Planning a gorilla safari to Buhoma region of Bwindi from Kigali Rwanda

Planning a gorilla safari to Buhoma region of Bwindi from Kigali Rwanda. If Buhoma area is your niche destination for a Uganda gorilla safari from Rwanda, you need to book a gorilla permit for Buhoma area. Buhoma is one of the four gorilla trekking areas that make up Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This area lies in the northern sector of Bwindi and has the main headquarters of this Park.

Buhoma area also offers the largest options of accommodations in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, offering Luxury, Mid-range, and Budget facilities. 

Most Popular Safaris

2 Day Bwindi Gorilla Safari through Kigali

3 Day Low Season Uganda Gorilla Safari via Kigali

3 Day Uganda Gorilla Safari from Kigali

3 Days Rwanda Gorilla Tracking Safari

5 Day Uganda Gorillas & Game Safari via Kigali

4 Day Uganda Safari via Kigali

14 Day Uganda Safari via Kigali

3 Day Gorilla Habituation via Kigali

3 Day Bwindi Double trek via Kigali

From Rwanda, you cross into Uganda via the Cyanika or Gatuna Border to Kabale then Buhoma area. You may take about 4 hours to 5 hours on the road. In case you are required to obtain a visa to Uganda or Rwanda as a travel document, you may purchase the East Africa Visa as both countries are in the East African community. The East African visa allows you entry into at least two East African countries. 

The Buhoma area has three gorilla trekking families: the Mubare family, the Rushegura family, and the Habinyanja family. These gorilla families are sentimental to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as they were amongst the first gorilla families to be opened to public booking in Uganda.

Many tourists, especially repeat clients, desire to follow up on these gorilla families, so demand for the permits of the Buhoma area is still overwhelmingly high despite the fact that new families have been opened elsewhere.

Consider transport to use when getting to the Buhoma area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, as you can get there by road or air from Kigali, Rwanda.

If you have extra time on Uganda gorilla safari holiday, you can chip in other Uganda safari activities to immerse yourself in the beauties of Uganda tourism destinations.

How To Plan Gorilla Safaris to Buhoma Through Kigali Rwanda

Reserve the Buhoma gorilla trekking Permit

Buhoma so far has three gorilla trekking families: the Mubare family, the Rushegura family, and the Habinyanja family, yet each has a maximum of 8 gorilla permits open daily. You need to book the gorilla permits of Buhoma in case you're specifically interested in this area.

Reserving your gorilla permit at least 6 months to a year upfront saves you from last-minute disappointment. As the old tradition of buying gorilla permits was based on Buhoma gorilla families, it may have stayed the same so demand for these permits is still a priority.

To book a gorilla permit for Buhoma, you need to check for the availability of gorilla permits through an accredited tour operator like Encounter Africa Safaris or directly at Uganda Wildlife Authority.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we are privileged to be among the few tour companies with access to the Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permit availability list. When you contact us about your gorilla safari, our safari consultant checks for gorilla permit availability first. If gorilla permits are available per your dates of preference, we advise you to purchase them as soon as possible.

This is because Uganda gorilla permits sell out fast and on a first-come, first-served basis. None of the gorilla permits is allowed to be reserved without issuing payment.

How much Is the cost of Uganda gorilla permits

Currently, the gorilla permit goes for $800 per person per trek for foreign nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents and 300000shs for East African residents.

The cost of Uganda gorilla permits covers park entrance fees, security while on gorilla safari, ranger guide fees, local community support, mountain gorilla conservation support, certificate after the gorilla trek, government tax and others.

Exclusions in the cost of Uganda gorilla permit: tips, accommodation, transport, porter hire, and any other items of a personal nature.

Reserve Buhoma Accommodations For Your Gorilla Safari

If your gorilla permit is booked in Buhoma area, reserve accommodation in Buhoma area. This is to prevent having to wake up and drive in the dark to catch up with briefing in Buhoma area the next day. The roads connecting the different areas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are sometimes challenging. Sometimes these roads get slippery due to severe rains that fall, logs may obstruct the way, poor visibility due to misty atmospheres and others.

When faced with such obstacles, you may miss the gorilla trek before you make it in time to attend briefing in Buhoma area. Briefing before gorilla trekking plays a big role so missing it may cause you to be disqualified from fulfilling your lifetime dream safari.

 The Buhoma area accommodations: Gorilla Forest camp, Gorilla Resort, Engage Lodge, Bwindi Volcanoes Lodge, Bwindi View Bandas, silverback Lodge, Lake Kitandara Tented Camp, Mahogany Springs, Buhoma Lodge

Book Transport To Buhoma Area

If you travel by road from Kigali, Rwanda, into Uganda, then the Buhoma area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you must have a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle. This vehicle must be in good condition. The condition of the roads in the countryside is poor because of the volcanic nature of the terrain. Even the rugged highlands you have to negotiate and the winding roads you must navigate make the drive difficult.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we can help you hire a professional and experienced driver guide with knowledge of the routes from Kigali into Bwindi impenetrable National Park in Uganda. This is important because you may get lost in the countryside. Although Google Maps are available to assist you in navigating the roads, some areas are not located on these maps in case you are a first-timer.

