Updated List Of Habituated Gorilla Groups In Buhoma And Available Permits Per Day
Updated List Of Habituated Gorilla Groups In Buhoma And Available Permits Per Day
The Buhoma area in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in the northern part of this ancient forest. Buhoma still holds her glory as the first area where gorilla trekking in this park began in the 1990s.
The Buhoma area is home to three fully habituated gorilla families: the legendary Mubare family, the Rushegura family, and the Habinyanja family. In the past, most of the administrative work of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was done in the Buhoma area, which may explain the high number of accommodation choices this area has.
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Bwindi, being a vast, thick forest, was hard to traverse, so it was subdivided into four areas, among which Buhoma belongs.
Although each gorilla family has members, having a conclusive list of family members in each gorilla family in Buhoma is hard because the numbers keep changing. Some gorilla families lose members while new births are received too.
Currently, the Buhoma area has 3 gorilla families and 24 gorilla permits per day open for public booking.
To enjoy your gorilla trek in the Buhoma area, you need to overnight within or close to the Buhoma area. This is because you have to get to the briefing point in time, that is, before 0745 hours. You may be disqualified from this activity when you do not attend a briefing before gorilla trekking.
What Are The Gorilla Families In Buhoma Area?
Rushegura, often called Group R, was opened in 2002 for public booking.
The Habinyanja gorilla family opened for public viewing in 1998 as a breakaway from the Mubare gorilla family. Sometimes, the Habinyanja gorilla family is referred to as Group H.
The Mubare gorilla family was among the first to be habituated and opened to public booking in 1993. Has an alternative name, Group M.
How to get to the Buhoma area
By road
You need a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle when hoping to take a gorilla safari in the countryside of Uganda because some roads leading to these destinations are in poor condition sometimes. A number of routes lead to the Buhoma area, but some of them include.
Kampala to Kabale to Kanungu to Buhoma
The drive from Entebbe airport or Kampala to Kabale is about 414 kilometers for approximately 5 to 6 hours. You carry on to Kanungu and Kanyantorogo for 120 kilometers for 4 hours to 5 hours.
Kampala to Ntungamo to Rukungiri to Kihihi to Buhoma
This is believed to be the most direct route to Buhoma from Entebbe or Kampala. The drive to Rukungiri lasts 390 kilometers, then continues 82 kilometers to Buhoma.
Queen Elizabeth National pPark to Kihihi to Buhoma
One may take this route after a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. You can use the Ishasha bridge, but sometimes it’s washed away by heavy rains, so you must know its prevailing condition before traveling there.
The drive from the Mweya section of Queen Elizabeth National Park is 160 kilometers to the Buhoma area. The distance from the Ishasha area is 64 kilometers to the Buhoma area.
Kampala to Kabale to Ruhija to Buhoma
From Kampala to Kabale, the drive is 414 kilometers, then continues to Ruhija and Buhoma for 95 kilometers. The public does not frequent the road from Kabale to Ruhija to Buhoma because of its poor condition.
By Air
Daily domestic flights commence from Entebbe Airport to Kihihi airstrip. You need to hire a transfer vehicle to Buhoma in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or your lodge, which takes about a 2-hour drive.
Charter flight services are available from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to Kihihi Airstrip.
What Accommodations To Book During Gorilla Trekking Safari?
Buhoma area has a number of accommodations of all budgets categorized into luxury, mid-range, and budget facilities. Some of the Buhoma accommodations you can book include:
Buhoma accommodations: Gorilla Forest Camp, Mahogany Springs, Engage Lodge, Gorilla Resort, Lake Kitandara Tented Camp, Bwindi View Bandas, Buhoma Lodge, Silverback Lodge
It is best to spend the night in the Buhoma area or close to this area to catch up with the briefing early morning that normally starts at 0745 hours at the Rangers station. When you spend your night before gorilla trekking away from the Buhoma area, catching up with the briefing time may be challenging.
The roads connecting one of the Bwindi areas to another may be impassable sometimes because of the regular rains that fall, logs may obstruct your way, may get a puncture, and so much more. Once you miss a briefing before gorilla trekking, you may be disqualified from attending this adventure even though you possess a permit.
How long is the gorilla trekking adventure in the Buhoma area?
The time taken doing the trek to find mountain gorillas in Buhoma is hard to predict as it depends on factors like the proximity of the mountain gorilla food, in case of a fight amongst the mountain gorillas, death of the dominant male and others.
Some tourists have located the mountain gorillas in two hours, while others have taken about three-quarters of the days. You need to have some patience while doing gorilla trekking. Alternatively, focus on other interesting features in the forest, like other primates, birds, butterflies, and others, until you locate the mountain gorillas.
What Is The Easiest Gorilla Family To Trek In Buhoma Area?
Buhoma area has three gorilla families: Rushegura, Habinyanja, and Mubare. Predicting the easiest gorilla family to trek is hard as the family closes the previous day and maybe the next day’s furthest. Mountain gorillas are free wild animals that traverse the forest without any impediment.
Some factors that prompt them to move include the death of a family member, an attack from a wild gorilla family, a family feud when food is exhausted, and others.
