Gorilla trekking safari in Rushaga sector.
Rushaga sector is one of four gorilla sectors in the southern region of Bwindi impenetrable national park. Rushaga sector offers the thrilling gorilla trekking activity, which entails strolling into the tropical rainforest to find habituated mountain gorillas and spending an hour with them in their natural environment.
One of the places where the endangered mountain gorillas can be found is the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwest Uganda. Half of the world’s mountain gorilla population is known to be found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. They are distributed in four sectors: Rushaga in the south, Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, and Nkuringo in the south.
Trekking with gorillas in the Rushaga area
Eight habituated gorilla families—Busingye, Bweza, Nshongi, Kahungye, Mishaya, Rwigi, Bikingi, and Mukyunguzi—live in the Rushaga sector. Gorilla trekking is offered daily, beginning early in the morning with an orientation on the guidelines to be followed. Following the briefing, each group of eight will be assigned a habituated gorilla family to hike with, along with park rangers and an experienced park guide who is familiar with the gorilla trekking trails.
Because mountain gorillas prefer to roam around in search of food, trekking with them in the Rushaga area can take anywhere from two to six hours, depending on the gorillas’ location. You can see a variety of wildlife species, including birds, plants, and trees, while trekking.
After you locate the gorillas, you can spend an hour with them in their natural habitat, where you can watch them feed, nurse, play, fight, and groom their young. You can also take pictures and document the amazing moments to share with people back home after the safari.
The ideal time to visit Rushaga Sector for a gorilla trekking safari
The greatest time to go gorilla trekking in the Rushaga sector is during the dry season, which is also referred to as the peak season, which is June, July, August, September, December, January, and February. However, you can go at any time of year. Access roads and gorilla trekking trails will be dry and passable during the dry season because there is less or no rainfall in the Rushaga region. This makes gorilla trekking easier than during the rainy season, when the pathways become muddy and slippery.
The price of a permit for gorilla trekking in the Rushaga area
In Rushaga Sector, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a gorilla trekking permit costs 800 USD per person for non-resident foreigners, 700 USD per person for residents, and 300,000 UGX per person for inhabitants of East Africa.
How to reserve a permit for gorilla trekking in the Rushaga area
You can reserve gorilla trekking permits in the Rushaga sector by contacting a reputable tour operator, such as Experiya Tour Company, and providing the date, month, and year you would want to see the mountain gorillas. We will check for permit availability after you get in touch with us, and if permits are available on the dates you have selected, you will be required to pay a deposit. We will obtain the gorilla trekking permits on your behalf as soon as we receive the payment, and we will confirm with a scanned copy of the receipt.
Directions to Rushaga Sector
Rushaga sector, which is in the southern region of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, is reachable by road transportation. It takes around eight to nine hours to drive from Kampala to the park headquarters in Rushaga sector, passing through Masaka, Mbarara, and Kabale.
Rushaga sector is also accessible from Kigali, Rwanda, where visitors fly to Kigali International Airport and then drive for four to five hours to reach Rushaga sector via the Cyanika border in Kisoro or the Katuna border in Kabale.
Another way to get to Rushaga sector is via air. Travelers can reserve scheduled or charter flights with Bar Aviation or Aero link Uganda from Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airstrip, and then take a two-hour drive to Rushaga sector.
Accommodations in the Rushaga area
During your gorilla trekking safari, you can stay at a variety of luxury, midrange, and affordable lodging options in the Rushaga sector, such as Four Gorillas Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Gorilla Hills eco-lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Mutanda Lake Resort, Nshongi Camp, Wagtail Eco Safari Camp, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Resort, Bweza Gorilla Lodge, and Gorilla Leisure Lodge, among others.
Additional activities in the Rushaga sector
Following your gorilla trekking safari, Rushaga Sector provides additional activities such as a gorilla habituation experience, where you can spend four hours with the gorillas, bird watching, where you can observe various bird species, a Batwa cultural tour, where you can interact with the Batwa people, and guided nature walks, among others.
