GORILLA TREKKING REGIONS IN BWINDI.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park offers refuge to about 500 individuals which represent about half of the total population that is believed to be still thriving in the world. For life time experiences, only 19 habituated gorilla families are available for tourists to track every day in any of the four sectors; Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga.

Each group offers a different experience and if you have adequate time, you can visit more than one family while on a gorilla safari in Bwindi. Only 8 tourists are permitted to track one gorilla group per day. For magical encounters, visitors are allowed to spend only one hour with these endangered apes in the wild.

BWINDI GORILLA TREKKING REGIONS.

Rushaga.

Rushaga region of Bwindi is one of the four sectors that make up Bwindi impenetrable National Park. This sector is located in the Southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park between Rubanda and Kisoro district.

Rushaga region of Bwindi has five habituated groups, making it the largest number compared to other sectors which have four or less gorilla families hence availing Rushaga as one of the best regions in Bwindi for gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experience. The Gorilla families in Rushaga include; Nshongi, Busingye, Kahungye, Bweza and Mishaya.

Buhoma.

This is the most famous region and recommended for travelers looking for a satisfying gorilla safari in Uganda. The region was the first gorilla trekking region to host the first group of trekkers in 1993.  Since then, the sector has been the most famous for trekking mountain gorillas not only in Uganda, but the entire region. It is situated in the north of Bwindi national park with 4 habituated gorilla families that can be trekked by tourists daily. These include Mubare gorilla family, Habinyanja gorilla family, Rushegura gorilla family and Katwe family.

It’s always easy to connect from Queen Elizabeth national park to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and the park has a wide range of accommodation facilities from luxury, mid-range to budget and these have made Buhoma sector the best gorilla region in Bwindi impenetrable national park.

Ruhija.

This is also among the 4 gorilla regions in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, located on the eastern side of Bwindi near Kabale district. The park has 4 habituated gorilla families that are visited daily by tourists. These families include Oruzogo, Kyaguriro, Mukiza and Bitukura gorilla families. Ruhija is located between Buhoma and Kabale which makes it easy to be accessed from both sides of south and north. For one to trek gorillas in Rushija sector, they can stay in Buhoma, Ruhija, Lake Bunyonyi or even Kabale town and still make it to the starting point in the morning for trekking adventure.

Ruhija sector is the second most preferred region after Buhoma sector. The sector is used by tourists who don’t have enough time on their schedule and would love to find gorillas so fast in the forest. Mountain gorillas in Ruhija sector are found so fast because of the lowland terrain and less dense vegetation that characterize this region.

Nkuringo.

The home to Christmas and Nkuringo gorilla families in south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was officially opened for tourism in October 2004 when the Uganda Wildlife Authority begun to officially offer tracking permits for Nkuringo group. Just like other sectors, Nkuringo was reserved first for researchers, and no tourist was allowed to track in this sector before its official opening.