We can gladly say that it is now possible to stay in Nkuringo and trek Rushaga mountain gorillas. For starters, mountain gorillas in Uganda are found in two national parks of Bwindi impenetrable National Park as well as Mgahinga National park. Of the two national parks, Bwindi impenetrable National Park is the most popular park where people from different countries prefer trekking the rare habituated mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. Unlike other mountain gorilla national parks that have one common starting point for gorilla trekking, Bwindi impenetrable National Park has four sectors (four starting points) located in different sides and regions of Bwindi National Park. These regions include Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south. Traditionally people in Buhoma would trek gorillas in Buhoma as well as Ruhija while those in Rushaga would trek mountain gorillas in Rushaga and Nkuringo. Basically it was traditionally acceptable to stay in Rushaga and trek gorillas in Nkuringo than the other way round. The good news with Encounter Africa safaris is that there several reasons why once could stay in Nkuringo but trek Rushaga mountain gorillas.

Reasons to stay in Nkuringo and trek Rushaga mountain gorillas

At the moment people prefer staying or booking Lodges located in Nkuringo because of their standards. When one compares lodges in Rushaga and Nkuringo, Nkuringo has the upper hand when it comes to high-end Lodges for those interested in staying in Luxury Lodges. Nkuringo region has two luxury Lodges of Clouds Mountain gorilla lodge as well as Nkuringo Bwindi mountain gorilla Lodge. These two lodges have great reviews, and many people would love to spend a night there. Ideally one would prefer to stay in Nkuringo and trek nkuringo mountain gorillas simply because these lodges are close to the Nkuringo park headquarters where gorilla trekking starts from. For example from Nkuringo Mountain gorilla Lodge to Nkuringo UWA park headquarters, it is about 5 minutes drive which makes it easier to drive from the lodge to the starting point of gorilla trekking. The same thing applies to the distance from Clouds Lodge to the starting point of gorilla trekking.

The above said and done, Encounter Africa safaris has discovered that there both advantages and disadvantages of trekking Nkuringo Mountain gorillas and to avoid some of the disadvantages involved, we advise you to consider staying in Nkuringo but trekking gorillas in Rushaga.

One of the reasons why you should stay in Nkuringo and trek Rushaga mountain gorillas is that it has been discovered over time that Rushaga mountain gorilla families are easier trekked compared to mountain gorilla families in Nkuringo Region of Bwindi impenetrable National Park. Time and again, Encounter Africa safaris has established that clients who trekked in Rushaga region of Bwindi impenetrable National Park came back earlier compared to those that trekked Nkuringo mountain gorillas. Our studies have also discovered that trekking Nkuringo mountain gorillas is more strenuous compared to Rushaga mountain gorillas. If one prefers staying in Nkuringo and prefers a less demanding mountain gorilla family, then we recommend that you stay in Nkuringo and trek rushaga mountain gorillas where chances of not being strained are higher.

It is also very true that for one to stay in Nkuringo and trek Rushaga mountain gorillas is looked at as being weird, it may save you from making a wrong decision. Initially, people who stayed in Nkuringo would be discouraged to trek gorillas in Rushaga because of the poor roads connecting these two regions. Great thanks go to the government of Uganda which has much helped in maintaining these roads joining these two regions, something that has made it easy to stay in one region and trek gorillas in another region.

Are we saying that one should avoid trekking nkuringo gorillas?

After reading the above remarks where we are recommending a stay in Nkuringo and trekking Rushaga mountain gorillas, people may miss-interpret the gist of our discussion. In fact and it is on record that people who prefer hiking and challenges, Nkuringo and Ruhija offer the best options as these two have mountain gorillas that can provide you with a chance to start your trek at 8:30am and probably return after 4:00pm. So for those who prefer longer treks, we recommend considering trekking in Nkuringo region of Bwindi. Thus you can stay in Nkuringo and trek gorillas in Nkuringo. Why our argument is to stay in Nkuringo and trek Rushaga mountain gorillas because of the brief that they are easier, this is not scientific due to the following reasons.

It is possible to stay in Nkuringo and get a more relaxed family to trek since gorilla family allocation is done at the park headquarters every morning where gorilla families are allocated depending on the interests and physical interests of each individual. If you prefer an easier group, Uganda Wildlife Authority staff may assign you a group that will be easily found. The same thing applies to Rushaga. One may think that recommending to stay in Nkuringo and trek Rushaga mountain gorillas will guarantee you are seeing gorillas in a short time is a myth. This is because mountain gorillas are wild animals, and it is difficult to determine their movements. Our recommendations are only precautions to avoid something that can be avoided. We, therefore, recommend that before booking or considering booking your gorilla trek and accommodation in the southern sectors of Nkuringo and Rushaga, kindly contact Encounter Africa safaris for thorough discussion so that your gorilla trek yields maximum satisfaction.

Does it mean that Rushaga does not have good Lodges

We must emphasize that both regions of Nkuringo and Rushaga have sizable and reasonable Lodges with better services, but still, Nkuringo has the upper hand. Lodges like Rushaga gorilla Lodge which used to be referred to as Rushaga gorilla camp have greatly improved their services and facilities. Our main emphasis in this article is to provide advice for those that would specifically want to stay in Nkuringo Lodges but prefer the best option for an easier trek at all costs. Whatever has been discussed above are just ideas of Encounter Africa safaris but not biblical truth. We welcome all your questions and our staff will assist in answering them.

Why book your gorilla safari with Encounter Africa safaris

Overtime Encounter Africa safaris has grown to be recognized as one of the leading tour operator providing reliable information that you can rely on. With many years of operating gorilla tours to Uganda and Rwanda, you can’t go wrong when you contact us for advice and safaris. We are highly recommended safari bookings as well as Trip advisor. Book a gorilla trekking tours and join our happy and growing family of satisfied clients today. If you want to stay in Nkuringo and trek Rushaga gorillas, don’t hesitate to contact Encounter Africa safaris.