Buhoma sector

Mountain Gorilla trekking in Uganda is famously and best done in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park which is home to almost half of the remaining mountain gorilla population in the world. Bwindi impenetrable forest national park harbors over 600 mountain gorilla population and is dominated by tropical rain forests with very high altitude areas that favors the survival of the mountain gorillas. Bwindi forest has been divided into four sectors that are home to habituated mountain gorilla families which are ready for gorilla tourism in Uganda such as Buhoma sector, Nkuringo sector, Ruhija sector and Rushaga sector

Buhoma sector is the best leading sector that is highly recommended for the best mountain gorilla trekking experiences thus it is the most liked by majority of travelers that visit Bwindi forest for the gorilla trekking adventure. Buhoma sector has got its unique experience which it offers to all travelers that have come to enjoy the mountain gorilla trekking activity in the forest jungle. It is important to note that mountain gorillas live together in groups of over 4 to 30 individuals which are also known as gorilla families. Buhoma sector is a home to about 4 gorilla families which are extremely exciting thus offering travelers unforgettable memories from the time you meet them while trekking.

Why gorilla trekking experience in Buhoma sector?

Buhoma sector is situated in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in the northern region that it is dominated with the dense thick tropical forest. Buhoma sector is one of the oldest and first sectors to be opened for gorilla tourism in Africa in 1993 harboring four habituated gorilla families such as the Mubare families, Rushengura family, Katwe family and Habinyanja family.

Mubare family, this was the first family to be habituated in Buhoma sector and it has been open for tourism since 1993. The group was initiated by Ruhondeza a silver back gorilla who used to be head with about 18 individuals. It came a time when Ruhondeza is too old to manage the family, other individuals moved away to form their own families and others joined other families, therefore by time he died there were only 4 members remaining. However other mature silverbacks took over and increased the number to about 9 individuals.

The katwe family, this has about 7 individuals which is headed by a mature silverback gorilla and it is one of the recently established habituated gorilla families and it now open for tourism.

The Habinyanja family, this has about 18 individuals with two dominate silver back and it is one of the oldest family that was habituated for gorilla tourism since in 1997.

The Rushengura family, this has about 19 individuals headed by a Mwirima gorilla silverback and it is also one of the oldest habituated families that have been open for tourism since 2002.

Although Buhoma sector has the least population of the mountain gorillas, it is highly visited by a number of travelers due to the fact that it is the first sector and oldest to be opened up for gorilla tourism thus giving incredible gorilla trekking experience due to the fact that its gorilla families can easily be spotted compared to other sectors.

Gorilla trekking permit for Buhoma sector are on a very high demand and almost every traveler who visits Bwindi forest wants to trek in Buhoma sector. This has made the gorilla trekking permit for the sector to be very competitive thus they get sold out very first, we therefore advise travelers to make advance booking at least 6 months prior to the date and month of travel so as to enjoy trekking in Buhoma sector which is the best leading gorilla trekking sector.

Travelers can book with Adventure in the wild safaris so as we assist you with booking the gorilla trekking permits for Buhoma sector. Please contact us with your dates and month of travel plus the passport details so that we can book for you a gorilla trekking permit before you travel.

The gorilla trekking permit for Buhoma sector costs 600 USD per person per day and by June 2020 the gorilla trekking permit will cost 700 USD per person per day. The gorilla trekking permit allows travelers to spend only one hour with a gorilla family and a maximum of 8 people are allowed to see a gorilla family in Uganda.

Buhoma community

After the gorilla trekking experience in Buhoma sector of Bwindi, travelers can choose to take a community walk around Buhoma sector. This will give travelers an opportunity to interact with the local people who participate in tourism through via various projects such as weaving, craft making, bee keeping among others so as they can earn a living. Travelers also get an insight to support these local people through buying their products, such as art crafts items, honey as well as experiencing their cultural lifestyle such as the batwa and Bakiga culture through the different cultural dances that will be presented to travelers. Batwa community experience cost 20 USD per person. At the end of your gorilla trekking safaris, this will give you unforgettable memories and experience about the pearl of Africa hidden wonders.

Forest walk

The best way to explore Bwindi forest is through taking a forest walk with an experience ranger guide who will take you through the forest. This will offer you an opportunity to enjoy bird watching in Bwindi forest, other wildlife animals, and learn more about the different plant species among others.

How to access Buhoma sector?

Buhoma sector can be accessed via both road transport and Air transport depending on the travelers preference but travelers have to acknowledge that will take them quite some of hours of driving to Bwindi forest on road transport.

 On road transport from Kampala to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, it is about 9-10 hours’ drive including stop over points covering a distance of about 570 kilometer. And travelers from Kampala go through kibale to access Buhoma sector. From kibale town to Bwindi impenetrable forest, it takes about 3 hours on road using a 4×4 safari vehicle. Buhoma sector can also be accessed from Queen Elizabeth national park via Ishasha sector and it will take travelers about 4-5 hours’ drive to reach the Buhoma via kihihi area. Travelers from Ishasha sector have an insight to enjoy viewing the tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector.

Alternatively travelers who can opt for air transport and a flight will take them one hour to reach Bwindi forest. Travelers from kajjansi airstrip of Entebbe international airport will land in kihihi Airstrip. Then transferred to their accommodation lodge in Buhoma sector where they are going to enjoy the gorilla trekking experience. There are very many airlines that operate safaris to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park such as Aero link Uganda, Uganda airlines among others.

Accommodation in Buhoma sector

We advise travelers to always book their accommodation options with in Buhoma sector where they are going to enjoy their gorilla trekking experience so as they can easily reach at the UWA reception in time for briefing. There is a lot of accommodation options in Buhoma sector that range from budget options, mid-range options as well as luxury options which are eco-friendly and offer excellent facilities and services.

Some of the accommodation lodges in Buhoma sector include; Mahogany springs lodge, silverback safari lodge, sanctuary gorilla forest camp, Buhoma lodge, Buhoma community rest camp, engage lodge, Buhoma Haven lodge, and chameleon lodge among others.

In conclusion Buhoma sector is the best sector for gorilla trekking due to the factor it was the first region to harbor the habituated gorilla families thus it has rich history since 1993 and it has a lot of incredible and better accommodation facilities compared to other sectors thus offering perfect gorilla trekking experience.