Staying in Nkuringo and trekking mountain gorilla families of the Rushaga region

Staying in Nkuringo and trekking gorilla families of Rushaga region. In the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the Nkuringo area, which is between the two regions that form the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. If you are booked to gorilla trekking on a Rushaga permit, you must spend the nights within or closer to Rushaga, where the Nkuringo area is. This is the only way to get to the briefing point before the trek quickly. Before the gorilla trekking adventure, the briefing should be completed to avoid being disqualified from this adventure.

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The Gorilla trekking families of the Rushaga area include the Nshongi Family, Kahungye Family, Busingye Family, Bweza Family, Mucunguzi Family, Mishaya Family, and Rwingi Family. When you book the gorilla permit for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and allocate the Rushaga area, you are given to trek the actual family on briefing day. Although the criteria used to provide the gorilla families is unknown, sometimes gorilla families are assigned according to age bracket, fitness level, relations, and others.

To book accommodation, it is possible to overnight in Nkuringo and gorilla trekking in the Rushaga area since it's a drive away. This may not interfere with the time and distance to get to the briefing point.

While in the Rushaga or Nkuringo areas, you can also be part of the gorilla habituation experience. The gorilla habituation experience only happens in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, with two gorilla families open so far. It can be accessed from the Nkuringo or Rushaga sector. During the gorilla habituation experience, tourists accompany a team of ranger guides in the wilderness to spend four hours with a semi-habituated gorilla family.

How To Book Gorilla Permits for the Rushaga area

If you are destined for the Rushaga area to do gorilla trekking, you need to request gorilla permits for this area as you check for availability. Rushaga has eight gorilla families opening about 64 chances per day for a gorilla permit in this area.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we can help book your Gorilla trekking permit if you provide details like the gorilla safari date, number of permits, and ages of people in your company. We are here to take the burden of planning and organizing the gorilla safari off your shoulders. Our over ten years of safari experience tells our commitment to serving our clients, as testified on travel platforms like Trip Advisor, social media handles, and others.

Upon receiving your inquiry, our safari consultant checked the gorilla permit availability from the Uganda Wildlife Authority list. If and if you wish to book the Rushaga permits, this can be specified. This can best yield results when you book the gorilla permits in advance when choices of areas are still available. A maximum of 8 gorilla trekking permits are open each day for public booking.

Purchase the Gorilla trekking permits as soon as possible to avoid losing them because a first come, first served basis is used to reserve these permits. Note that the status of the gorilla permits can change at any time without warning. No gorilla permit can be booked without payment.

What is the price of gorilla trekking permits for the Rushaga area?

The current price of the Rushaga gorilla trekking permits is $800 for foreign nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents, and 300000shs for East African residents. Within the gorilla permits' cost are the park entrance fees, security, mountain gorilla conservation, local community support, government tax, and one hour with the mountain gorillas.

Exclusions in the cost of gorilla permits include transport, tips, snacks, packed lunch, and any other items of a personal nature.

Can I Purchase The Gorilla Trekking Permit In Instalment?

Yes, you can make installment payments on gorilla permits if you purchase them 90 days before the trekking date and remember to top up 90 days before the trekking date. According to Uganda Wildlife Authority policy, failure to comply may make you lose even the prepaid deposit and reopen the gorilla permits to the public. During the peak season, due to the overwhelming demand for gorilla permits, supply is restricted; they sell out before the season, so last-minute gorilla permits are hard to find. Reopening the peak season gorilla permit may disqualify you from attending this African adventure.

Can I Use Gorilla Permits For Rushaga to Trek Mountain Gorillas In the Nkuringo area?

No, if you are booked to do gorilla trekking in Rushaga, even though your overnight is in the Nkuringo area, you must attend a briefing in Rushaga. This is because each area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a specific number of people who must trek its gorillas. You may not be allocated a gorilla family when you mistakenly go for a gorilla safari briefing in another area.

Is the cost of Gorilla Trekking worth the adventure?

The cost of the Gorilla trekking permits for Rushaga is worth every penny as you get to be just meters away from the only leftover mountain gorillas in the world. These primates are believed to have survived the ice age period that swept the world, leading to the disappearance of many forests over 13000 to 18000 years ago.

By purchasing the Gorilla permits, you contribute to the funds that support the conservation of mountain gorillas whose lives were at the rim of extinction by the 1980s, according to the census carried out by mountain gorilla hero Dian Fossey and team.

The recent mountain gorilla census shows that over 1000 mountain gorillas live in the world, but some of this achievement is awesome to people who purchase gorilla permits.

Annually, a portion of the funds collected from the sale of gorilla permits is given back to the local community to compensate for the produce the mountain gorillas eat when they stray. This is one indirect way to give back to the community.

That one hour with the mountain gorillas melts your heart, and you cannot be the same on departure. Gorilla trekking is a dream come true, an African safari experience.

Is Hiring a Porter during gorilla trekking In Rushaga Important?

Yes, hiring a porter for the Gorilla trekking safari is essential. During gorilla trekking, a porter carries gear to find the mountain glas. The way to the mountain gorillas may sometimes have the gorilla trekking gear, which may drag you back.

