How To Plan A Safari To See Mountain Gorillas In Nkuringo Sector Of Bwindi

Nkuringo area, which lies in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, is one of the sought-after sectors because of its history. By 3004, the first gorilla family in the southern sector, called Nkuringo, was opened to public booking.

The introduction of gorilla habituation experience in the southern sector of Bwindi forest since 2014 is opening this area to more tourists looking forward to a safari here. Nkuringo and Rushaga areas are the only ones of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park that form the southern sector.

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Currently, the Nkuringo area has three gorilla families: the Nkuringo family, the Christmas family, and the Muhozi family. If you want to do gorilla trekking in the Nkuringo sector, it is best to book the gorilla permits in advance when chances of making choices are still available. Currently, only 24 gorilla permits are open for booking in the Nkuringo sector.

The Nkuringo trailhead lies on isolated Nteko Ridge, which enjoys grandstand views across the Bwindi forest to the north and towards the Virunga volcanoes in the south.

Booking a gorilla trekking permit is best in advance, at least 6 months to a year before the trekking date. This saves you from last-minute panic, especially during the peak season when demand for gorilla safaris is extremely high. Most of the gorilla permits for the peak season are reserved 90 days before the gorilla trekking date. The peak Uganda tourism period Is June, July, August, September, December, and January.

How To Plan For A Safari In Nkuringo Sector Of Bwindi

Book A gorilla Permit For Nkuringo Area

Before confirming a gorilla safari, you must possess a gorilla permit and, in this case, a gorilla permit for the Nkuringo area. Select a date when you hope to do gorilla trekking and check for the availability of permits through a credible tour operator or directly from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

If availability is positive, we advise clients to pre-purchase their gorilla permits as soon as possible because they are sold off fast on a first-come, first-served basis since they are limited to a maximum of 8 per family. 

Forward some personal details later when printing the gorilla permit card. Some of these details include full names as presented on the passport, date of birth, passport expiry date, nationality.

How Much Is The Cost Of Gorilla Permit For Nkuringo Area? 

The current cost of a gorilla trekking permit is $800 per person per trek for foreign residents, $700 for foreign residents, and 300000shs for East African residents.

What Is Included Or Excluded In The Cost Of Gorilla Permit?

Inclusions of gorilla permit cost are park entrance fee for the day of the trek, ranger guide services, one hour with the mountain gorillas, mountain gorilla conservation, certificate after gorilla trekking, security during gorilla trekking, and local community support.

Exclusions of gorilla permit cost: porter hire, transport to Nkuringo area, accommodation, snacks, and any other items of personal nature.

Reserve Accommodations For Gorilla Trekking Holiday In Nkuringo Sector

Securing accommodation to use during your holiday time in Nkuringo is vital, especially if you have to wake up very early and attend a briefing before gorilla trekking. Spending the night before gorilla trekking day in the southern sector of Bwindi's impenetrable national park is key. This is because you have to attend the briefing early morning, which normally starts at 0730 hours. Missing briefing before gorilla trekking may be tantamount to getting disqualified even when you possess a gorilla permit.

Since the Nkuringo sector and the Rushaga area are very close, you can overnight in accommodations within any of these areas.

Nkuringo accommodations: Clouds Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Safari Lodge, Bwindi Backpacker's Camp, Ichumbi Lodge

If you decide to spend the night before gorilla trekking in another area other than the southern sector, you may be required to drive in the dark to catch up with the briefing. We discourage this as the roads connecting different areas need to be in a better state. Sometimes, you may be blocked by a log falling across the road, get a puncture, and so many other huddles.

Reserve Transport To Nkuringo Area Of Bwindi

During the peak tourism seasons in Uganda, service providers become scarce since the demand for them across all safari activities of Uganda is high. This is for both road and air transport to the different safari destinations.

For road transport

You must reserve a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle because the road conditions in the countryside are in a sorrow state. Expect bumpy and dusty roads in the countryside that provide African massage. Hiring a professional and experienced driver guide during gorilla trekking enriches your knowledge about gorilla trekking and beyond.

How To Get To Nkuringo Sector

Kampala To Kabale To Nkuringo

From Entebbe airport or Kampala city, you drive 414 kilometers to Kabale, then continue 105 kilometers to Nkuringo. This drive to the Nkuringo sector may last 4 hours through mountainous marram roads.

For Air Transport

When going gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, particularly the Nkuringo sector, you can reserve a seat on the daily domestic flights from Entebbe airport or Kajjansi to Kisoro air trip, which is about 35 kilometers away, lasting 1 hour and a half minutes away when you catch a transfer vehicle.

Reserve Additional Activities To Combine With Gorilla Trekking

If you wish to make a combo of gorilla trekking with other Uganda safari activities like chimpanzee trekking, game drives, water activities, Uganda birding, and others. You need to book these in advance in a well-tailored itinerary, which our professional and experienced safari consultant can meticulously craft with your input.

Do Pre-gorilla Safari Exercises

Exercising to keep your body fit for gorilla trekking is very important as volcanic remains like ridges and plateaus cover this area's topography, where mountain gorillas sometimes spend their day or lounge. You a

re required to hike, which is challenging to do sometimes as some highlands are slippery due to regular rains that fall and vegetation that decomposes. 

