Gorilla Trekking in Nkuringo Sector
Gorilla trekking in Nkuringo sector is amongst the major activities carried out in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National park alongside other activities within the park. Nkuringo sector is amongst the four gorilla trekking sectors including Buhoma sector the main gorilla trekking trailhead in Bwindi, Rushaga sector, and Ruhija sector all situated in Bwindi impenetrable national park a home to more than a half of mountain gorillas in the wild thus making it the best place for gorilla trekking safari in Africa.
Reasons for trekking mountain gorillas in Nkuringo sector
There are very many reasons as to why one needs to really opt for gorilla trekking in Nkuringo sector and they include;
Easy access from Kigali – Rwanda: Nkuringo sector is situated near the Rushaga sector both in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Gorilla trekking in the Nkuringo sector is usually enjoyed by travelers who fly into Kigali – Rwanda and then drive to Uganda for gorilla trekking safari in the Nkuringo sector. The drive from Kigali to Nkuringo sector takes about 3-5 hours’ drive through Cyanika boarder which is a short distance possible for gorilla trekking as compared to a drive from Kampala.
Altitude of Nkuringo sector: Trekking mountain gorillas in Nkuringo sector is such a straining activity that requires trekkers who are really fit. This is due to the fact that Nkuringo sector is situated at a higher altitude thus trekking mountain gorillas in this sector involves really hiking up the hill via different trails to encounter with the mountain gorillas. This, in turn, makes the Nkuringo sector the best sector for travelers who really love something that is more adventurous and taking longer treks.
Availability of three habituated gorilla families in Nkuringo sector: Nkuringo gorilla family which was the first gorilla family to be opened up for trekking in Nkuringo sector in the 1997 and another good news is that Nkuringo gorilla family was the first family to produce twins which are so attractive to see together during gorilla trekking safari in Nkuringo Sector. Other two gorilla families in Nkuringo sector include; Bushaho gorilla family which split from Nkuringo, and Christmas gorilla family whose dominant silverback was born on Christmas day. These three habituated mountain gorilla families in Nkuringo sector are available for trekking at any given period of time. This implies that the Uganda Wildlife Authority issues out 24 gorilla trekking permits per day allowing 8 people to trek mountain gorillas in Nkuringo sector. A gorilla trekking permit to trek mountain Gorillas in Nkuringo sector as of 2020/2022 goes for $700 per person for Foreign Nonresidents, $600 for Foreign Residents and UgX.250,000 for Ugandans and East African community members. For a long period of time a gorilla trekking permit for Ugandans and East African community members has been fixed at
Availability of accommodation facilities: Where to stay during mountain gorillas in Nkuringo sector. Nkuringo sector has lots of accommodation facilities available for travelers on a gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi impenetrable national park. These accommodation facilities range from Budget, Midrange and luxury facilities and they include; Nkuringo gorilla lodge, Clouds mountain gorilla lodge, Nkuringo gorilla lodge, Nkuringo campsite, Buhoma community bandas among others.
Other things to do in Nkuringo sector: Apart from Gorilla Trekking in Nkuringo sector, travelers are in position to do other activities which include Birding that is mostly carried out along lake Mutanda, Hiking since Nkuringo sector has lots of hiking trails that can stretch even up to Buhoma sector for the Batwa while sighting out different wildlife species , beautiful and evergreen vegetation cover, Virunga mountains including mount Nyiragongo, and mount Nyamuringwa, different primate species including olive baboons , Black and White colobus monkeys, L’Hoests monkeys, and chimpanzees, lots of mammals including forest hogs, warthogs, forest elephants among others. Most of the wildlife I s seen during the guided nature walks in the forest. Other activities include community walks whereby travelers get a chance of meeting with the local Bakiga in their farms and Batwa as they narrate about their past experience in the forest where they lived in unison with the mountain gorilla.
Getting to Nkuringo Sector
There are different ways to get to Nkuringo sector either by Road or By Air depending on travelers’ choice.
- From kampala: Getting to Nkuringo sector within the south of Bwindi Impenetrable National park takes roughly 8-10 hours’ drive on the road via Kampala– Masaka – Mbarara – kabale road then connect to Nkuringo sector.
- From Kigali – Rwanda: Getting to Nkuringo sector from Kigali take roughly 3-5 hours’ drive via Cyanika border to Nkuringo sector in the southern part of Bwindi.
From Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi air field: Aero link offers charter flights to Kisoro airfield then connect to Nkuringo sector.
“Gorilla trekking in the Nkuringo sector will always be the major and most common activity engaged in by several travelers on a gorilla trekking adventure in Uganda the pearl of Africa. Travelers who are adventurous, physically fit and really require to spend long time in the jungle trekking mountain gorillas, Nkuringo sector got you covered as you will really enjoy that breathtaking hike up to the hill in search of mountain gorillas that exist in Nkuringo sector in the southern art of Bwindi Impenetrable national park. However, Trekking Mountain Gorillas in Nkuringo sector require a high level of fitness as the gorilla families in Nkuringo live and move in places with high altitude thus travelers who enjoy adventurous activities of spending ample time in the jungle always prefer trekking these gorillas within Nkuringo sector.”
