Nkuringo sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Nkuringo sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Nkuringo sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park : Nkuringo sector is one of the four sectors located in the southern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park which harbor the endangered mountain gorillas. The other sectors include Buhoma sector in the north which is also the most visited among the four sectors, Ruhija sector in the east and Rushaga sector in the south which harbors the highest number of habituated gorilla families. Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in southwestern Uganda in Kanungu district and it’s the most visited gorilla destination in Uganda and Africa due to the fact that its harbors half of the world’s mountain gorillas and the highest number of the habituated gorilla families.
Gorilla trekking in Nkuringo sector
Nkuringo sector is a home of three habituated gorilla families which are available for trekking on a daily basis and they include
Nkuringo gorilla family, the gorilla group derived its name from Nkuringo a round hill where it was first sighted by trackers. Nkuringo gorilla family was the first gorilla group to be habituated in Nkuringo sector in 2004. After habituation the gorilla gamily was under the leadership of and elderly Nkuringo silverback which later died in April 2008 leaving two silverback’s Safari and Rafiki. Nkuringo gorilla family is now comprised of 19 members with 2 silverbacks.
Bushaho gorilla family, Bushaho is a gorilla family in Nkuringo sector that was habituated at the same time with Bikyingi gorilla family in Rushaga sector. In 2012 there are some members in Nkuringo gorilla family who disappeared like Bahati silverback and when the trackers carried out a search they found out that the members had joined Bushaho gorilla family. The family was then habituated and it’s now comprised of 11 members including 1 silverback Bahati who is also the dominant leader of the group, 4 adult females, 2 semi-adult females, 1 black back and 3 infants.
Christmas gorilla family, the gorilla group is a new habituated gorilla trekking group in Nkuringo sector. The gorilla group derives its name from a dominant silverback which was born on Christmas. Christmas gorilla family is comprised of 9 members and 6 members are the ones sighted during trekking including 1 silverback, 3 adult females, 1 infant and 1 black back.
Just like the other three sectors, gorilla trekking in Nkuringo sector starts in the morning with a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations during trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people to trek each habituated gorilla family. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park only allows a maximum of 8 individuals to trek a habituated gorilla family so as to minimize behavioral change of the gorillas and the spread of human diseases.
At around 8:00am you will start trekking in the jungle with a park guide who will be sharing information about the mountain gorillas. Trekking of the mountain gorillas in Nkuringo sector takes about 2 to 6 hours in the jungle and once the gorillas are found you will be given an opportunity to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. During the one hour with the habituated mountain gorillas you will be able to learn about their lifestyles, behaviors, habits, take plenty of photos with a flash less camera and record the moments.
Visitors interested in trekking the endangered mountain gorillas in Nkuringo sector should first acquire a gorilla trekking permit which is only issued to visitors above the age of fifteen. A gorilla trekking permit in Uganda costs $600 for foreign non-residents, $500 for foreign residents and UGX 250,000 for East African citizens. A gorilla trekking permit in Uganda was however increased by $100 therefore effective 1st July 2020 foreign residents will be paying $700 and $600 for East African citizens.
In order to acquire a gorilla trekking permit in Nkuringo sector you can either be book directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority or book through a trusted tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris. Booking through a tour operator is however the best option to use because we will not only acquire a gorilla trekking permit for you but also take care of your entire gorilla trekking safari which involves transportation to Nkuringo sector, meals and accommodation in Nkuringo among others.
There are about 24 available gorilla trekking permits in Nkuringo sector which means that only 24 visitors will be allowed to trek the endangered mountain gorillas in the sector daily therefore you should book a gorilla trekking permit in advance before the trekking date so as to avoid disappointments at the last minute because the permits are competitive and usually get sold out especially during the peak season in the months of June, July, August, December, January and February therefore visitors are advised to book 3 to 6 months in advance.
Nkuringo sector offers other interesting activities apart from gorilla trekking which visitors can engage in including bird watching where you will be able to view different bird species in the forest such as yellow eyed black catcher, African blue flycatcher, garners warbler, kivu ground thrush, short tailed warbler, black bee-eater, African emerald cuckoo, short tailed warbler among others, forest walk where you will get an opportunity of exploring the forest on foot with a park ranger as you enjoy the fresh air, cool breeze, quiet environment, listen to sweet sounds of the birds singing as well as spot some primate species like the monkeys, community tour where you will be able to interact with the Bakiga people and the Batwa who used to live in the forest many years ago.
Where to stay in Nkuringo sector
There are a number of luxury, midrange and budget accommodation facilities where you can stay on your gorilla trekking safari in Nkuringo sector including Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Campsite, Hammerkop Bunkhouse, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge among others. The lodges offer comfortable beds, en-suite bathrooms, restaurants where they serve local and international meals, well stocked bar, laundry services, gardens for relaxation, spectacular views of the forest, bird species, primates and offer activities like forest walk, community tour, bird watching among others.
When to go for gorilla trekking in Nkuringo sector
Gorilla trekking in Nkuringo sector can be done all year round though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June to September and December to February. During the dry season there is less rainfall in the park therefore gorilla trekking trails will be dry and passable, access roads to Nkuringo sector will be passable and there will be short shrubs or bushes in the forest which enable you to clearly view the mountain gorillas.
Visitors can also go for gorilla trekking in Nkuringo sector during the rainy season because aside the heavy rainfall the rainy season has some advantages like less crowds in the park, less competition for the gorilla trekking permits therefore even the last minute travelers can acquire a gorilla trekking permit and the luxury lodges will offer discounts as a way of attracting visitors which favors the budget travellers.
How to get to Nkuringo sector
Nkuringo sector is located in the southern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park and visitors to the sector can either use road or air transport means
Road transport, Nkuringo sector is easily accessible from different areas for example in case you are traveling from Kampala you will drive via Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale and then to nkuringo sector which takes about 8 to 9 hours’ drive. From Kabale town it takes about 3 hours’ drive. Nkuringo sector can also be accessed from Kisoro and Buhoma sector where you can use the Kabale-Butogota route.
You can also use public means of transport to Nkuringo sector though not recommended. When using public means you will board a bus from Kampala to Kabale and then hire a private taxi to the park headquarters.
Air transport, there are domestic companies in Uganda for example Aerolink Uganda limited which operates chartered and scheduled flights from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Kihihi airstrip or Kisoro airstrip where you will later connect to Nkuringo sector by road.
