Gorilla trekking
Which sector of Bwindi should you trek in?
Bwindi has four trekking sectors, and a gorilla permit is booked for one of them: Buhoma in the north-west, Ruhija in the east, and Rushaga and Nkuringo in the south. The Uganda Wildlife Authority does not publish which gorilla family lives in which sector, and it assigns visitors to a family on the morning of the trek, so the choice is made on how you are travelling, not on a named group. Flying into Kisoro, or arriving through Kisoro district from Rwanda, points to Rushaga or Nkuringo. Flying into Kihihi, or driving down from Queen Elizabeth National Park, points to Buhoma. Ruhija is reached from Kabale. Settle the sector first and then choose a lodge in the same one, because the Authority fines 50% of the permit fee for tracking in a different location.
Checked against official sources on . Sources
The four sectors
| Sector | Where in the park | Nearest airstrip | By road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buhoma | North-west; the park headquarters | Kihihi | About 5 hours from Kabale, or 64 km from Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park |
| Ruhija | East | Sources differ | On the road from Kabale to Buhoma, about 95 km and 4 hours end to end; the turning is 18 km beyond Kabale |
| Rushaga and Nkuringo | South | Kisoro | About 4 hours from Kabale to Nkuringo; or a winding 35 km from Kisoro, 1 to 1.5 hours |
For Ruhija the Authority's brochure names Kisoro airstrip, while Aerolink Uganda, the airline, lists a Ruhija lodge under Kihihi. Ask which transfer your lodge uses.
What the Authority publishes about the gorilla families
- Its Bwindi page says the park has 25 habituated gorilla groups, with nine available for tourism and one dedicated to research.
- It publishes no current list of which families are in which sector. Its park brochure, printed in 2018, gave three groups near Buhoma, four at Ruhija and eight at the southern trailheads of Nkuringo and Rushaga, and those numbers have not been restated since.
- Visitors are allocated to a specific gorilla family on the day of tracking, so a permit does not come with a named group.
- Each family is visited by at most eight people a day, in every sector.
The permit fixes the sector
- Permits are booked by date and by designated entry point: the visitor centres at Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga.
- Tracking somewhere other than the location on your permit carries a fine of 50% of the permit fee.
- A sector can be changed by rescheduling. The Authority's guidelines define a reschedule as a change of dates or of location, within the same conservation area.
- The first reschedule is free if there is space and the request is made at least 14 days before the trek; a second, or a late one, costs 25% of the permit.
- So book the lodge after the permit, not before. The sectors are far apart by road: the Authority gives about 4 hours for the 95 km from Kabale through Ruhija to Buhoma alone.
Is one sector easier than another?
No official source rates the sectors by difficulty or gives an altitude for each. The Authority describes Ruhija as high and draughty, and its Bamboo Trail climbs to Rwamunyoni peak at 2,607 metres, the highest point in the park. Beyond that, how long and how steep a trek is depends on where the family is that morning, which nobody can promise in advance.
Besides gorillas, sector by sector
- Buhoma and Nkuringo: community walks through the villages at the forest edge, and the long walk between the two sectors, US$60 for foreign visitors.
- Nkuringo: the Buniga Forest Walk, led by Batwa guides.
- Ruhija: the Bamboo walk, US$40, and the Mubwindi Swamp Trail, known for birds.
- Rushaga: the guided long walk to Nyabaremura, US$60.
- Anywhere in the park: birding and day nature walks at US$40, and the Batwa experience at US$40, park entry not included.
Mgahinga, the alternative
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, south of Bwindi in the Virunga volcanoes, has one habituated gorilla group and issues about eight permits a day. Tracking starts at 08:00 from the Ntebeko Visitor Centre, and the park is reached through Kisoro, like Bwindi's southern sectors.
Common questions
- Which Bwindi sector is best coming from Kigali?
- The southern sectors, Rushaga and Nkuringo, are the ones reached through Kisoro: the Authority gives the road from Kisoro as a winding 35 km of one to one and a half hours, and the Cyanika border post with Rwanda is in Kisoro district.
- Which Bwindi sector is best if I fly?
- The Authority says Kisoro airstrip serves the southern sectors of Nkuringo and Rushaga, and Kihihi airstrip serves the park's northern side, where Buhoma is. Both have daily flights from Entebbe.
- Can I choose which gorilla family I visit?
- No. The Authority's guidelines say visitors are allocated to a specific gorilla family on the day of tracking.
- Can I change sector after booking a permit?
- Yes, by rescheduling within Bwindi if there is space. The first reschedule is free when requested at least 14 days ahead; a second or a late one costs 25% of the permit.
- Which Bwindi sector is the easiest trek?
- No official source ranks them. The Authority describes Ruhija as high, but the length of a trek depends on where the gorillas are that morning.
- How many gorilla families are there in Bwindi?
- The Uganda Wildlife Authority's Bwindi page says the park has 25 habituated groups, with nine available for tourism and one dedicated to research.
Safaris to start from
6 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking
A six-day safari through southwestern Uganda and into Rwanda, combining mountain gorilla tracking in Bwindi with a game drive and Kazinga Channel boat safari in Queen Elizabeth. It ends with a visit to Kigali's Genocide Memorial.
6-Day Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla Safari
A six-day Uganda safari across Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi national parks, with game drives, the top of the falls, a Kazinga Channel boat cruise and mountain gorilla trekking.
11 Day Uganda Safari
An eleven-day Uganda safari covering Ziwa rhinos, Kibale chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi gorillas, Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo. It begins and ends at Entebbe with a stop at the Equator.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked on against these sources. Rules change on the authorities’ schedule, not ours, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you travel.
- Uganda Wildlife Authority — Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Uganda Wildlife Authority — Bwindi visitor brochure (PDF)
- Uganda Wildlife Authority — Gorilla tracking
- Uganda Wildlife Authority — Guidelines for gorilla and chimpanzee tracking, July 2024 (PDF)
- Uganda Wildlife Authority — Conservation Tariff, July 2024 to June 2026 (PDF)
- Uganda Wildlife Authority — Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
- Uganda Wildlife Authority — Mgahinga visitor brochure (PDF)
- Aerolink Uganda — Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
- Uganda National Citizenship and Immigration Control — Borders by region
Planning questions
Not sure which sector fits your route?
Tell us where you are arriving and where you go next, and we will tell you which sector has permits for your dates.