Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Rushaga sector is one of the sectors situated in the southern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park. Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in southwestern Uganda in Kanungu district and the most visited gorilla destination in Africa due to the fact that it harbors the highest number of mountain gorillas which are equivalent to half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Bwindi impenetrable national park has other sectors for gorilla trekking including Ruhija in the east, Nkuringo in the south and Buhoma in the north.
Gorilla trekking in Rushaga sector
Rushaga sector is one of the most visited sectors in the park because it harbors the highest number of the habituated gorilla families including Nshongi, Kahungye, Bweza, Busingye, Bikyingi, Mishaya, Mucunguzi and Rwigi.
Gorilla trekking is an interesting activity where visitors move into the tropical rainforest in search of the habituated gorilla families and once found spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking in Rushaga sector starts in the morning with a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations to be followed during trekking. After the briefing you will be divided into 8 individuals to trek each habituated gorilla family. At around 8:00am you will start trekking in the jungle with a park guide who will be sharing information about the mountain gorillas.
Gorilla trekking in Rushaga sector takes about 2 to 6 hours depending on the location of the mountain gorillas and once found you will be able to spend one hour with the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat and during the one hour you will be learning about their lifestyle, behaviors, habits, watching females nursing the young ones as you take plenty of photos and record the moments which gives you incredible experiences on your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda.
Rushaga sector is a home of 8 habituated gorilla families which means that there are about 64 gorilla trekking permits available daily therefore visitors interested in trekking the endangered mountain gorillas in Rushaga sector should first acquire a gorilla trekking permit which costs $600 for foreign non –residents, $500 for foreign residents and UGX 250,000 for East African citizens. The gorilla trekking permit was however increased by $100 therefore effective 1st July 2020 foreign non- residents will pay $700 and $600 for the foreign residents. The gorilla trekking permits in Rushaga sector can either be booked directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) or through a tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris, the permits should be booked 3 to 6 months in advance so as to avoid disappointments at the last minute.
Rushaga sector offers gorilla habituation experience a process where the mountain gorillas are trained to get used to human presence. Rushaga sector is the only destination in Uganda where gorilla habituation experience takes place. Gorilla habituation experience is carried out by a team of trackers, researchers, park rangers among others and the process takes period of 2 to 3 years to be completed. The activity is done early in the morning at around 7:30am and allows only 4 visitors to engage in the activity and they are given an opportunity to spend four hours with in the presence of the gorillas under habituation process.
Currently there is only one family under habituation process in Rushaga sector therefore there are only 4 available permits for gorilla habituation experience. A gorilla habituation permit costs $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents and UGX 750,000 for East African citizens. Visitors interested in gorilla habituation experience should book the permits in advance because they are competitive and usually get sold out.
Reasons for trekking gorillas in Rushaga sector
Rushaga sector is easily accessible by visitors from Kigali Rwanda in that it takes about 3 hours’ drive from Kigali to Rushaga sector via Cyanika border in Kisoro. Using the Kigali route makes transportation shorter in that it takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive while traveling from Kampala to Rushaga takes about 8 hours’ drive.
Rushaga sector harbors the highest number of the habituated gorilla families compared to other sectors in Bwindi impenetrable national park because other sectors have 4 gorilla families while Rushaga sector has 8 gorilla families. Visitors interested in trekking the endangered mountain gorillas in Rushaga sector therefore have a chance of choosing any gorilla family they want to visit.
Rushaga sector is also the only destination in Uganda and Africa that offers gorilla habituation experience therefore visitors interested in spending a lot of time with the mountain gorillas should go for gorilla trekking experience where they will have an opportunity of spending four hours with the gorillas compared to the one hour given during gorilla habituation.
Best time to visit Rushaga sector
Rushaga sector can be visited anytime throughout the year through the best time is during the dry season in the months of June to September and December to February. The dry season is the best time for gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experience because that is the period when access roads to Rushaga sector and gorilla trekking trails in the jungle are passable compared to the rainy season when the gorilla trekking trails are muddy and slippery which make gorilla trekking difficult.
Where to stay in Rushaga sector
Rushaga sector offers a wide range of luxury, midrange and budget accommodation facilities including Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Wagtail Eco Safari Camp, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Mutanda Lake Resort, Clouds Mountain Lodge among others. The lodges offer quality amenities and facilities for visitors on a gorilla trekking safari such as comfortable double, single, twin and family rooms with en-suite bathrooms, siting lounge, free Wi-Fi in public areas, restaurant where they serve local and international dishes, bar, gardens for relaxation after gorilla trekking, beautiful views of the landscape, scenery, birds and offer activities like community tour, forest walk, bird watching among others.
How to get to Rushaga sector
Rushaga sector is located in the southern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park and can be accessed by road and air transport means.
Road transport, when using road transport you will drive from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale and then to Rushaga sector which takes about 8 to 9 hours’ drive. On the way you will have great views of the Virunga Mountains, homesteads, local people among others.
Rushaga sector can also be accessed by public means though not recommended. When using public means of transport 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 such as Aerolink which operate scheduled and chartered flights daily from Entebbe airport or Kajansi airfield to Kisoro airstrip and then connect to the park headquarters by road.
Rushaga sector can also be accessed from Kigali in Rwanda where by you will fly to Kigali international airport and then connect to Rushaga sector by road through Cyanika border in kisoro which takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive. This is the best option for visitors who don’t like travelling long distances and it also saves on transportation costs for budget travelers.
Gorilla trekking is a breathtaking and once a lifetime experience that shouldn’t be missed on your safari in Uganda.
