Plan a Safari to Nkuringo Region (Bwindi); What to see & do in Nkuringo Region, Where to Stay in Nkrungo Region, the Best time to Visit Nkruingo Region, and How to get to Nkuringo Region.
The Nkuringo Region is one of the four (04) designated Gorilla Trekking regions of the great Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park famous for its breathtaking views and scenery. Nkuringo region is home to three (03) habituated Mountain gorilla groups; Nkuringo, Bishaho, and the Christmas gorilla Family. Only eight (08) tourists are allowed to track a particular gorilla group and spend up to a maximum of 01-hour viewing, photographing, or filming the gorillas.
How to Plan a Safari to Nkuringo Region
- What is there to see & do in Nkuringo Region?
- Best Time to Visit Nkuringo Region.
- Where to stay on a Safari to Nkuringo Region.
- How to Get to Nkuringo Region.
What is there to see & do in Nkuringo Region?
- Gorilla Trekking: Gorilla trekking or tracking is the main drawcard for visitors to the Nkuringo region. The region has 3 habituated gorilla groups each with 08 permits on the daily available for purchase at $700 per person for non-residents, $600 per person for foreign residents including expatriates living and working in East Africa; Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, or Burundi. East African Citizens pay Ugx250,000 per person to spend 01 hours with the gorillas in Nkuringo Region. There are up to 24 gorilla permits available for purchase in the Nkuringo region on a daily. Realm Africa safaris™ can assist you to book your Nkuringo gorilla Permits well in advance to avoid missing out as they do get sold out especially in the peak season months of June – August, September – October, and December.
- Batwa Experience: The 3-hour Buniga Forest Trail Batwa experience in the Nkuringo region showcases the life of the Batwa native pygmies—their historical nomadic cultures when they occupied the expanses of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest until 1991 when the forest was gazetted as a national park. The tribe was forced out of the park and since then have been struggling to cope with modern life outside the jungle. The Buniga forest trail is a USAID initiative put together to help the Batwa community earn a living from tourism around the UNESCO world heritage site. This walk is truly an experience, not challenging at all, but rather informative and exciting – we recommend adding it to your safari to Nkuringo Region.
- Hiking experiences: In addition to the rather more intense mountain gorilla trekking safari in Nkuringo, The region is a favorite for well-seasoned hikers who take on multi-day hiking safari experiences. The sector has been recognized by various top travel magazines like CNN Travel and Lonely Planet as one of the top hiking destinations in the world.
- Birdwatching: Nkuringo Region is also a great place to encounter the amazing forest Birds Of the great Bwindi impenetrable forest National Park. The nearby Lake Mutanda is one of the Prime places to go on a birding Safari combined with a boat safari on Lake Mutanda – arguably the most scenic boat safari in Uganda.
Best Time to Visit Nkuringo Region.
The Best time to visit the Nkuringo region is during the dry season months of June – August, or December – February when the trails are fairly drier and therefore easier to navigate. However, it is important to remember that the dry season months mentioned above are also the peak season for tourism in Uganda and East Africa in general. We recommend booking your accommodation, gorilla permits, and flights well in advance.
For more information: Best time to visit Bwindi
Where to stay on a Safari to Nkuringo Region.
Our favorite place to stay in the Nkuringo region is the locally owned, and fairly priced Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge. However, travelers with a flexible budget might consider staying at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge or the newly open Gorilla heights Lodge.
For the low-budget traveler, we recommend the basic, clean, and cheap Bwindi Backpackers lodge only a 20minutes drive to get to the Nkuringo Gorilla Briefing point.
How to Get to Nkuringo Region.
- Nkuringo is just 5 hours if you fly in through Rwanda.
- Nkruingo is relatively close to Rushaga – 01 hour close to Rushaga area in case of permit scarcity in Nkuringo – meaning we can almost guarantee you will have a gorilla permit.
- Nkuringo area is off the touristic route – most tour operators opt for Buhoma.
- Nkuringo area allows for an easy to “stitch” Uganda – Rwanda Combo Gorilla Trekking Safari. Remember the Nkuringo Region is only 2 ½ hours to Volcanoes National park.
Getting to Nkuringo from Entebbe International Airport
- By Road:
Getting to Nkuringo from Entebbe is one of the longest drives you will probably encounter while on your Uganda Safari. Driving to Nkuringo could last up to 10 hours depending on the prevailing road conditions – remember Uganda is the “Capital of speed humps ” these slow down traffic, the roads towards Nkuringo are loose surface dirt roads whose conditions change with the weather – horrible when it rains, dusty when it shines.
If driving to Nkuringo, we recommend you use a 4×4 and an experienced driver-guide – we discourage self-drive – want to know why? Read our post ” East Africa Self drive Safari – NOT recommended“.
- By Air:
Getting to Nkuringo by Air is by far easier than by road – of course! a lot much easier. Areolink Uganda Operates charter flights to Kisoro town which last just under 1hr 30 minutes landing in Kisoro. Kisoro town is just 2 hours away from Nkuringo. The flights to Kisoro a very scenic but are subject to prevailing where Conditions and surcharges based on the Minimum Number Of persons flying to this area. It’s therefore important that you plan your flying safari in advance (3 months) to avoid any last-minute inconveniences.
Getting to Nkuringo from Rwanda, Kigali City.
Kigali Capital City – Rwanda, is a mere 5 hours drive to the Nkuringo area of Bwindi Forest. This is our second best recommendation for Gorilla trekking or Habituation in Uganda. Because the drive from Rwanda is short (compared to 10 hours from Entebbe Airport) we always advise our clients to fly through Rwanda and trek in Uganda.
Popular Safaris to Nkuringo Region
