Gorilla families and permits in Buhoma sector

GORILLA FAMILIES AND PERMITS IN BUHOMA

Let’s take time to look at gorilla families and permits in Buhoma region of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Buhoma is a sector headquarters found in the North of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Kanungu district where gorilla tracking of different gorilla families takes Place and other alternative park activities. It is under the management of Uganda Wildlife authority a government body in charge of all National Parks in Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is found in southwestern Uganda and is a habitat to half of the remaining gorillas in the World, and this gives you 98% chances for you to view and see the gorillas.

Gorilla tracking is an activity of viewing the Gorillas for one hour after moving and hiking through the forest to find them. It starts early in the morning with a briefing at every Park headquarter at 7:0am, Park guides brief the clients on the do’s and don’ts and later begin the walk to the forest with the Visitor. Sometimes the hike can be very tiresome, and you can hire a porter to help carry your stuff and even give you a hand while moving. Watching the gorillas which are 95% human is a lifetime experience that you should not miss, and you can achieve this dream by booking with Encounter Africa safaris to visit the Gorillas in Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

There are Fours sectors where gorilla tracking in done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park namely Rushaga and Nkuringo sector in the South of Bwindi, Ruhija and the famous Buhoma Sector in the North of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. All these sectors have different habituated gorilla families for tracking every day. Gorilla families are the same as the people/human families where the male leaves the family it was born, moves away with a female, mark their territory and also start a family. Sometimes the black backs in the family group tend to fight. This lead to the splitting of the families, once a new member is born in a family, Uganda wildlife Authority names them. It is communicated, and guides at the Park will be able to tell you all the names of the members in the gorilla family you intend to trek. It is such a wonderful time while trekking gorillas and Encounter Africa safaris will organize all this for you. We do organize many gorilla tours to Buhoma like Three-day Gorilla tour to Buhoma, Four-day second Gorilla tracking trip to Buhoma.

Gorilla Families and permits in Buhoma Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla tracking was done first in Buhoma sector, and it is referred to as the back born of gorilla Tourism in Bwindi impenetrable National Park and Uganda as a whole. Buhoma has five habituated Gorilla family groups, namely:

Mubare Gorilla Family

Mabare was the first habituated group to be introduced to gorilla tourism in Buhoma of Bwindi impenetrable National Park. Mubare gorilla family has eight members and a baby of about two weeks. The group got its name from the Mubare hills of Kanungu district where Buhoma is located. The trek to find the gorillas can be rough some times as you go through the forest, slippery ground, step or low lands.

Habinyanja Gorilla family

Habinyanja gorilla family is among the first habituated gorilla groups/families in Buhoma. This gorilla family has fourteen members as of today. You can note that each gorilla family can increase in number or reduce due to splitting to form other gorilla families, increase by giving birth or by raiding other families and grabbing other members to the family, or can decrease due to death of members. Since Uganda is having half of the gorillas remaining in the World, conservation to maintain or even increase the gorilla families in number is vital for the future generations.

Rushegura Gorilla Family

Rushegura gorilla family is also among the first habituated groups open for gorilla tracking. The group has sixteen members. The gorilla trek sometimes can last 30minutes to even more than 4 hours, and no one can guarantee the movement of the gorillas in the forest thus we cannot determine the time it will take to find them. But Park guides and trackers always ensure you the walk is enjoyable as you spot other primates, birds, streams and plant species.

Muyambi Gorilla Family

Muyambi gorilla family is the newest group formed early this year. It has six members of the family. Muyambi was an adult family member of the Mubare family, and it spilt away from the family to form another group called Muyambi group now. The gorillas are amazing to watch as they live their daily life of eating, communicating, Resting and movement on the ground and in the trees

Katwe Gorilla family

Katwe gorilla family is also new and emerged in 2018, and it took three years to be habituated for gorilla tracking, the family has eight members. The increase in the number of gorilla families helps to increase the gorilla permits, thus increasing the number of Visitor. This gives you a chance even in high season to get space to track gorillas. Encounter Africa safaris is more delighted to plan you different gorilla packages like Three day Uganda Gorilla tour, 4 day Uganda Double Gorilla Tracking tour and many others. Kindly send us an email, and we shall send through all necessary information and tailor your trip.

