This protected area contains two ecotourism sites: Kaniyo Pabidi and Busingiro. Kaniyo Pabidi offers excellent chimpanzee trekking. Busingiro is home to the Royal Mile, one of the top bird-watching tracks in the country.
Budongo is located about 300km/186mi north of Kampala. The drive takes at least four hours. Coming from the southwest, the 280km/170mi drive from Fort Portal take at least six hours.
It is also possible to fly to Pakuba Airfield in Murchison Falls NP by scheduled or chartered aircraft from Entebbe International Airport (EBB) or Kajjansi Airfield
Budongo’s main attraction is tracking a troop of habituated chimpanzees at Kaniyo Pabidi. Your guide will take you along the forest trails to find them. Once found, you can observe them for one hour. They may be feeding in the canopy, or resting.
The forest is the second most important in Uganda for species of the Guinea-Congo forest region. Two species of birds found in Budongo forest are found nowhere else in East Africa: Yellow-footed flycatcher and Puvel’s illadopsis.
The best location for bird watching is on ‘The Royal Mile’ at Busingiro, but Kaniyo Pabidi also offers excellent forest birding and is easier to explore. Migratory birds are present from November to April.
Watching wildlife and tracking chimpanzees in Budongo Forest is good all year long. It is best from December to March and also in June and July when rainfall is less.