Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is divided into four main sectors and that is Buhoma sector, Ruhijja sector, Nkuringo sector and Rushagga sector. While booking gorilla permits, tourists should make sure they get permits in an area where they booked accommodation from.
Buhoma sector of Bwindi national park is situated in the Northern sector of the park is the most commonly visited sector of Bwindi national park. This was the first sector of the park to be opened in 1993. The oldest habituated mountain gorilla family and the first to be trekked by tourists in Bwindi was Mubare gorilla family found at Buhoma sector of Bwindi.
Buhoma sector gorilla permits are scarce because there are less gorilla permits available for trekking daily, the sector has got three habituated families that is Habinyanja gorilla family, Rushegura gorilla family and Mubare gorilla family giving us only 24 permits available for trekking daily.
Buhoma sector gorilla permits are scarce because the area is the most easily accessibly part of Bwindi national park compared to other sectors, Buhoma sector is also close to Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park hence giving tourists an advantage of watching the tree climbing lions by passing through Queen Elizabeth. The sector is also very close to Kihihi airstrip compared to other sectors of Bwindi.
Buhoma gorilla permits are scarce because the region has less terrain making it easier to access gorilla families in this sector so many travellers booking permits place Buhoma sector as their first priority and at the end of the day the permits are scarce due to high demand.
Buhoma sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park was also the first sector to be established in the park hence the region is well developed compared to other areas of the park with a wide range of accommodation options ranging from budget, mid range and luxury hence attracting all kinds of travellers making the permits scarce.
Buhoma sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park also offers cultural experiences that can be combined with gorilla trekking, tourists can visit the ancient Batwa pigmy people who used to live with gorillas in the forests for over 500,000 years before they were evicted when the park was established. The forest people will take you through the forest and showcase their hunting skills, how they use different plants for medicine and you can learn so much more by visiting their homesteads.
Guided nature walks can also be done at Buhoma sector and this gives you insight to the tropical rainforest as you come across various primates like red tailed monkeys and olive baboons, butterfly species and various species of birds like Red headed blue bill, African Emerald cuckoo, white tailed blue flycatcher and short tailed warbler. Bird lovers should always carry their binoculars along while visiting Bwindi.
Gorilla permits
Gorilla permits in Uganda cost $600 per person and $1500 for habituation. Tourists should always book permits in advance especially for those interested in trekking from Buhoma sector during the peak season.