Selecting gorilla family to track Buhoma Sector

Depending on your communication with Encounter Africa safaris about your fitness, your interest, or general healthy wellness, your driver-guide for your trip will put in consideration and communicate to the Park management about your condition/desire to have a have an easy trek or long trek. An easy trek is considered to you visit the gorilla family that is not very far in case you don’t have energy, physical condition or you’re aged. You can even request for a specific gorilla family to trek by selecting the name of the family, and we shall always communicate with the Park guides and Authority to consider your request.

Gorilla Permits in Buhoma Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Gorilla Permits are essential for you to do gorilla tracking in Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Forty Permits are available every day in Buhoma to allow visitors to trek the Gorillas, for every gorilla family, only eight visitors are allowed to visit the gorillas per day in Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Once you contact and book gorilla package with Encounter Africa Safaris to see the gorillas, we shall send you an invoice and book you the permit on the system tentatively, Once you make a payment, We shall secure your permit from Uganda wildlife Authority head offices in Kampala and later send you scanned receipt of your permits for your records and perusal. One week close to your trip dates, we will collect you’re the permit cards from Uganda wildlife Authority, and your driver-guide will present them on the day of trekking at the park headquarters for you to be allowed to trek.

Gorilla Permits are only eligible to visitors/Persons aged above Fifteen (15) years. Gorilla permits should be booked in advance. You can purchase gorilla permits up to 2 years in advance to secure your Place for gorilla tracking in Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. During the high season of July, August, September, December, January and February every year, gorilla permits tend to sell out very quickly. As Encounter Africa safaris, we always advise all travellers to book and reserve the permits in advance so that you don’t miss out on your desired date of travel to trek the gorillas.

Gorilla Permits Price for Buhoma and Uganda.

Gorilla Permits for Buhoma in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park cost USD600 per person per trek for now till June 2020. The gorilla permit price changed starting July 2020 to USD700 per person per trek following the Uganda Wildlife Authority tariff for 2019-2020. For this, you are allowed one hour of viewing and Photography once you find the gorillas in the forest. The gorilla permit for Buhoma and Uganda as general is considered cheap compared to the Rwanda Permit that costs USD1500 and still allows one hour of trekking. For more information about gorilla families and permits in the Buhoma region, do contact us.

Where to stay in Buhoma Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Buhoma being the backbone of gorilla tourism in Uganda, It has a lot of infrastructure in terms of Lodges and hotels ranging from Budget, Midrange, Luxury and Upmarket. Depending on your budget and availability of space, Encounter Africa will book you the best lodge with en-suite private toilet and bathroom, access to power, Wi-Fi and standard service as per the gorilla tour package booked with us, You can opt to stay at Buhoma community rest camp as budget, Buhoma Havens as Midrange, Buhoma Lodge, Bwindi Lodge, Mahogany springs as a luxury option and Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp as the Upmarket Lodge. All these lodges have great views of the forest and very calm and comfortable for your stay.

How to Access Buhoma Sector in Bwindi impenetrable National Park

Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park can be accessed from Kampala/Entebbe by road for an approximately 8-9hours drive. You will be able to see the beautiful landscape, the Equator, people and shops. You can also access Buhoma from Kigali as it is even a short drive of about 5-6hours and also you have a lot to see on the road.

Buhoma is the closest/accessible from Queen Elizabeth National Park, Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale National Park and Rwenzori National Park. Yes, you can as well have game safaris, Mountain climbing and Tracking gorillas in Buhoma as a package we can tailor for you at your desired travel time.

You can also access Bwindi by air. There is Kihihi Airstrip which is very close to Buhoma and has daily domestic flights by domestic Airline companies. We can as well book your flights to Buhoma, and you Land at Kihihi Airstrip which is very close to the Park Headquarters and accessible to all Lodges where you can stay. Did you know you can fly from Buhoma (Kihihi Airstrip) to Masai Mara, Yes it saves time, and you can catch up your safari in Kenya as you explore in East Africa.

For more information about Buhoma gorilla families and permits, do not hesitate to contact Encounter Africa safaris your trusted ground handling outfit for Uganda and Rwanda. We operate tours starting from 2 days to more than a month’s holiday. Share with us your interests, budget and time, and we will customize a safari to suit your preferences and provide an experience of a lifetime. Encounter Africa safaris is highly featured on trip advisor as well as safari bookings.