00am. The first bus arrives in Kisoro by 16.00 hrs. Buses no longer continue to Goma in the DRC. The fare Kampala – Kisoro is Ushs25,000-.
There are several matatus daily making the journey back and forth to Kabale. These vehicles are seriously overloaded and in poor condition. Additionally open Pickup trucks ply the route to Kabale that collect passengers also.
From Cyanika and Bunagana throughout the day there is no regular public transport. On market days (Monday and Thursday) in Kisoro there is significantly more transport between the borders.
For those looking for transport to Mgahinga National Park the Virunga Hotel offers a return shuttle for Ushs60,000- for the vehicle. You could as many do take a motor bike boda boda for Ushs7,000-. The road can at times be very rough.
The Virunga Hotel also arranges transport for those travelling to Rwanda to track gorillas. The return trip costs Ushs20,000- per person to the Uganda border with Rwanda and US$20- return from the border to the Rwanda National Parks HQ in Ruhengheri.
Should you be staying in Kisoro and have a gorilla tracking permit for Nkuringo then you will need to leave 1 and 1/2 hours to get there on what is a 39km journey. It has been known for people to undertake this journey on a boda boda!
By Air:
There is a newly constructed airstrip in Kisoro where charters by many Entebbe based operators are becoming frequent.
Backpackers Only
It is possible using a local canoe on Lake Mutanda and walking from its northern shore to arrive at Buhoma in Bwindi National Park. The journey will take 3 days. You can camp en-route at Nkuringo Safari Lodge at the northern tip of Lake Mutanda, then walk up to the Nkuringo Gorilla Campsite and stay at the simple Hammerkop bunkhouse outside the Nkuringo sector of the park. From the northern tip of Lake Mutanda the diatance to Nkuringo is 19km. To walk the 12km through to Buhoma from here will take 4 hours and you will need to engage the services of a ranger/guide to escort you through to the Park HQ at Buhoma. Park fees and ranger guide fees will need to be paid. Total distance from Kisoro is about 40 kms.