Reserve in advance the transport you need to use during the gorilla trekking safari in Buhoma through Rwanda.

You can get into Uganda at Entebbe Airport from Kigali Airport in Rwanda. You may opt to drive or fly to Kihihi airstrip. Uganda has daily domestic flights from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi to Kihihi airstrip. You need to reserve a transfer vehicle. When you contact us about your gorilla safari and state what you wish to include in your itinerary and safari costing, our safari consultants can advise you on other requirements.

Book Additional Uganda Safari activities

Uganda boasts numerous unique safari attractions worth adding to the list of activities to combine with the gorilla safari. The exhilarating game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, listed to the earth tremble at the majestic Murchison Falls, rich Uganda avian life, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, astounding views of Lake Bunyonyi with its 29 Islands, visit the source of river Nile, white water rafting and others.

All these activities can only be added to your gorilla trekking safari package before or after the trek. It would be best if you had extra days as these Uganda safari activities are not in one area.

Although most of these Uganda safari activities are unrestricted to the number of those allowed to visit, booking is required, especially with park entrance fees, which can no longer be paid in cash on arrival. This was changed for security reasons. 

When Is The Best Time To Book Gorilla Trekking Safari To Buhoma Though Kigali

All-year gorilla trekking in the Buhoma area is open, but the dry seasons are most preferred. This season is also the Uganda tourism peak season running June, July, August, September, December and January. The mountain gorillas are full of life and wander freely through the forest because they have nothing stopping them. Even other forest dwellers like the a birds, butterflies are quicker to find.

The trails in the forest have less water flowing from the sometimes flooded rivers in the forest cause them to get soggy and slippery. During the dry seasons, the humidity in the forest is fairly less since there is more sunry penetration to the ground. Even mountain gorillas tend to feed closer to the ground when doing gorilla trekking in the dry season.

Note that demand for gorilla safaris during the peak season is high, and chances of finding last-minute gorilla permits slimare with the approaching days of this season. Competition for the resources accompanying gorilla safari adventures is high this season.

During the wet season, which sometimes happens in the low tourism season, fewer people are booking in to do gorilla safaris. The chances of finding last-minute gorilla permits are high but not a guarantee. The low season Uganda tourism season is normally March, April, May and November.

If you have a limited budget, you can use the low season to book gorilla safaris. The cost of getting discounted prices on amenities that support gorilla safaris are high, like accommodation, vehicle hire, driver guide hire, and others.

How Difficult Is Gorilla Safari In Buhoma Area?

While in the Buhoma area, the gorilla trek is strenuous because of the nature of the topography. This area has ridges and plateaus draped by vegetation that has accumulated over time. It is tangled and to penetrate through the ranger guide with a machete helps trim it and create the path.

Sometimes, you need to hike to the gorilla trek's starting point that leads to where the gorilla family is. You must have some level of fitness as you must hike and strain your muscles more.

 Having some level of fitness protects you from getting muscle pulls before completing the gorilla trek. 

It is hard to determine which Buhoma gorilla family is easy to trek because a gorilla family that was close the previous day may be the furthest the next day, depending on the circumstances prevailing in the forest.

How Long Is Gorilla Trekking In Buhoma Area?

The time taken to do gorilla trekking in Buhoma area is hard to determine as sometimes tourists have reported seeing mountain gorillas in two hours while others have taken over three-quarters of the days. The time of locating the mountain gorillas depends on factors like the proximity of their food, in case of a fight with other gorilla families, the death of a gorilla family member, the pace of other trekkers, and others.

Tourists must have some patience as the mountain gorillas have to move in the forest to search for food that supports their bulky bodies throughout the day and night. The wilderness has a number of obstacles that may disrupt chances for you to move fast, like slippery slopes, boggy ground, and tangled vegetation.

The ranger guide follows the pace of the slowest trekkers so that no one is forgotten in the wilderness. However, you can continue the rest of the trekkers by walking slowly because you need to figure out when to find the mountain gorillas.

You must have some level of patience in order to complete the gorilla trek. 

What Are The Rules Of Gorilla Trekking Safari?

• No feeding the mountain gorillas during gorilla trekking because they are wild animals that must search for their food.
• Only 8 tourists are allowed to see the mountain gorillas during gorilla trekking for conservation purposes.
• Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas when you find them for conservation reasons.
• Littering in the forest where mountain gorillas live is forbidden as you alter the nature of the environment where mountain gorillas live.
• When you locate the mountain gorillas, stay close to them to avoid making them feel ambushed. 
• Provoking or mimicking the mountain gorillas is not allowed, as you may communicate something offensive that can agitate them and push them into hiding.
• When you wish to cough or sneeze, do it in at least 300 meters from the mountain gorillas to avoid chances of passing an infection to them.
• Before finding the mountain gorillas, talk at a low tone so as not to appear suspicious when you finally meet them. The mountain gorillas get to notice your presence before you do to them.
• When taking photos, use a flash-less camera to not scare the mountain gorillas. They are agitated by unfamiliar occurrences in their presence.
• Only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you find them.

Contact us for more information.