The price of gorilla trekking in the Buhoma sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park of 331 square kilometers is currently USD 800 for each person per trek. This is the price you need to acquire a gorilla permit issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. At the Buhoma gorilla sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you are allowed to track a specific habituated gorilla group only if you present a permit to the park authorities for that particular date. You are also expected to spend only an hour with the mountain gorilla group after tracking it within Buhoma.
About Buhoma sector
The Buhoma gorilla sector is situated in the north of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, southwest Uganda, and is the most popular at the site. One of the reasons for its popularity is that the first gorilla trek happened here, in the year 1993. This was 2 years after Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was established as a national park. Buhoma is also renowned for having the oldest habituated gorilla group, the Mubare family. Other groups include Habinyanja, Rushegura, Katwe, and Muyambi. Only 40 permits are available each day for gorilla treks in Buhoma.
The habituated gorilla groups in the Buhoma gorilla sector
Mubare gorilla group
As mentioned, this is the oldest group, with a blackback called Kanyonyi as the current head, and took over after the unfortunate death of the silverback, Ruhondeza in the year 2013. This gorilla group was first seen in the Mubare Hill of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and now has 9 members.
Rushegura gorilla group
Formed by a silverback, Mwirima, this gorilla group was habituated in the year 2000 and the first trek happened 2 years later. Initially, the Rushegura gorilla group used to cross into the Democratic Republic of Congo, but now is permanent in the Buhoma gorilla sector with at least 19 individuals headed by Kabukojo, a silverback.
Habinyanja gorilla group
This is one of the first groups to be habituated, which happened in 1997, and visitors started tracking them in 1999. The Habinyanja gorilla group got its name from the word ‘Nyanja,’ which is translated as swamp. At the moment, the Habinyanja gorilla group is led by a silverback called Rwansigazi.
Katwe gorilla group
This gorilla group gets its name from Katwe, which was a place where they sheltered while being habituated. In 2018, this became the fourth gorilla group in the Buhoma gorilla sector to be habituated for gorilla trekking tours. The Katwe gorilla group is composed of 9 members, including 4 adult females, and is headed by Mahaane, the dominant silverback.
Muyambi gorilla group
This is the latest group in the Buhoma gorilla sector and was particularly founded in 2019. The Muyambi gorilla group got its name from the founding silverback, Muyambi who departed from the Mubare family. The number of individuals in the family is still growing but at the moment, there are at least 7 of them, including 4 adult females.
How gorilla trekking in Buhoma is done?
Gorilla trekking in Buhoma is done every day, and the first thing is each visitor must attend a briefing that starts at around 7:30 AM. This is done at the park offices and by the park authorities. This brief is important for various reasons, firstly is to explain the trekking rules and regulations to the visitors so that the gorilla trek in the Buhoma gorilla sector is very successful, and each one completes the tour safely. Secondly, they will divide the visitors into groups of 8 and each group is assigned a gorilla family to track.
Afterward, each group is led by an experienced tracker and an armed park ranger accompanies them into the forests of Buhoma to locate their respective gorilla group. They will encounter the group, and have an equally interesting time watching the family interact with themselves in their natural home. Taking pictures will be allowed, however, effort should be made to avoid getting closer than less than 7 meters away from the mountain gorillas. After an hour with the gorilla group, visitors will walk back to the starting point to complete their gorilla trek.
Each visitor will also be awarded a certificate at the park headquarters, before meeting our dedicated driver to take you to your booked lodge or for another tour activity. While on your gorilla trekking in the Buhoma gorilla sector, you could also enjoy other activities in this beautiful place. There a nature walks, community tours to the Batwa communities, biking, birdwatching, butterfly watching, etc.
How to travel for gorilla trekking in Buhoma?
Road and air transportation are the only options for reaching the Buhoma sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Air, which is a faster means of travel, is a 1 hour and 40 minutes journey on a chartered flight by AeroLink from Entebbe International Airport to Kihihi Airstrip. From there, a driver from Standard Safaris will take you to the Buhoma gorilla sector by road. From Kampala to Buhoma in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park the journey covers 510 kilometers by road southwest-wards, which takes between 10 to 11 hours on our 4×4 safari car.
When to travel for gorilla trekking in Buhoma?
Any day of the year is an opportunity to enjoy gorilla trekking in the Buhoma gorilla sector, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Still, the dry months of the year June to September and December to February are the best times to travel. A season such as this offers comfortable trekking conditions in Buhoma, with drier gorilla trails and less undergrowth. Due to the low rainfall amounts and frequency during the dry months, gorilla trekking in Buhoma hardly experiences interruptions.
