Rushaga Sector
Rushaga Sector is in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is the park famous in the history of tourism for saving the “mountain gorillas,” an endangered species of animal. One of the four parts of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is this area. The park is home to some of the last remaining mountain gorillas in the wild. There are 400 of these wild apes living in the park, and the Rushaga section has 10 gorilla families, making it one of the areas with the most. The Nshongi, Busingye, Kungye, Bweza, and Mishaya people are safe in this area. Learn more about the Rushaga sector in this piece. It tells you why you should hike in this sector instead of others in Bwindi.
Is it good to Trek Gorillas in Rushaga Sector
When you go to Rushaga, you can see the volcanoes and mountains in the background. The best views are of Virunga, Gahinga, and Muhavura. It’s such a beautiful place to see. You can also see “Lake Bunyonyi,” which is the deepest crater lake in Africa.
As you drive through this area, you’ll be amazed by the landscape. The hills and rivers will amaze you, and you’ll also get to enjoy the beauty of the Kisoro district, which is known as the Switzerland of Uganda.
Because there are so many habituated gorilla families in this sector, it’s easy to get your permit ahead of time; 40 permits are sold every day, and only 8 people are allowed to trek with each family. However, four people are allowed to carry our habuations in this sector, which is the only one with two habituated gorilla families. Before you are given a permit, you should ask for the gorilla family you want to see. Depending on your level of fitness, you may be able to see more than one family in this region, since the families live in different parts of the region. The rangers know where each family is located.
There are different lodges in the Rushaga region, and all of them are owned by people from the region. In other areas, lodges are owned by foreign investors. When you go on a trek in Rushaga, you can spend the night in a lodge. Some of the hotels are Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, and Nshongi Gorilla Camp. This will allow you to be a part of the growing society and industry in this area. This sector has more activities than any other sector. For example, tourists can spend 4 hours teaching gorillas to live close to people in the wild as part of a program called “Gorilla Habituation.”If you book with us, you’ll have an amazing time with the mountain gorillas in this area.
Gorilla Trekking in Rushaga Sector
10 habituated gorilla families live in the Rushaga sector. These are the Busingye, Bweza, Nshongi, Kahungye, Mishaya, Rwigi, Bikingi, and Mukyunguzi families. You can go trekking with them every day, and the trip starts early in the morning with a talk about the rules you need to follow. After the briefing, you will be split into eight-person groups and given a habituated gorilla family to trek with. Each group will also have park rangers and an expert park guide who knows the gorilla trekking trails very well. In the Rushaga sector, trekking mountain gorillas can take anywhere from two to six hours, based on where the gorillas are. This is because the gorillas like to move around in search of food. During trekking, you can see many kinds of animals, including birds, plants, and trees. Once you find the gorillas, you can spend an hour with them in their natural habitat. This gives you a chance to watch them eat, breastfeed, play, fight, groom their young, learn more about their behaviors, take pictures, and record the amazing moments to show people back home after the safari.
When is the best time to go gorilla trekking in Rushaga Sector
Though you can go gorilla tracking in the Rushaga sector at any time of the year, the best time is from June to February, during the dry season, also called the peak season. This is when lots of people are traveling. It doesn’t rain much in the Rushaga sector during the dry season, so the access roads and gorilla trekking paths will be dry and easy to use. This is in contrast to the rainy season, when the trails are muddy and slippery, which makes gorilla trekking harder.
What is the cost of gorilla trekking in Rushaga Sector
In the Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a gorilla trekking pass costs 800 USD for foreigners who don’t live in Uganda and 700 USD for foreigners who do live in Uganda. It costs 250,000 UGX for East African citizens.
How to get a permit to go trekking with gorillas in the Rushaga sector
You can book gorilla trekking permits in the Rushaga area through a reputable tour company like Achieve Global Safaris. Just let us know the month, day, and year you want to visit the mountain gorillas. Once you get in touch with us, we’ll see if the permits you want are still available. If they are, you’ll be asked to make a deposit. As soon as we get the money, we’ll get the gorilla trekking passes for you and send you a scanned copy of the receipt as proof.
How to get to Rushaga Sector
You can get to the Rushaga sector in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by driving from Kampala through Masaka, Mbarara, and Kabale to get to the park offices in the Rushaga sector. The drive takes about 8 to 9 hours.
You can also get to the Rushaga area from Kigali, Rwanda. To get there, first fly to Kigali International Airport, and then take a 4- to 5-hour drive to the Cyanika border in Kisoro or the Katuna border in Kabale. Getting to Rushaga sector by air is also possible. Tourists can book scheduled or charter trips with Bar aviation or Aerolink Uganda from Entebbe International Airport to Kisoro airstrip. From there, it takes about two hours to drive to Rushaga sector
Other things going on in the Rushaga Sector
After your gorilla trekking safari in Africa Bwindi Rushaga Sector, you can do other things in the Rushaga sector, such as a gorilla habituation experience where you can spend four hours with gorillas, bird watching where you can see different kinds of birds, a Batwa cultural tour where you can meet and talk with Batwa people, guided nature walks, and more.
Trekking with gorillas is a thrilling and beautiful thing to do in Uganda that you shouldn’t miss on your vacation. Contact Gorilla Trekking in Africa at any time to learn more about our gorilla trekking safaris in the Rushaga area, or check out our website for a list of our gorilla trekking packages.