Gorilla Trekking In Buhoma Sector
Gorilla Trekking In Buhoma – How many families are in Buhoma Region – what is the Cost of tracking Gorillas in Buhoma – How to get to Buhoma – How does Buhoma Sector compare to the other Gorilla trekking Regions in Bwindi
Buhoma sector in Bwindi’s pioneer gorilla trekking region. It is here that Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Forest National Park first happened in 1993. The first habituated Gorilla family to be opened for gorilla trekking in the entire Bwindi forest was Mubare Gorilla group.
There are currently three(03) habituated Gorilla Groups In Buhoma Sector; Mubare, Habinyanja, Rushergura and Katwe gorilla groups. Only eight (08) tourists are allowed to visit a particular gorilla family every day.
Gorilla permits to trek mountain gorillas in Buhoma sector as is for the rest of Bwindi Forest is USD600per person ($700pp after 01/July/2020). Tourists are allowed only up to one (01) hour with the mountain gorillas. The time limit is to minimise human interference to the traditional way of life of the gorillas. If you did the maths, you’ll find that there are 32 gorilla permits available for gorilla trekking In Buhoma Sector on the daily – Gorilla Trekking Permits are a Highly desired commodity and often get sold out especially during the peak season months of June, July & August.
Things to see & do besides Gorilla trekking In Buhoma Sector
The Batwa are a minority tribe that originally lived in Bwindi Impenetrable forest for thousands of years but were expelled from the forest when it was gazetted as a national park in 1991.
Visiting the Batwa pygmies is a great experience – one you can’t afford to miss while On your gorilla safari to Buhoma Sector. On your visit, you will learn about their culture and get involved in some of their cultural activities like the traditional dances, the drumming sessions while listening to folk stories about how they used to hunt and gather fruits in the forest – that was turned into a National park.
Learn more about the Batwa Experience.
Bwindi forest is one of the Top birding sights for vivid birders On a Uganda birding safari. The Forest is home to a whooping list of approximately 330 bird species.
- Waterfalls Hike.
The Munyaga waterfall trail is a fantastic trail to follow. Taking a Local site guide even makes it more interesting.
- Nature Walks.
There equally a range on interesting guided nature trails to follow within the forest. We recommend doing them after your Gorilla trekking – as you won’t have to pay park entry fees as opposed to if you did them the next day.
- Mountain biking.
Buhoma’s terrain is amazing and its remoteness is fun exploring on a Mountain bike. We recommend taking a local guide For the experience.
- A visit to the Women’s Empowerment centre.
The Ride for a woman project founded by Evelyn Nabasa and her husband Denis is a wonderful community project and might perhaps be the most successful story – Visit and endeavour to make a donation.
**We recommend staying at their homely accommodation – they have tasty garden fresh food, cold beer and the service is great too. The food supplies to this lodge are from the community and are grown by the women. (see: https://www.ride4awoman.org/ )
Where to Stay in Buhoma Sector of Bwindi Imp. Forest National Park
What to wear/bring on your Gorilla trek.
What to wear on my gorilla trek.
- Sturdy Lightweight walking shoes. the lighter the better. Extra weight on the trek is not good.
- Long-sleeved shirt and trousers to provide extra body protections against thorny shrubs.
- Long socks that allow you tuck you pants in to avoid bugs from climbing into your pants while on the trek.
- Rain jacket in case it rains. Remember you are trekking in a tropical rain forest.
- Gaiters (Optional). Don’t spend On new ones. These can well be substituted with long socks to serve the same purpose.
What to bring on your trek.
- A camera for your photographic needs. Don’t spend BIG on a camera. if you own an iphone, they too take amazing pictures especial under limited forest light.
- Binoculars (optional). They might come in handy when spotting some forest birds. Your ranger guide will have a pair that he is willing to share.
- A hat (optional). This is to keep branches and leaves let alone bugs from falling into your hair.
- Drinking water. Realm Africa Safaris will provide adequate bottled drinking water for the entire trip.
- Packed Lunch. Realm Africa Safaris will take care of this. All our trips include meals unless agreed otherwise
- A Day Pack to carry all your personal items while on the trek. ** We recommend using a porter to carry your day pack for you (see: why use a porter for Gorilla trekking)
Getting to Buhoma Sector
There are many routes that will lead you to Buhoma sector of Bwindi Forest NP (depends on your location. If you are visiting and are on a Uganda safari, Buhoma can be reached from Queen Elizabeth NP in two to three hours (from the Ishasha sector) or five to six hours (from more northerly sectors of the Kasenyi Sector).
From Lake Mburo National park (a favourite overnight break for those driving from Entebbe or Kampala), Buhoma is five to seven hours by road.
If coming straight from Entebbe or Kampala, the trip by road will take about 9-10 hours. During the rainy season, we recommend driving by 4WD vehicles the roads can be challenging to navigate.
Bwindi can also be reached by a scheduled or chartered flight from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield. The flights land at Kihihi which is the closest airport to the Buhoma – approximately 2-hours drive away.
