Gorilla Trekking Nkuringo

Nkuringo sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is situated in the southern part of the park and the other sectors are Rushaga sector, Buhoma sector, and Ruhija sector. Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is located in the southwestern part of Uganda harboring half of the worlds remaining mountain gorillas.

Mountain gorillas are a subspecies of eastern gorilla found in Bwindi and Mgahinga national park in Uganda, Volcanoes national park in Rwanda and Virunga national park in Congo. Trekking these great apes is what should not miss on your travel list while coming to Africa. Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda charge different prices for gorilla permits costing $1500 in Rwanda, $600 in Uganda and $450 in Congo. One of the reasons you should visit gorillas is that they are man’s close relatives sharing over 98% DNA.

Gorilla Families to trek in Nkuringo
Nkuringo gorilla family
Nkuringo gorilla family was the first group to be habituated in Bwindi national park and to be visited by visitors in 1998 and the family is also one of the lucky families that received twins in 2004. The family was known to roam outside the park is the local’s farmlands that led to the displacement of the local people and there was an outbreak of scabies is the family thereafter.

Nkuringo gorilla family is dominated by Rafiki with 12 members, the family was composed of 19 members at the time of habituation, and the group is one of the most interesting to trek in Bwindi known for their playful behaviors.

Bushaho gorilla family
Bushaho gorilla was formed as a result of the disappearance of some members in the Nkuringo gorilla family, after the follow up the silverback Bahati who was a former member of the Nkuringo gorilla family was found leading a group with some members of Nkuringo and unhabituated gorillas.

The name Bushaho was derived from a Topo name from their home range where they were first spotted, the family is composed of 8 members with 1 silverback, 1 black back, 1b sub adult, 1 infant, 1 Juvenile and 3 adult females.

Gorilla Habituation
Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is the only place that offers gorilla habituation experience in the world, gorilla habituation is the process of making gorillas get used to human presence so that they can trek after a period of two years. During gorilla habituation, tourists will join researchers in habituation for 4 hours and the cost is only $1,500 per person and only a group of 4 people will participate in the activity per day. Gorilla habituation is carried out from the Rushaga sector, just 30 minutes away from Nkuringo.

Compliments to your Nkuringo gorilla tours
Bwindi forest is not only to mountain gorillas but also other wildlife such as; forest elephants, duikers and bushbucks with other primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and many others.

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is home to over 300 species of birds recorded some of this is endemic to the Albertine region. Examples of some of the birds in Bwindi include; blackfaced rufous warbler, mountain yellow warbler, fine banded woodpecker, short-tailed warbler, montane oriole, dusky crimson wing, regal sunbird, Ruwenzori batis, purple breasted sunbird, Chaplin’s flycatcher, strange weaver, strip breasted tit, African wood owl, handsome francolin, bar-tailed trogon and yellow steaked greenbul to mention a few.

Nkuringo sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has got various walking trails established within th forest with each leading to a scenic destination, the nature walks are an ideal way to explore the forest and bird lovers should not forget to carry binoculars to spot some bird species. Tourists will also see lots of wildlife and various butterfly species during nature walks.

The Batwa trail in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park offers an authentic cultural experience for visitors, the Batwa people were the original people of Bwindi forest who co-existed with mountain gorillas for over 500,000 years before they were displaced, they depended in the forest for food, shelter, and medicine and survived through fruit gathering and hunting. The Batwa today, live at the age of the forest working in Bakiga farms who live outside the forest never the less their forest techniques have not been forgotten as they take you through the forest showing hunting skills, how to make fire, visit a traditional healer who shows you how they use different herbs to heal various diseases and lastly enjoy local food of the Batwa with entertainment from the ancient forest traditional dancers.

Where to sleep
There are various accommodations in Bwindi national park but where to sleep will depend on the tourist’s budget and the area where the permit was obtained from. Lodges in Nkuringo sector include; Nkuringo gorilla campsite, clouds mountain gorilla lodge, Nshongi camp and Nkuringo gorilla lodge among the rest.

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park can be visited all year round but the best time is in the dry months of June to September and December through to February when the weather is convenient.

Getting There
Nkuringo sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park can be reached in 10-11 hours from Kampala on road, 4 hours drive from Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth and 5 hours from Kigali Rwanda. Tourists can also fly to the park through Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield.

While visiting Nkuringo for gorilla trekking, tourists should pack endeavor to pack stuff like good hiking boots, warm clothes, hats, sunscreens, sunglasses, insect repellents, garden gloves, energy snacks, and drinking water.