Situated on the eastern side of Bwindi Gorilla Park, Ruhija gorilla sector is one of the park’s four sectors. The park shelters the highest number of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. The park lies in southwestern Uganda and consists of four sections – Ruhija, Buhoma, Nkuringo, and Rushaga where gorilla trekking is done.
Gorilla trekking is the most popular activity in Ruhija sector, which is easily accessible from Kabale or Buhoma sector on the park’s eastern border. Visits to the sector are allowed at any time of year. Anybody above the age of 15 are allowed to undertake mountain gorilla trekking in Ruhija sector, but only those with valid permits are permitted to do so. The gorilla trekking licenses for Ruhija region cost $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and shs250,000 East African citizens.
Families of gorillas in Ruhija sector
Several habituated gorilla families, including the Oruzogo, Bitukura, and Kyaguriro families, are found in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi Gorilla Park.
Bitukura gorilla family is the second-oldest gorilla group in Ruhija sector of the Bwindi gorilla park. Habituation process of gorilla families begun in 2007 and it lasted just 15 months to become available for trekking. The Bitukura gorilla group required 15 months to get through the mocking stage, whereas most gorilla families need two to three hours to fully adapt. Ndahura, the group’s second-youngest silverback, is the head of the Bitukura gorilla family.
Orugozo gorilla family:Ruhija sector of Bwindi Gorilla Park is home to the Orugozo gorilla family, one of the gorilla families. Oruzogo gorilla family was originally made up of 25 individuals, but for various reasons it presently only consists of 17 individual. Tibirikwata, a dominating silverback, is the family’s leader. When Kankonda, a female gorilla, gave birth to a pair of twins in 2013, the Orugozo gorilla family gained greater notoriety.
Kyaguriro gorilla family, which became habituated in 1999, is the oldest gorilla family in the Bwindi gorilla park’s. Rukina, a silverback gorilla, led the family for a while until she was killed by lightning in 2015. Rukina passed away, and Mukiza, a juvenile silverback, assumed charge of the group. A fight between the group members and the immigrant silverback Rukara occurred during Mukiza’s leadership, which caused the group to split into Kyaguriro A and the Muzika family.
Gorilla trekking in Ruhija
The three gorilla families that are open for gorilla trekking in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi Gorilla Park are the Birukura, Oruzogo, and Kyaguriro families. The process of gorilla trekking in this sector begins with a briefing at the sector offices, where wardens inform the trekkers about the rules and regulations of the activity before armed ranger guides take them into the jungle.
In Ruhija sector, 8 individuals are allowed to trek a single gorilla family. All of the treks are led by armed ranger guides who lead tourists through various park trails in search of gorillas and there are possibilities for meeting different animals, primates, and birds. It can take 2-7 hours to locate mountain gorillas in the Ruhija sector, depending on the gorillas’ location and the trekkers’ pace. After finding the mountain gorillas, trekkers have an hour to spend with the apes, see them going about their everyday lives, snap pictures, and discover more about their customs.
Additional Ruhija sector activity
Ruhija Sector Birding: With 350 species of birds, 23 of which are endemic to the region, Ruhija Sector is one of the greatest places in Bwindi Gorilla Park to go birding. Birding observation is done in the morning hours with an aid of armed ranger guides that take you around several sector paths while safeguarding you from harmful wild creatures. In the Bwindi Gorilla Park, the bamboo zone and Mubwindi Swamp are the primary locations for birdwatching activity.
The following are some of the birds in the Bwindi Gorilla Park to keep an eye out for: Rwenzori batis, regal sunbird, handsome francolin, black bee-eater, African wood owl, bar-tailed trogon, dusky crimsonwing, red-fronted antpecker, tit hylia, collared apalis, strange weaver, montane oriole, short-tailed warbler, kivu ground thrush, white-bellied robin chat, black-faced rufous warbler, Rwenzori batis, black-faced rufous warbler, black-faced rufous warbler, yellow-streaked greenbul, fine-banded woodpecker, and red-throated alethe among others.
Ruhija nature walks: Those who wish to explore the park on foot can participate in these walks. Most of the nature walk activities in the Ruhija sector take place on the top of the Ruhija Ridge and are led by armed ranger guides. The park’s creatures, including chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, buffaloes, elephants, duikers, huge forest hogs, birds, and foliage, can be seen by visitors on the Ruhija sector nature walks. Additionally, there is a view of Lake Bunyonyi for the tourists.
Ruhija’s Batwa Cultural Trail: One of the things you may do on a safari in the Ruhija region of Bwindi Gorilla Park is visit the Batwa Cultural Trail. The Batwa people are the ones that lead you around the park and their communities on Batwa cultural tours. The Batwa people show you how they used to live in the bush, harvest fruits, gather honey, and hunt animals with bows and arrows. You may observe how they live their daily lives, see how they make food and beverages, visit their art and craft stores, and, at the end of the day, be entertained by the traditional dancers by visiting their village.
Accommodation in Ruhija sector
After confirming your safari, the next step when planning to visit the Ruhija region of the Bwindi Gorilla Park is to find a place to stay. Visitors don’t need to worry about where they will stay because there are several lodging alternatives in the area, ranging in price from inexpensive to luxurious. Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Bakiga Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Gorilla Mist Camp, Agandi Lodge, Broadbill Forest Camp, Gift of Nature Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort, Cuckoo Land Tented Lodge, Ecomarvels Gorilla Lodge, and Trekkers Tavern are a few of the lodging options in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi Gorilla Park.
When to go to the Ruhija sector
Although tourism activities in the Ruhija area are available throughout the year, certain months—known as the dry months—are better than others. The finest months are June through September, which are the dry months; December through February are the best months since they have little to no rainfall. The roads leading to the area are passable during the dry months, but the trekking routes are dry and the park’s vegetation is sparse, providing excellent opportunities for animal views and photography.
Travelers, especially those on a tight budget, can take advantage of significant savings on lodging by visiting the Ruhija section of the Bwindi Gorilla Park during the rainy seasons of March through May and October through November. However, visitors should be aware that the park experiences a lot of rainfall throughout the rainy season, which can make the trekking routes muddy and treacherous. Additionally, the dense foliage makes it difficult to shoot the park’s animals, and the roads leading there are impassable.
Reaching the Ruhija sector
You may get to the Ruhija sector, which is in the eastern region of the Bwindi Gorilla Park, via plane or by road. In a few hours, passengers using air transportation can fly from Kajjansi Airstrip or Entebbe International Airport to Kihihi Airstrip in the Buhoma Sector, where they will meet rivers and transfer to the Ruhija Sector.
Road transportation is available to the Ruhija region of the Bwindi Gorilla Park for those who are comfortable with lengthy drives. Traveler from Kampala/Entebbe will use Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Kabale road and brunch off from a dirt road to Ruhija taking 9-10 hours. Travelers from Rwanda can use Katuna border in Kabale and access Ruhija sector using Butogota road.