d it done in different sectors like Ruhijah, Rushaga, Buhoma and Nkuringo where different families are spotted during the Uganda gorilla trekking the first gorilla trekking was limited to 1 hour with a maximum of six people per family and it is believed that the Mubare gorilla group was habituated first and it is believed that there are over 500 mountain gorillas
Gorilla trekking sectors
Ruhijah gorilla trekking sector
It is located in the eastern part of the Bwindi Forest National Park, and it is the home of the Bitukura, Kyaguriro, and Oruzo families. It is the coldest of the sectors. It also offers an adventurous hiking trail to Rwamunyonyi Peak; one should not miss it while in Ruhijah and expect to meet other primates like monkeys.
Buhoma gorilla trekking sector
Buhoma is an interesting history since it’s a forest sector the first group of travellers toured when gorilla tourism was introduced and it is located in northern part of Bwindi and it is one of the most visited sectors because it’s where the first trekking was done from when the first family,the mubare family in 1992 after the establishment of Bwindi national park and also easy for visitors who had queen Elizabeth national park in their itinerary
Rushaga
Rushaga is located in the southern part of Bwindi; it is a home to 5 gorilla families and it is one of the best trekking sectors with the number of families like bweza, Busingye, nshongi, kahungye and there is other two families undergoing habituation like bikyingi and bushaho during Uganda gorilla trekking, one will encounter all that
Nkuringo
It is a home to the nkuringo family. The bushaho gorilla family crosses from rushaga and it is located at a higher altitude. for one to trek ibn nkuringo you need to be physically fit; therefore, it is recommended for young travellers who are fit and can manage long hikes
Attractions in gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park
Birding:
Bwindi is haven of over 350 bird species during the birding safari in Uganda, a number of birds are spotted in Bwindi National Park like the Rwenzori turaco, which is often seen in the forest canopy, and the great blue turaco a large vibrant bird that is often heard before it is seen flying
Mountain gorillas
Mountain gorillas during the Uganda gorilla trekking to Bwindi national park one will be able to see number of gorillas one in different sectors of the park and in each sector there are different families like in buhoma we have mubare familywhich was the first family and it has 5 members, habinyanja gorilla family,rushegura gorilla family,then nkuringo we have bikingi family which is best known for gorilla habituation, bushaho gorilla family it is agroup of 8 individuals and it is under the leadership of dominant silverback Bahati,in rushaga sector we have nshongi gorilla family with 7family members ,kahungye gorilla family with 17 members, Busingye gorilla family with 9 members,mishaya gorilla family with 12 members, bweza gorilla family,then the ruhija family there is bitukura gorilla family with 14 members ,oruzogo gorilla family with 17 individuals,kyaguliro gorilla family it has 20 members well reserved for research that’s why it is not occasionally visited because it meant for research.
Ancient rainforest
Bwindi national forest is a great ecological system covered with numerous types of vegetation.
The Batwa pygmy people
They are believed to have been staying in the forest, but when Bwindi National Park was gazetted, they were driven out of the forest during Uganda primate safaris, you will encounter these people going on with their day-to-day lives in ancient ways, like building houses locally hunting and many other activities that will blow your mind.
Activities done during gorilla trekking
Gorilla trekking
It is one of the main activities in Bwindi National Park, and it has attracted tourists from around the world. It is one of the exciting activities travellers enjoy most and to enable one do gorilla trekking, foreign non-residents pay $800; residents or east Africans pay 300 thousand shillings, and then foreign residents pay $700 in order to trek the gorillas
Gorilla habituation
Gorilla habituation takes place in the Rushaga sector. Here, travelers spend 4 hours with the gorillas once encountered, and they get to learn about their behavior. There are 2 gorilla families being habituated, so only 8 gorilla permits per day are available. Permits cost $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and UGX750000 for East African citizens.
Bird watching is another activity in Bwindi national park because it is home to 350 bird species, like the blue-headed sunbird and many others.
Nature walks
There is a guided nature walk through the trails, like the munyaga trail which takes travellers to the beautiful waterfall in the park the flora and fauna in the park will make the trek more amazing
Mountain biking
It is done in Buhoma sector, as it gives the best hiking experience and travelers will enjoy the hikes because it is fan to do biking in those mountains
Best time to visit Bwindi National Park
The best time to visit Bwindi National Park is during the dry season, specifically from June to September and December to February, as the trails are dry, which makes trekking easier.
Getting to Bwindi National Park
By road
Bwindi national park can be accessed from Kampala Mbarara Rukungiri to Kihihi which is about 8 to 10 hours
By air
The travelers can choose to fly from Entebbe to Kihihi or Kayonza, which are savannah or grass airstrips.