The porter may also push you when you get too tired to carry on other than the walking stick that gives you extra support when searching for the mountain gorillas.

If you wish to give back to the community during gorilla trekking, hiring a porter is one way.

Is Gorilla trekking in Rushaga Tiresome? 

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is tiresome in all its areas. The terrain of the Bwindi forest was affected by volcanic action in this area, which led to several rugged landforms like ridges and plateaus. Sometimes, mountain gorillas love spending the day on the slopes or deep in the valleys.

To trace the mountain gorillas, tourists may be required to hike, which is quite tiring, especially if you are unfit. To complete the gorilla trek, you have to bear some fitness level. 

When Can I expect To return From Gorilla Trekking In Rushaga?

Return time after the gorilla trek in the Rushaga area is hard to determine as the time of finding the mountain gorillas is unknown. Because the mountain gorillas are free to walk through the dense jungle, they may deviate from the usual location due to circumstances prevailing in the forest like scarcity of food, after a vigorous fight with another family, loss of a gorilla family member, pace of fellow tourists and others.

In most cases, mountain gorillas get to see you before you find them, so ensure you religiously uphold the Gorilla trekking rules as explained during the briefing. When you act out of these rules, you may unknowingly agitate the mountain gorillas and push them into the deeper forest. 

Only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas during gorilla trekking because they are habituated to be in human presence for this time. Human presence is believed to disrupt mountain gorillas' daily activities like feeding, napping, grooming, and others.

As you get away from the mountain gorillas, do it stealthily so as not to look suspicious before these very keen primates with intruders.

Are Mountain Gorillas aggressive during Gorilla Trekking?

Mountain gorillas are not aggressive despite their huge size and intimidating outlook. On the outside, the mountain gorilla's body is covered with dark fur, they have sunken brown eyes and use knuckle locomotion style.

At a glance, all these seem to be scary about mountain gorillas, but as you sink into the hour with these primates, you realize how vulnerable and timid they are. Mountain gorillas are naturally shy and serene; most of their issues are sorted by getting away.

When bitter, mountain gorillas charge by thumping their chests, hooting, pulling grass around, and so much more. Upon seeing such behavior, stay calm as you wait for the ranger guides to establish the root cause of the matter. Running and scattering in the forest may cause a stampede and shorten your time with the mountain gorillas.

Sometimes, the mountain gorillas act odd when attacked by another gorilla family or are having a family feud. You do not have to scarlet the situation by working contrary to gorilla trekking guidelines.

What is the Age Limit for Gorilla trekking in Uganda?

Twelve years and over is the age limit for gorilla trekking to allow more children to have time with the mountain gorillas. Initially, 15 years and over was the age limit for Gorilla trekking experience, but the Uganda Wildlife Authority changed it.

The age limit was set to this since tourists may have to hike to find the mountain gorillas in case they are on the slopes.

Some tolerance is required during gorilla trekking, significantly when the mountain gorillas charge, which children below 15 may find difficult to contain.

At a glance, mountain gorillas look intimidating to children and first-timers, which may stimulate some adrenaline, yet you should not show signs of being frightened of the mountain gorillas.

How Sure Can I Be To See The Mountain Gorillas In Rushaga?

The chances of finding the mountain gorillas are 99%, but if you fail to see them, Uganda Wildlife Authority may invoke its refund policy of 75% refund. 

Each day, a team of ranger guides patrols the forest to establish where the mountain gorillas may have nested and possible way about of the day. They inform rangers of these clues, and other than using the trail where the mountain gorillas were last seen the previous day, they follow these clues, too.

Mountain gorillas have bulky bodies that do not favor fast movement. A fully grown male mountain gorilla may weigh about 300 kilograms, and a fully grown female may weigh almost half this weight.

What are the guidelines for gorilla trekking in Bwindi?

• When you locate the mountain gorillas, do not surround them. This makes them feel ambushed.
• Ask the ranger guide to dig a deep hole if you wish to do a long call. You need to cover everything beyond recognition.
• Anyone below 15 years old is not allowed to gorilla trekking because the time of locating the mountain gorillas has yet to be discovered, and some patience is needed to complete this trek.
• Volunteer to stay behind if you catch any communicable infection like coronavirus, flu, cough, or cholera. This is because the mountain gorillas can see human diseases easily. They have a DNA that is about 96% similar to that of humans.
• When you locate the mountain gorillas, keep a distance of about 8 meters from them. To reduce the chances of passing a contagious infection to them.
• Never spit on the vegetation because it's food for the mountain gorillas. It is unhealthy and disgusting, too.
• Wear a mask and hand sanitize as an after-coronavirus period precaution. You must change into a clean mask as you approach the mountain gorillas.
• Do not make noise or sudden movements with the mountain gorillas because it may scare them. The gorillas are often afraid of unfamiliar noises in their presence.
• Only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them. This is because they are habituated to be in the presence of human beings for just that hour.

Contact our tour consultants for more information.