Ruhija Sector
Ruhija Sector : There are 400 mountain gorillas left in the wild, and the Ruhija section of Bwindi is in the eastern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This park is in the southwestern part of Uganda. It is one of the national parks in Africa whose job is to protect mountain gorillas. There are three gorilla groups in the Ruhija sector. They are the Bitukura, the Oruzongo, and the Kyaguriro. Ruhija is home to two habituated families, and each day only 16 passes are given out for mountain gorilla tracking in this area. The Kyagurira family, on the other hand, learned how to hike by putting 24 passes in Ruhija.
The Kyaguriro family is only used for study in this area. Also, keep in mind that only six people are allowed at a time, not eight like other gorilla families. To see the Kyaguriro family, you need to get official permission from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
There aren’t as many families in Ruhija as there are in Buhoma sector, which is always full of tourists, even though Ruhija is a better place for ecotourism. In contrast to other areas, Ruhija is a good event because it has a lot of locations.
It is situated between Buhoma sector, which is in the park’s north, and Kibale town, which is in the south. This means that it is easy to get to from both the south and the north. The area links up to get to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is 218 km long. This gives tourists who want to trek gorillas plenty of time to go on a game drive in the Ishasha area to see lions that climb trees.
Besides going on Gorilla treks, Ruhija has a lot of other things to do, like bird watching, which is very popular. The park has a primate walk where you can look for the white and black colobus monkeys that are playing on the tree branches in this area.
The sector is also just a few meters from the Crater Lake of Bunyonyi, which is a lovely place to relax with boat rides and learning about the Batwa culture. The lake is full of interesting hills and islands. There are a lot of places to stay in the area, like the Gorilla Mist Camp, which is good for tourists.
How to Get Ruhija Sector to Go Trekking with Gorillas
By Air: Another quick and easy way to get to Ruhija is by air. Aero Link is a domestic airline that flies both regular and charter trips to Kihihi Airstrip, which is where you can connect to Ruhija. You can’t take a direct flight to Ruhija, but you can be dropped off in Kihihi. From there, our trained guide will pick you up and take you to your lodge. It takes about an hour to drive from Kihihi to a nearby lodge. It is always necessary for passengers to check in 90 minutes before their trip leaves. One more thing to keep in mind is that Aerolink only lets each passenger bring 15 kilograms of luggage. Any extra weight is charged at 3 USD per kilogram. Private flights are also an option for clients who need to travel at different times and on different routes. You might also want to take a trip with your kids, which is free for kids younger than 2 years old. Kids over 12 years old can ride for 70% of the price of an adult ticket.
By Road: The main highway road from Entebbe or Kampala leads to Ruhija. The drive takes about eight to nine hours. You will go to Buhoma after going through Kabale town. You can also drive to the park from Kigali, Rwanda, which takes about four to five hours.
when is the best time to go for gorilla trekking in Ruhija Sector?
You can go hiking there all year, but keep in mind that it is a tropical rainforest, so it can rain at any time. June through August and December through February are the best times to look for gorillas because it doesn’t rain much during those months and the ground isn’t as wet. However, if you happen to visit between March and May or November, when it tends to rain more, you might be able to get a better deal on your lodging at some lodges.