Daily, a team of ranger guides and gorilla trackers follow the gorilla families early in the morning and report their possible hangout. It is these clues that rangers guide tourists use when searching for the mountain gorillas.
Can I Trek Gorillas In Buhoma With A Gorilla Permit Of Another Area?
When booking to do gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, your gorilla permit is reserved according to the area, and it is in that area that you must track. You cannot be allowed to join gorilla trekking in a different location, yet you possess a permit for another area.
During the peak season, gorilla permits sell out, so finding a last-minute permit takes a lot of work, meaning all the booked tourists are expected to appear for gorilla trekking. In case you overnight in another area expecting to trek gorillas there, you are accepted because you will be an extra person, yet for each gorilla family, a maximum of 8 tourists are allowed to visit per day.
When Is The Best Time To Trek Gorillas In Buhoma?
Trekking mountain gorillas is open all year around, even for the Buhoma area; however, the dry season, normally June, July, August, September, December, and January, is the most sought after.
During the dry season, there is less rain received in the forest, trails have less protruding undergrowth, rivers flow within their course, and more sunlight penetrates through the dense canopy.
For mountain gorillas, they are more active in the dry season, including other primates and birds. The forest life is at its peak during the dry season.
Note that prices for most service providers are high during the peak season due to increased competition from other safari activities.
An example in question is the price of hiring a safari vehicle in the peak season is higher than during the low season due to competition for these vehicles, yet supply is limited.
If you wish to take a last-minute gorilla safari, the low season may have gorilla permit availability, but it is only guaranteed some of the time. This is because the demand for low-season gorilla permits is lesser. The low-season gorilla trekking season usually is March, April, May, and November.
How Secure Is Buhoma Area For Gorilla Trekking
Buhoma area is safe for gorilla trekking as a well-trained team of rangers is in place to offer security to the mountain gorillas, other forest dwellers, and the forest.
During gorilla trekking, at least two ranger guides escort tourists, one holding a machete and another a rifle in case of any attack. They constantly communicate with a walkie-talkie with the security team at the ranger station just in case they need backup. The last ranger guide follows the pace of the slowest trekkers so that no one is forgotten in the wilderness.
Other Uganda security agencies are in place to provide security and keep law and order in the wilderness.
Tourists must only enter the forest with an escorting ranger guide because the forest has other dwellers that are not habituated to human presence yet may not be friendly.
If you wish to taste local cuisine, do not eat street food, or you may get a stomach upset that can cost you the chance to see the mountain gorillas.
What Else Can I Do In Buhoma Other Than Gorilla Trekking?
Birding
According to ornithologists, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a Uganda Birding haven with over 350 bird species recorded, but the list keeps expanding. Bwindi forest is habitant to Albertine rift endemics, which you may spot during gorilla trekking in the Buhoma area. Some of the Bwindi forest birds include Rwenzori Turaco, Mountain Masked Apalises, African Hill Babbler, Western Green Tinkerbird, Redfaced Woodland Warblers, and several others.
Buhoma Community Visit
The Buhoma community walk allows you to immerse yourself in the daily life of the local people. You visit a local homestead, banana brewery, traditional healer, Bwindi hospital, and others during the walk.
If organized, you can attend the performance of the local dance group in the Buhoma area.
Forest Walk In the Buhoma Area
Taking some trails into the Bwindi forest from Buhoma allows you to learn more about this ancient forest. You can take the Munyanga River Trail, Waterfall Trail, Rushura Trail, Muzabajiro Loop Trail, and River Ivi Trail. During the walk, you may spot a number of primates like blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboons, and so many others. For keen birders, you may identify so many birds during these walks.
What Are The Rules Of Gorilla Trekking?
- The conservation of the mountain gorillas takes precedence even during gorilla trekking. The mountain gorillas are few left in the world. As of the recent population census, about 1,000 mountain gorillas are living. Even the number of visitors to the mountain gorillas daily is limited to a maximum of 8 per day.
- No feeding the mountain gorillas, so eat at least 200 meters away from them. Mountain gorillas are wild animals that must not depend on human provision but on the forest for survival.
- Spitting on vegetation is forbidden as you may pass germs to the mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are highly susceptible to human communicable infections like COVID-19, cough, flu, and several others. Mountain gorillas have about 96% human DNA, which brings them closer to human immunity capability.
- Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas to avoid passing germs to them.
- Littering the forest is forbidden as it alters the nature of the forest where mountain gorillas thrive.
- Only 1 hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them during a gorilla trekking adventure.
- The age limit for gorilla habituation is 15 years and above, as the wilderness may be rough for a child below this age. Sometimes, mountain gorillas feed from deep in the forest, which may not be easy to withstand.
- Stand in a tight group when you locate the mountain gorillas. They are highly sensitive to visitors around them as they may look suspicious. In case they come closer, stealthily retreat.
- Talk at a low tone or keep quiet during gorilla trekking so that you do not cause a stampede in the forest.
- Use a flash-less camera to take photos, and it should be soundproof.
- Wear a clean mask during gorilla trekking and when you locate the mountain gorillas.
- Do not surround the mountain gorillas when you locate them, as you may cause them to get agitated.
- In case you catch a communicable infection, volunteer to stay behind.
Are you interested in trekking the Buhoma sector? Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
