Gorilla Sectors in Uganda

Introduction

Uganda’s mountain gorillas are found in the southwestern region of the country housed in specifically two National Parks namely Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park protects more than half of the remaining mountain gorilla population with the remaining population only found in the Virunga region It is made up of three National Parks namely Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mountain gorilla sectors in Uganda are basically five out of which four sectors are in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with the remaining one in Mgahinga National Park all offering a unique gorilla trekking experience. Therefore these include the following;

Rushaga gorilla sector

Rushaga gorilla sector is one of the four gorilla sectors that make up Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This gorilla sector is located in the southern section of the Park and is renowned for protecting the highest number of mountain gorillas out of the entire gorilla sector. The Rushaga gorilla sector is believed to have been named after the Rushaga village which is situated in the southern section of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is also the only sector in Bwindi that supports mountain gorilla habituation, a process undertaken to tame gorillas to get used to human presence thus making them ready for trekking. The Rushaga gorilla sector currently protects over eight mountain gorilla families that are readily available for trekking each offering a wondrous and unique gorilla experience after encountering them in their natural habitat. Gorilla families that call this sector home include the Nshongi gorilla family which was named after the Nshongi River where it was first sighted, the Mishaya gorilla group, Bweza, Kahungye, Busingye, Bikini, Rwiigi, and Mucunguzi. Rushaga gorilla sector by both road and air transport for those who are not comfortable with sitting for long hours throughout their journey. By road, the journey lasts for about 9 to 10 hours starting from Kampala to Mbarara and continuing via Mbarara-Kabale to connect to Bwindi and then Rushaga in the southern section whereas by air a domestic flight is booked from either Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe airport that takes you to Kisoro airstrip where you are picked up to embark on a 2 hours’ drive to Rushaga sector. It can also be accessed from Kigali Rwanda and driving for about 4 hours to the Rushaga sector.

Buhoma gorilla sector

Buhoma gorilla sector is situated in the northern section of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park renowned for being the first gorilla sector to present a fully habituated gorilla family which paved the way for gorilla tourism in Uganda in 1993. Gorilla trekking in the Buhoma sector is much easier compared to the other three gorilla sectors due to the nature of its terrain which stands at 14000 meters above sea level. This gorilla sector favors several other activities such as birdwatching, nature walks and many more since it holds the Park’s head trails for example Rushara hill trail, River Ivi trail, Munyanga River trail, waterfalls trail, Muzabajiro loop trail, and many more. Buhoma gorilla sector shelters six habituated gorilla families namely the Mubare gorilla family, Habinyanja, Rushegura, Muyambi, Katwe, and Binyindo. This sector can also be accessed by both road and air transport where one books a domestic flight at either Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe International Airport to Kihiihi airstrip and then is driven to Buhoma whereas by road the driving distance lasts for about 8-9 hours taking you through Masaka-Mbarara, Mbarara-Kabale to Kanungu and later connect to Buhoma. From Kigali Rwanda, the Buhoma gorilla sector can also be accessed by driving to Kabale through the Katuna border and then connecting to Buhoma which lasts for about 5 hours.

Ruhija gorilla sector

Ruhija gorilla sector is located in the eastern region of the Park between the Buhoma sector and Kabale Town. This region is not only a home to the gorillas but it also harbors forest elephants that are often encountered on one’s trek through rolling hills and lush vegetation to spot the gorillas in their natural habitat. This gorilla sector is also known for harboring rift endemic bird species such as the green broadbills making it a great spot for birdwatching within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Ruhija gorilla sector houses four fully habituated gorilla families that are readily available for trekking and these include the Bitukura gorilla family which was the first habituated gorilla group in this sector, the Kyaguriro gorilla family, Oruzogo and Mukiza which is also referred to as Kyaguriro B. Other activities are carried out in the Ruhija gorilla sector such as nature walks, and primate walking safaris to mention but a few. Ruhija gorilla sector can be accessed by both road and air transport. By road, the drive lasts for about 9 hours starting from Kampala or Entebbe to Mbarara via Masaka-Mbarara and proceeding to Kabale via Mbarara-Kabale and later connecting to Ruhija whereas by air one is expected to book a domestic flight from Kajjansi or Entebbe airport to Kihiihi airstrip and then embarking on a 3 hours’ drive maximum to Ruhija. This gorilla sector can also be accessed from Kigali Rwanda by driving to Kabale through the Katuna border and then connecting to the Ruhija gorilla sector in Bwindi.

Nkuringo gorilla sector

Nkuringo gorilla sector is situated in the southern region of the Park and is known to have been named after the region’s rolling hills that are referred to as Nkuringo in the local Rukiga language. This gorilla sector was opened for gorilla tourism in 2014 making it the second gorilla sector to be declared ready for gorilla trekking just after the Buhoma gorilla sector. This gorilla sector offers a strenuous gorilla trekking experience since encountering the gentle giants in this sector must involve trekking through sloppy hills and uneven terrain. This gorilla sector harbors four gorilla families of which three are fully habituated and ready for trekking whereas one that is still undergoing the habituation process is known as the Posho gorilla family. Habituated gorilla families include Nkuringo, Bushaho, and Christmas gorilla families. This gorilla sector can also be accessed by both air and road transportation means. By road, one has to drive from Kampala to Mbarara via Masaka-Mbarara and proceed to Kabale via Mbarara-Kabale after which you connect to the Nkuringo gorilla sector via Muko-Nkuringo. By air, a domestic flight has to be booked from either Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe airport to Kisoro airstrip where you are driven for about an hour to Nkuringo gorilla sector. This gorilla sector can also be accessed from Kigali Rwanda by crossing the Cyanika border and connecting to Nkuringo via Kabale-Kisoro. One can also access it via the Katuna border to Kabale and then connect to the Nkuringo gorilla sector.

Ntebeko gorilla sector

Ntebeko gorilla sector is the only gorilla sector in Mgahinga National Park situated in the southwestern region bordering both Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. This gorilla sector was rendered open for gorilla trekking in 1994 having habituated its first gorilla family known as Nyakagezi in 1991. Therefore this gorilla sector harbors only two fully habituated gorilla families namely the Nyakagezi gorilla family and the Hirwa gorilla family implying that there are only 16 gorilla trekking permits that are available daily for visitors in this particular gorilla sector. Ntebeko gorilla sector is a 9-hour drive away from Kampala which can as well be accessed by air for those who are not comfortable with long-hour drives. By air, one is expected to book a flight from either Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe airport to Kihiihi or Kisoro airstrip and be driven to connect to Ntebeko Visitors’ Center. From Kigali Rwanda, one is driven for about 3 to 4 hours via the Cyanika border and then connects to the Ntebeko Visitor’s Center.