There are over 30 gorilla trekking permits available each day in Ruhija. Each Ruhija gorilla permit costs $800 per person. Children under 15 and visitors who are sick are not allowed to trek gorillas.
Ruhija sector is located in the eastern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The other three sectors of the park are Buhoma, Nkuringo, and Rushaga. Ruhija has three gorilla families that can be visited by tourists.
Ruhija is easy to reach from both the northern and southern parts of the park. It is also one of the best areas for bird watching in Bwindi. Many tourists prefer to get their gorilla permits from Ruhija because the area is easily accessed from Entebbe and is close to the Katuna border with Rwanda.
The Ruhija sector is also near Lake Bunyonyi, which is often called the “Lake of Little Birds.” Tourists can relax and enjoy the lake after gorilla trekking. Lake Bunyonyi is about 52 kilometers from Ruhija and is also a great place for bird watchers.
Gorilla Groups to Trek in Ruhija
- Oruzogo Gorilla Family: The Oruzogo family was habituated in 2012 and is led by the silverback Tibirikwata. This group is one of the few to have had twins. In 2012, the female Kaboke gave birth to twins. The group is fun to visit because it has many young gorillas that are playful and full of energy. The group is now led by another silverback called Bakwate and is made up of 17 members. The number of gorillas in the group can change over time.
- Bitukura Gorilla Family: The Bitukura family can be visited from both Buhoma and Ruhija sectors of Bwindi. One special thing about this group is that it has four silverbacks. The second-youngest silverback, Ndahura, is the leader of the group, which is rare because usually, the oldest silverback is the leader. The group was named after the Bitukura River, where they were first seen. The habituation process for this family took less than two years, which is shorter than usual. Bitukura gorilla family also has a close relationship with the Kyaguriro family.
- Kyaguriro Gorilla Family: The Kyaguriro family was habituated in 1999 for research purposes to help scientists learn more about mountain gorillas. At first, the group was led by a silverback called Zeus. Later, another silverback, Rukina, challenged him and forced him out of the group. Zeus later died alone in the forest. After some time, Rukina was attacked by a silverback from the Bitukura family. This caused the Kyaguriro group to split into two; Kyaguriro A and Kyaguriro B. Kyaguriro B is still used for research, while tourists can now visit Kyaguriro A.
You can see the full list of Ruhija gorilla families here.
