What is it like to combine gorilla trekking and village walks in Buhoma region

Planning the gorilla trekking and village walks in Buhoma region happens in the northern area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Buhoma sector is part of the four areas under which vast Bwindi forest is divided. Buhoma area has gorilla families including Mubare, Rushegura, Habinyanja and others.

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Doing gorilla trekking safari in Buhoma area is an opportunity to visit some of the original mountain gorilla families of Uganda opened to the public when conservation took precedence.

In case you are specific about booking the gorilla permit for Buhoma area it is best to reserve the necessary permits in advance atleast 6 months to a year upfront when demand is till low. Gorilla permits in Uganda are randomly allocated and are booked according to the four areas under which Bwindi is divided.

For village walks around Buhoma area, you may choose to visit the Batwa community or do a Buhoma walk to visit community projects like Bwindi hospital, schools and more. By adding the Buhoma community walk which takes about three hours to your itinerary, you get to support community based initiatives.

What To Do On The gorilla Trekking and village walks in Buhoma region.

Gorilla Trekking in Buhoma area

Gorilla trekking in Buhoma area includes getting allocated a gorilla family to trek that is part of the families that are members of this area some include Mubare, Habinyanja, Rushegura and others.

The ranger guide leads the trekkers via the trail heading towards where the gorilla family allocated to you was last seen. The tails may be messy sometimes from the rivers or streams or fall that flood. Bwindi forest receives untimely rains that at times last an entire day no matter the season.

Before finding the mountain gorillas, tourists are encouraged to enjoy every minute as it unfolds. The deeper the trails in Bwindi forest go the more adventures you expected to come across.

 Bwindi forest is a historical forgotten rain forest that is inhabited by a rich fauna and flora. Some inhabitants of Bwindi impenetrable National Park include over 9 primate species, 88 month, 310 butterflies, over 51 reptiles, more than 350 bird species and more. Bwindi forest for over years has weaved itself into tangles of creeper, vines, bamboo, over 200 tree natural tree species and more

When you find the mountain gorilla family allocated to you, only one hours is allowed with them for conservation motives.

If you wish to have extra time with the mountain gorillas, gorilla habituation experience is open currently the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National park. Four hours are allowed with a semi-habituated gorilla family but in company of researchers.

Village Walks In Buhoma area

Buhoma Community walks and Cultural performances

 The Buhoma community walk is open and this is a community initiative that is recognized by the Uganda Wildlife Authority management of Buhoma sector. Such projects help with community sensitization about the relevancy of conserving the mountain gorillas, other forest inhabitants and the forest.

When the people from the community get to understand the benefits they get from the existence of Bwindi forest, they learn to protect it.  Even when animals stray into the community, they can communicate with the Uganda Wildlife Authority to devise ways of driving them back into the forest without hurting them.

During the Buhoma community walk, you may visit the local medicine man, visit a local beer brewery, local home stead, traditional healer and more.

It is possible to organize a local dance troupe to entertain you with local folk songs, dance moves, local instruments and more after the long walk in the community.

The proceeds acquired from the community walks are used to run local projects that benefit the entire community.

Batwa community Visit

The Batwa are some of the homeless people in the world as they were evicted from the Bwindi forest which is there ancestral home. By visiting the Batwa, you support there daily life as funds contributed help with supporting their day today life and projects.

 Batwa are pygmies and Bwindi forest was one of their sole providers where they used to hunt, collect fruits, find herbs to cure any illness, collect honey and more. They can nolonger do this because the forest is gazette for the sustainable existance of the mountain gorillas and other inhabitants.

While amongst the Batwa community, you may be entertained by demonstrations of how they carried out their life, some traditional performances like dances, folk songs, plays and more. You may get to try making fire from the friction of firewood and more.

 Nature walks at Buhoma region are open too

A guided walk from Buhoma using the trail network like Munyaga River trail, water falls trail, Rushura Hill trail and more are available. These trails lead tourists to some amazing features that may be quick to ignore while on search for the mountain gorillas and other forest inhabitants.

During the nature walks in Bwindi forest from Buhoma region, you may encounter several birds, sparkling water falls, enjoy the view of rugged highlands, western rift valley, ferns, orchids and more.

What is the return time from gorilla trekking in Buhoma region

Return time from gorilla trekking in Buhoma area varies but some tourists have reported finding the gorillas in 30 minutes while others take longer but it is a very exciting experience. Only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them.

Finding the mountain gorillas in Bwindi is influenced by factors including, location of the gorilla feeding location, mood of the gorilla family, weather condition of the day, pace of fellow trekkers and more.

Ensure to wear the right gorilla trekking gears, hire a porter to assist with carrying some of your belongings, follow the trails constructed by regular visitors and adhere to the rules of gorilla safaris.

During the search for the mountain gorillas, tourists take a break to revamp their energy and enjoy some snacks or packed lunch because breakfast is taken to early to last an entire trek.

