Buhoma Gorilla Trekking | Bwindi National Park Gorilla Sector
Buhoma Gorilla Trekking: Buhoma is popularly known as the major and first visited gorilla family among the other three gorilla families Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo, all found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park that sits in Kanungu district, estimating an 8- to 9-hour drive to access the main destination.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is the main stopping area for a fabulous gorilla trekking experience. Therefore, Buhoma was the first gorilla group to be officially opened for gorilla tourism in 1993, which implies that the Buhoma region has the oldest habituated gorilla family in the entire Bwindi Impenetrable National park and the first family to be trekked was called the Mubare group.
Currently it has 9 members and this number is because of Ruhondeza’s death, who passed away in 2013. Ruhondeza grew older and became too weak to defend the family, though he remained the leader “silverback.”
By the time of Ruhondeza’s death, the family had only four members and after his death, the new silverback embarked on an aggressive campaign against other gorilla families to tune up to nine members. Due to the new silverback, the family started gaining in numbers.
These are the habituated gorilla families found in Buhoma regions.
Habinyanja Gorilla family
Mubare Gorilla family
Katwe Gorilla family
Muyambi Gorilla family
Rushegura Gorilla family
Gorilla trekking – Buhoma Sector
Visitors who visit Buhoma’s gorilla sectors can trek mountain gorillas in one of these five gorilla families, though you need to be physically fit to hike to and fro in search of great mountain gorillas.
Activity – Gorilla Trekking Experience
The gorilla trekking experience is a quite awesome and unforgettable activity that starts early in the morning with a briefing at the park’s headquarters and after at 8am, you meet the guide to locate you to the assigned gorilla family.
You will then hike to the forest tracking trailhead in search of gorillas, which can take 2 to 8 hours depending on their movements. But remember to carry a packed lunchbox, put on rubber hiking shoes, a rain jacket, a mineral water bottle, and others. Once gorillas are located, you will be given one hour to watch them as you enjoy their exciting lifestyles while enjoying your lunch boxes and memorable photography.
What is the cost of gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park?
Gorilla trekking in Buhoma or Bwindi Impenetrable Forest costs USD800 per person per trek for foreign nonresidents, USD700 for foreign residents, and UGX300,000 for East African members. You can opt to do a gorilla habitation experience, which can be done in the Rushanga sector and it goes for 1,500 per person per trek for a foreign non-resident and USD 1,000 for a foreign resident. A gorilla habituation experience lasts a full day and allows four people to visit the habituated gorilla family.
Accessibility
Buhoma sector can be accessed both by air and road transport.
By Road – The Buhoma sector can easily be accessed from Kampala to other regions of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, approximately 550 kilometers by road.
You still access Buhoma in Bwindi by connecting to Queen Elizabeth National Park via the southern sector in Ishasha, where you can have a great chance of viewing the unique tree-climbing lions.
From Queen to Buhoma–Bwindi, it takes a 2- to 3-hour drive. Queen Elizabeth National Park is popular for its biodiversity of wildlife species, with over 95 mammals and over 600 bird species, making it a paradise for birders.
In the park, the best place to view wildlife species is along Kazinga Channel, where you can be able to spot a variety of species along the banks of the channel quenching their thirst for water. In spite of the fact that Buhoma remains the closest gorilla sector to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale National Park for Chimpanzee tracking and Rwenzori National Park, where you can do a combined wildlife and gorilla safari tour.
By Air transport
Buhoma can also be reached by airplane, mostly for those who hate traveling on long journeys. You can book your domestic flight in advance from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield with the help of the tour operators; a flight takes 1:30 to land at Kihihi or Kisoro Airfield.
Apart from gorilla trekking in Buhoma, there are other things to do, including nature walks where you can view beautiful butterfly species, birds, tree species and other small primates like black and white monkeys and colobus monkeys; visit the Buhoma Village walk—guided with a guide; do Batwa traditions; get massage therapy; go bird watching; tour the Bwindi Community Hospital; and walk the Buhoma Community Village, among others.
