Buhoma gorilla trekking is awesome but very competitive. Its very far to book a permit in Buhoma just days to your gorilla tours. You should do it way in advance to stand a chance. Buhoma is one of the sectors in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park located in the southwestern part of Uganda; the other sectors are Nkuringo sector, Ruhija sector, and Rushaga sector. Buhoma sector was the first place where gorilla trekking in Uganda started from.
The Mubare gorilla family in Buhoma sector was the first habituated gorilla family in Bwindi in 1993, the park is also the only place where you can do gorilla habituation from. There are also other wildlife, butterflies, trees and bird species within the park.
Some of the gorilla families in Buhoma
Habinyanja gorilla family
Habinyanja gorilla family is also sometimes known as H family, the group was first habituated in 1997 and opened for tourists to trek in 1999, and the name of the group is derived from a swamp in Bwindi where the group was first spotted. At the time of habituation the group was composed of 25 members but later split in 2002 forming the Rushegura gorilla family.
Habinyanja gorilla family was habituated by Mugurisi to mean “old man” at the time of habituation despite being old, he was commanding the group of 30 members and when he died there were power wrangles between his sons Mwirima and Rwanzigazi though they shared the groups leadership but heard differences in that Rwanzigazi was adventurers and Mwirima didn’t love to explore.
The brothers didn’t fight like usual in 2002 some members left with Mwirima and Rwanzigazi stayed with some members. Habinyanja maintained the group name while for Mwirima was name Rushegura gorilla family.
Mubare gorilla family
Mubare gorilla family was the first Gorilla groups to be habituated in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in 1991, the group was first dominated by Ruhondeza who died in 2012 at the time of habituation though the group was known for practising infanticide which involved Ruhondezagettingg rid of male gorillas at the young age to avoid them from taking over power.
Kanyonyi was the only silverback who survived his father and took over the leadership after his death; the group is now composed of 11 members with 1 silverback, 3 infants, 6 adult females, and 1 sub-adult.
Rushegura gorilla family
Rushegura gorilla family was part of Habinyanja family before they split in 2002, the name Rushegura is from a local word “Ebishegura” for a tree species found in the area where the group split from. The group was led by Mwirima who took away 7 members from Habinyanja gorillas family to form his own family.
By 2010 Rushegura gorilla family had 19 members, for tourists who would love to take shorter treks this is the best group as its sometimes fond of being around the parks headquarters and village gardens.
Compliments to your Buhoma Gorilla Tours
Apart from mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to forest elephants, giant forest genets, African golden civet, bushbucks, several antelopes and primates like chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and vervet monkeys to mention a few.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is endowed with 348 species of birds some of these are endemic to this area, examples of birds found in Bwindi include; African green broadbill, chaplains flycatcher, Shelley’s crimson wing, short-tailed warbler, gruers rush warbler and many others.
Nature guided walks can be taken at Buhoma sector with various trails like Munyaga river trail, Waterfall trail, Rushagura hill trail, a muzabajiro loop trail and river ivy trail. All these trails provide unique experiences leading to spectacular destinations while you spot various birds and wildlife on the way.
The Batwa trail and Buhoma community walk are the best for cultural experiences in the park, tourists can visit the people and learn about their ways of lives, visit traditional healers, village farmlands and so much more. You can also get entertained by local traditional dances and you can support the community by buying handmade materials.
Accommodation In Buhoma
Buhoma sector being the first sector in Bwindi means there are various accommodations such as; silverback lodge, Engagi lodge, gorilla forest camp, Mahogany Springs, Buhoma Lodge, Bwindi volcano lodge, Buhoma community rest camp and Buhoma community haven among others.
Bwindi impenetrable forest can be reached by road within 8-9 hours from Kampala or within 1-2 hours from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield. Buhoma sector is also close to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park well known for the tree climbing lions that can be reached within 2 hours.
When planning to trek gorillas in Buhoma, tourists should not miss the following: Hiking boots, warm clothes, raincoats, garden gloves, energy snacks, drinking water and other things you will need.
Buhoma can be visited all year round but the best time is from June to August and December to February during the drier months as rain can sometimes distract in the wet season.