No matter how long it takes to find the mountain gorillas, when you locate them you may forget the hardships you may encounter along the way. Enjoy the presence of the mountain gorillas and even a blink of an eyes may make you feel that you have lost a lot from the actions of these primates.

Which Is The Easiest Gorilla Trekking Family To Trek In Buhoma Region

It is quite hard to determine the easiest gorilla family to trek in any area of Bwindi impenetrable national Park. Some of the gorilla families in Buhoma area include Rushegura, Mubare, Habinyanja and more.

The amongst the gorilla families, the one that was closest to the trail head the previous day may be the furthest the next day. Mountain gorilla families are very mobile primates free to explore the forest with nothing to stop them from getting to different parts of this endless forest.

Even factors prevailing in the forest may affect time of locating the mountain gorillas. In case the feeding area of the gorilla family is close, accessing them may be easier and in case it is far, the longer it may take to find them.

How Long Is The Village Walk In Buhoma Region

The guided village walk around Buhoma area may take average 3 hours to complete. It is best to hire a local guide with experience of the areas to lead the way around the community as they have undocumented history about the spots you come across.

You may choose to participate or taste some of the local products made using local materials like banana beer, coffee roasting and more. Do not forget to carry some snacks to munch on along the way.

How safe is the gorilla trekking tour in Buhoma region and Village walks

Fearing for your safety during the gorilla trekking and village walks is to human but all activities around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are Under the guidance of Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Every tourists must attend briefing on gorilla trekking day where the most recent research about the mountain gorillas and other forest inhabitants is communicated in details. Some of this information about the gorillas or other Bwindi forest inhabitants is not documented and not yet out to public access.

On the way, when with and after finding the mountain gorillas, tourists are encouraged to behave according to the recommendations from the ranger guides to avoid appearing suspicious.  In case the gorillas notice some unbecoming behaviors amongst the visitors, they may charge.

It is not all the time that the gorillas charge that its cause by tourists. Some times the gorilla family may charge after being attacked by another wild family, family feud, trying to tease visitors and more. Wait for the ranger guide to establish the cause of the matter and follow the new instructions he or she may provide.

The gorilla family is first fully habituated before opening it to the public which enables them to withstand human presence atleast for one hour. The process of gorilla habituation is used to help the mountain gorillas get accustomed to human presence without altering their traits.

By nature mountain gorillas are calm, shy and serene primates and most of the time may retreat into hiding when they get suspicious of strangers. Note that the gorillas can charge too and may show discontentment by chest thumping, hooting, beating the ground and more but try to keep calm.

Cost of Gorilla Trekking and Village walks in Buhoma area.

The cost of the gorilla permit is the foremost expenditure expected of every gorilla trekking tour that is $800 for foreign nonresidents, $700 for International residents, $500 for other Africans and 300000shs for East Africans.

Additional costs to include in the gorilla safari quotation may be accommodation costs, transport costs inclusive of vehicle hire, gas or fuel cost, driver guide fees and more.

Note that accommodation costs and transport costs contribute a great deal to the category of gorilla trekking safari package you choose that is luxury, mid-range or basic.

The cost of a guided community walk around Buhoma area varies but on average about $30 to more is charged excluding local guide fees. The number of activities you hope to do during the village walk contributes to the cost of this walk.

At Encounter Africa safaris, we encourage our tourists to generously tip the local guides to motivate them to even better their services. These local guides are from the local community and they are the mouth piece for the conservation team in the local community.

When is the best time to do a combination of gorilla trekking and village walks in Buhoma region

The dry season that is June to September and December to January is most preferred to do the gorilla trekking and village walks in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Even though the humidity of Virunga area is generally high all year, the dry season is better.

The trails in Bwindi forest are drier and more sunlight sips through the leafy canopy to brighten the environment and allow better visibility. Searching for the mountain gorillas becomes more interesting as you get to find other resident primates too. The rivers and streams in Bwindi forest flow within normal course allowing faster movement.

This is the high tourism season of Uganda so expected more tourists on ground and less gorilla permit availability chances for last minute bookings.

The arranged guided village walks normally have other tourists so expect to share this activity too. In case you wish to have a private village walk, there is a surcharge.

During the wet season that is March to May and November, gorilla safari in Bwindi are open and finding the mountain gorillas is guaranteed but expected more challenges. The slopes are quite slippery and rains are intense lasting almost an entire day. Do not forget to carry the relevant gorilla safari gears.

Chances of having an unprepared for sole gorilla trek in Bwindi are more open in the wet season without spending extra on closing off the rest of the permits.

While on the guided village walk, you may get to cover a smaller area of the village because of the possible challenges to hiking from one area to another. Bwindi forest and surrounding have a jagged topography  with remnants of Volcanic eruptions that affected this area. Contact us now.