Buhoma Sector

The Buhoma Sector is home to the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park headquarters. This is the primary gorilla tracking trailhead and can be approached using several different routes, converging near the town of Butogota 17km before the park entrance. Bwindi’s busiest tourism site is Buhoma on the north of the forest. It is the trailhead for tracking three gorilla groups and a wide range of accommodation is available. Tho tracking is the main attraction, a range of other wall more relaxed opportunities to spot birds and monkeys exploring one of Uganda’s loveliest rain forests. These can be arranged to depart in the morning at 09.00 afternoon at 14.15.

• Munyanga River Trail in the valley below Buhoma an ideal short walk to view birds and primates forest edge.
• Waterfall Trail leads through one of Uganda’s me tracts of rainforest, passing beneath tree ferns ferns and orchids to visit three sparkling waterfall
• Rushura Hill Trail provides expansive views ( plains of the western rift valley to the west an< days) Lake Edward and the Rwenzori to the north
• Muzabajiro Loop Trail climbs to the summit of Rl for breathtaking views of Bwindi forest, the W Valley and the Virunga volcanoes.
• River Ivi Trail follows an old road through beaL emerging near Nkuringo on the southern edge. It is highly recommended for bird watchers.

Getting There & Away

Getting there and away – All of the approach routes involve some driving along dirt roads that may become slippery after rain, so an early start is recommended to be certain of reaching the park before dark. It’s advisable to carry all the fuel you need, but if you run short, there are two filling stations in Kihihi, roughly 15km north of Kanyantorogo on the road towards Ishasha.

Things to Do in Bwindi

Buhoma community walk and cultural performance. The local community operates a village walk which 1 three hours. This immerses visitors in village life. S include a typical homestead, the traditional healer an beer brewery. Local dance groups also perform traditional dance and music in the evenings by arrangement. Proceeds from these events are used for community development projects. Here are the top things to do in Bwindi Forest;

Gorilla tracking: Three habituated gorilla groups, Mubare, Rushegura and Habinyanja live in the vicinity of Buhoma. Eight Permits are available for each of these groups, bringing the daily total to 24. Gorilla tracking excursions leave from Buhoma at 8:00am and the round trip might take anything from three to ten hours, depending on the proximity of the gorillas and how easily they are located. The success rate is as good as 100%.

Guided day walks from Buhoma – Bwindi is widely thought to support the greatest biodiversity of any east African forest, and the Buhoma area has more to offer than just gorilla tracking. Five different day-trails, ranging from 30 minutes to eight hours in duration, lead from Buhoma, offering the opportunity to enjoy the tranquility of the forest and to see several different monkey species. For birders, roughly 190 bird species have been recorded in the Buhoma area, ten of which are either listed in the Red Data Book or else endemic to the Albertine Rift.

The Munyaga River Trail lies outside the national park and so no guide is required. It’s only a half-hour walk, starting at the end of the Buhoma Road, from where it follows the Bizenga River to its confluence with the Muyanga, before returning to the Buhoma road at the community campsite. Birding can be good in the early morning and late afternoon, with the shining blue kingfisher being a particular specialty. Guided trails are well worth it, since most of the guides are very knowledgeable and good at finding animals that you would probably miss. A tip not mandatory but it is more or less customary, bearing in mind that the rangers are very poorly paid. For monkeys and general scenery, the best of the guided walks is probably the three hour waterfall Trail. This leads for 2km along an abandoned road before heading into what we consider one of the most beautiful areas of forest in Uganda, and following the Munyaga River on the ascent to the 33m- high waterfall. Other trails are the Mazubijiro loop trail and Rushara Hill Trail, which both take about three hours and offer good opportunity for seeing monkeys, duikers and a variety of birds.

