Best place to see Gorillas In Bwindi Forest National Park
With a thriving Mountain Gorilla population of up to 400 gorillas, Four (04) official Gorilla Trekking regions, and a total of up to 20 habituated Mountain gorilla families open for trekking, choosing the best place to see gorillas in Bwindi then becomes a tough decision to make especially considering that you are possibly visiting Uganda for the first time – the reason you will need to read through all the way to the end of this article.
Choosing the Best Gorilla Trekking Region In Bwindi
Gorilla trekking In Bwindi Forest is done in four (04) regions; Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo Regions. We will discuss the Up & downside of trekking gorillas in each one of the four regions.
Buhoma Gorilla Region is the headquarters and first place where mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda all Started in April 1993. Buhoma has a total of three (03) habituated Mountain gorilla families open or trekking. Buhoma Habituated Mountain gorilla groups include; Habinyanja Gorilla Group, Mubare Gorilla Group & Rushegura Gorilla Group. The Buhoma region offers Accommodation in three (03) categorize; Budget, Midrange & Upmarket – Opulent Lodging.
The Upside of Trekking gorillas in the Buhoma region is its proximity to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale and Murchison Falls makes it easy to see more than just one park. Flying in and out of Entebbe to Buhoma Via Ishasha Airstrip saves you the 10-hours long drive.
The down-side of trekking gorillas In Buhoma is the stiff Competitiveness for gorilla permits as most of the permits are often bought out by the Big tour operators and Lodges around Buhoma region.
Ruhija Gorilla Region lies approximately 50km – from Buhoma and is the second best option (after Buhoma Sector) for travelers intending to merge a visit to Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale Forest and Queen Elizabeth National Park with Uganda’s most sought-after Adventure Experience of Mountain gorilla trekking In Bwindi. Ruhija has three (03) habituated Mountain gorilla families open for tourists to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda. The Mountain gorilla groups in Ruhija Sector include; Bitukura Mountain gorilla Group, Oruzogo Mountain gorilla Group & Kyaguliro Mountain Gorilla Group.
The Up-side with Trekking gorillas In Ruhija is proximity to Murchison Falls NP, Kibale Forest National Park & Queen Elizabeth National Parks. Ruhija region is only 7 -hours from Kigali – a lot less than driving from Entebbe -10 hours which makes it possible for travelers to fly-in or out of Kigali for gorilla trekking In Ruhija.
The Down-side of choosing to trek gorillas in Ruhija region is the lodging options. Ruhija compared to any other gorilla trekking regions has the least number of Lodging options. Our recommended accommodations in Ruhija Include; Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Gorilla Mist Camp & Broadbill Forest Camp – however, there is still hope that more investors will be lured into setting up more lodges in Ruhija.
Rushaga Gorilla Region lies further South approximately 35Km from Kisoro border town close to Rwanda – Uganda’s Cyanika Boarder post – 5 hours from Kigali, and is our best recommendation for travelers intending to fly-into Kigali to trek Mountain gorillas In Uganda – Gorilla Permits cost USD700 as opposed to Rwanda’s recently hiked mountain Gorilla permit price Of USD1,500 per permit. Read more about Flying into Rwanda to trek Gorillas in Uganda. Rushaga Sector has Five (05) habituated mountain gorilla Families open for travelers to trek. These include; Nshongi Gorilla Group, Mishaya Gorilla group, Kahungye Gorilla group, Busingye Gorilla Group and Bweza Gorilla Group.
The Up-side of Trekking Gorillas in Rushaga is her proximity to the Uganda – Rwanda border Post of Kyanika / Cyanika – Meaning travellers can fly-in through Kigali Airport, drive to Bwindi from Kigali for just 5 hours – Trek Mountain gorillas in Uganda for USD700 per gorilla Permits as opposed to USD1500 per gorilla permit in Rwanda.
The Down-side, however, is that adding Gorilla trekking In Rushaga to Visiting other National Parks of Uganda might involve extra driving or otherwise you fork out some extra cash for a flight from Kisoro to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The other alternative is to take the Guided Adventure trail – Nature walk from Nkuringo to Buhoma which then brings you close to Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National park popular for Tree Climbing Lions in Uganda.
Nkuringo Gorilla Region lies close to the DR. Congo border – Worry NOT, the Ugandan Side is safe for Mountain gorilla trekking. This region has three (03) Habituated mountain gorilla groups; Nkuringo, Bushaho and christmas gorilla families. Treks in Nkuringo are considered more physically challenging and only a recommendation for the upbeat, and physically fit Travelers. However, those that have endured the tough terrains of Nkuringo say Gorilla trekking in Nkuringo offers the real Forest trekking experience.
The Up-side of Trekking mountain Gorillas in Nkuringo is the Proximity to Kigali International Airport in neighbouring Rwanda. The drive from Kigali International Airport to Nkuringo Region is ±5-hours which is a lot shorter than driving from Entebbe International Airport – 10 hours. Nkuringo Region also offers a wide range of accommodation options for travellers to choose from. Our Recommendation of Places to stay in Nkuringo Region include; The Upmarket – Luxury – Opulent Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, and a number of Fair-Price lodges like Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Lake Mutanda Resort, and Bwindi Jungle Lodge. Best place to see Gorillas In Bwindi
The down-side of trekking Mountain gorillas in Nkuringo region is the terrain. Nkuringo Region is Known to be the toughest place to trek Gorillas in Uganda – the terrain is steep and challenging or The average trekker but those that have made it – have enjoyed the experience.
The Best Place for Gorilla trekking In Bwindi Forest is dependent on several things; If you have a few days and want to simply get in and out of Africa after your mountain gorilla trekking Adventure tour in Uganda, then our recommendation would be either Nkuringo or Rushaga Gorilla trekking Regions – 5 hours from Kigali. Otherwise, if a traveler intends to visit other Parks in Uganda, then our Best recommendation in terms of easy accessibility would be Buhoma, and or Ruhija Gorilla Trekking Regions.
However, whether visiting Rushaga, Nkuringo, Ruhija or Buhoma Gorilla Regions, all travellers must remember That gorilla permits in Uganda are a lot more competitive to book now than they were in the previous years as many tour operators from neighbouring Rwanda are now offering cheaper Gorilla trekking Safaris to Uganda following the recent increase of the Rwanda gorilla Permits fees from USD750 to USD1,500 per permit. We recommend that you pre-pay your gorilla permits at least six (06) months in Advance. Gorilla Permits in Uganda still remain cheaper – USD700 per person.