To avoid getting muscle pulls, you need to keep fit and in good health because the time you may spend in the forest is hard to predict.

Pack The Right Gorilla Trekking Gears

You do not have to pack heavily for gorilla trekking safari, but it is relevant to be comfortable. Packing lots of bags may occupy your space that you could use as legroom. 

For those hoping to use domestic air transport to get to the park, they have limits on free baggage weight allowed on board per person, so you need to consider this when packing.

Possessing your belongings is what you need to have while packing for a gorilla trekking adventure to the Nkuringo sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You can cross-check with our list of what to pack for gorilla trekking.

How Long Is Gorilla Trekking In Nkuringo Sector Of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

The duration of gorilla trekking is unpredictable because of factors like the proximity of the mountain gorilla food, the weather conditions prevailing per the day of the trek, case of a fight amongst the mountain gorillas, the pace of trekkers, and so much more.

Every person is required to have some patience as mountain gorillas are wild animals living freely in the vast forest. They sometimes relocate to other areas due to factors like those mentioned prior. Even the pace of other trekkers contributes to how quickly or slowly you get to or from the mountain gorillas. The ranger guide follows the pace of the slowest trekker so that nobody is forgotten in the wilderness.

When Is The Best Time To Do Gorilla Trekking In Nkuringo Area?

Gorilla trekking is open all year round in the Nkuringo area; however, the dry season, which Is normally June, July, August, September, December, and January, is most preferred by tourists to do gorilla trekking. The precipitation in the misty Bwindi forest during the dry season is lower than in the wet season. The trails are more passable, with less undergrowth protruding over to obstruct your way.

The demand for gorilla permits is high, too, yet supply is limited to a maximum of 8 permits per day per family. To avoid last-minute panic as you check for possible gorilla permit availability, you need to book your gorilla permit for the peak season at least 6 months to a year upfront.

During the wet season, which is normally March, April, May, and November, gorilla permits may be available at the last minute as bookings are few. Those with a limited budget may use this opportunity, too, in case discounts from service providers are offered on accommodations, vehicle hire, driver guides, and others.

What Else Can I Do With Gorilla Trekking In Nkuringo Sector Of Bwindi?

Gorilla Habituation Experience

The gorilla habituation experience is an adventure where you follow a semi-habituated gorilla family in the wild and stay with them for 4 hours. You accompany a team of researchers and trackers who help these wild mountain gorillas get used to human presence without altering their nature. They put down notes about the gorilla family for each day, identify these mountain gorillas by name, write down the traits of each family member, and much more.

Only four tourists are allowed to accompany the team of researchers to follow the mountain gorillas under habituation.

Gorilla habituation experience at the moment is done in the southern sector of Bwindi, with two gorilla families so far open for this.

Birding In Bwindi, Uganda

You can have a birding experience in the Bwindi forest while in the Nkuringo sector. Bwindi forest is a birding haven with over 350 bird species recorded as residents of this forest. Bwindi forest also hosts some Albertine endemics. Some birds you may spot include Handsome Francolin, Waller's Starling, Grey-Headed Sunbird, African Hill Babler, Black Bee Eater, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzed, and others.

Visit Nkuringo Community 

A walk in the community in the Nkuringo sector immerses you in the life of the local people.

This Nkuringo community walk is a community-based project conducted by a local person. You get to visit a traditional healer, rural homestead, blacksmith, local brewery, and others.

What Are The Rules Of Gorilla Trekking 

• No one with a communicable infection like cough, flu, diarrhea, or covid-19 is allowed to visit the mountain gorillas.
• When with the mountain gorillas, stay in a tight group to avoid making them feel ambushed. Mountain gorillas fear intruders in their space.
• When meeting them, keep a gap of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas. This is one of the measures taken to reduce the spreading of diseases to their gentle giants.
• Provoking or mimicking the mountain gorillas is forbidden because you may agitate them, causing them to run into hiding.
• When mountain gorillas move closer to where you are, stealthily retreat to keep the required gap between you and the mountain gorillas.
• If you wish to smoke or drink, do it away from the mountain gorillas not to entice them to pick it from you. They are wild animals that must not depend on human provision. 
• If you have to sneeze or cough, do it away from the mountain gorillas so as not to pass any germs to the mountain gorillas. They are highly susceptible to human infections.
• Bury human feces in a hole dug at least 30 centimeters and covered well beyond human recognition. 
• Never dump litter in the wilderness, or in case you come across anything indecomposable, do pick it up so that it can be burnt. We need to protect the mountain gorilla habitats because it's where these primates thrive.
• Avoid spitting on the vegetation or the ground as this is unhygienic and may pass an infection to the mountain gorillas.
• When with the mountain gorillas, avoid making loud noises or sudden movements in the wilderness because you may agitate the mountain gorillas.
• Only persons aged 15 years and beyond are allowed with the mountain gorillas. The time to locate the mountain gorillas is still being determined, which a child below 15 years may not withstand.
• Only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them. Later, you can enable them to go about their day-to-day activities.

Contact us for more information.