Birder watchers with a limited amount of time in Bwindi are strongly urged to stick to the main road that runs into the forest from the entrance gate. It is easier to see birds from the road than from a forest path, and no a good morning you could hope to see around 40-50 species over a slow 2km walk, a high population of them more easily seen here than in any other similarly accessible part of Uganda. Among the great many remarkable birds that are commonly seen along this road, some of the more readily identifiable include the great blue and black billed turacos, dusky and barred long tailed cuckoos, bar-tailed trogon, black bee eater, grey throated barbet, petit’s cuckoo-shrike, Elliot’s woodpecker,  red tailed bulbul, mountain ,icterine and yellow whiskered green plus, white browed crombec, yellow eyed black flycatcher, white tailed blue fly catcher , white tailed crested monarch, narrow- tailed ant-thrush, rusty-faced warbler, white-browed crombec, yellow-eyed black flycatcher , black headed waxbill a lot more.

Village walks

This three hour stroll through Buhoma and its margins immerses visitors in the customs and practices of the Bakiga and Batwa people. The tour takes in varied activities such as farming, brewing local beer, dispensing traditional medicines and concludes with dancing displays by members of the Batwa community.

Habituated gorilla groups in Buhoma region

Buhoma region is the northern sector of Bwindi National Park. It is known for its oldest gorilla group-Mubare group that was first of its kind to open for trekking in Bwindi National Park. However, this region now consists of 4 habituated gorilla groups which translates into 16 gorilla permits;

Mubare gorilla group (M-Group)

Mubare gorilla group is by far the first group to be habituated and also to open for gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It under went habituation from 1992 and in 1993, it was ready for trekking. During habituation period, it comprised of 12 members but as time went on, other members joined other groups and others passed something which reduced its group size to 5 members. By 2013, Mubare gorilla family welcomed more 4 members that joined and currently, this group is comprised of 9 members

Mubare gorilla group derives its name where it was first sighted in Bwindi National Park. It is one of the easiest families to trek by trekkers on Uganda gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi National Park.

Habinyanja gorilla family (H-Group)

Habinyanja gorilla was habituated in 1997 and this makes it one of the ancient gorilla groups in Buhoma region of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The H-Group derives its name from Rukiga word ‘Nyanja’ which means place of water. It is made of 18 members and Makara silverback is its leader.

Rushegura gorilla family

Rushegura gorilla group is within Buhoma gorilla trekking region of Bwindi National Park. Unlike other gorilla families in Buhoma sector this group is comprised of many members. It was opened for trekking in 2002 in Buhoma region of Bwindi National Park and Mwirima split from Habinyanja group with 7 members. This group succeeded under Mwirima silverback leadership but, he passed on and the leadership of the family was taken over by Kabukojo with now about 19 members.

Habituated gorilla groups in Ruhija sector

Ruhija gorilla trekking region is in eastern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It is currently comprised of 4 habituated gorilla groups;

Bitukura gorilla family

Bitukura gorilla group is unique from the rest of habituated families the fact that it completed its habituation cycle within one and half year. It is comprised of 14 mountain gorillas with about 4 silverbacks but led by Ndahura silverback. 3 of the Bitukura’s members moved to other groups but it is currently recovering with new born babies that have been welcomed.

Oruzogo gorilla family

Oruzogo gorilla group is an incredible region to visit to start your Uganda gorilla safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It was habituated in 2009 and comprised of 22 members with Tibirikwata silverback as its leader. Trekking this region will excite you with the playful juveniles and toddlers.

Kyaguriro gorilla family

Although Kyaguriro gorilla group is set for research purposes, it can also be trekked by visitors on Uganda gorilla safari in Impenetrable National Park. It was habituated in 1999 and it is headed by Zeus silverback but later, replaced by Rukina after he passed on who also dies. Currently, it is headed by Rukara.

Mukiza gorilla group

Mukiza gorilla family is Ruhija’s new habituated gorilla group and for those in need for new experiences, it is a perfect group to explore. It is named after Mukiza silverback and consists of 13 members.

Where to Stay

There is a range of tourist accommodation where to stay in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Selected lodges include;

• Bwindi Gorilla Haven
• Buhoma Lodge
• Lake Kitandara Camp