Buhoma Sector
Buhoma Sector is certain region in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where gorillas are habituated and it falls among the 4 gorilla trekking sectors of Bwindi.
Bwindi impenetrable national park is a gorilla destination in Uganda that harbors half of the world’s gorillas and is located in southwestern Uganda. The endangered mountain gorillas in Bwindi national park are found in the four sectors and Buhoma Sector is one of the sectors. Buhoma is the most popular and major destination situated in the northern part of Bwindi national park in Kanungu district.
Buhoma sector is known as the first stop for the visitors going to Bwindi Impenetrable national park and is home of the first habituated gorilla family Mubare which is the oldest gorilla family that was habituated in 1993 and was the first gorilla group to be opened for tracking in Bwindi forest national park.
Gorilla trekking in Buhoma Sector
Buhoma sector in Bwindi impenetrable national park is a home of four habituated gorilla families namely Mubare family, Habinyanja family, Rushegura family and Katwe family where each gorilla family is trekked on a daily basis with a maximum number of 8 people per group hence meaning there are 32 gorilla trekking permits available every day in Buhoma sector.
Mubare gorilla family, this is the oldest and the first group to be habituated in Bwindi national park in 1993 just after the park was gazetted into a national park. Mubare family derived its name from the magnificent Mubare hills where the group was first sighted. After the habituation process Mubare group had over 12 members with Ruhondeza silverback as a leader, the group had misfortunes like raids, death among others and Ruhondeza didn’t have enough strength to fight for the family and before his death the family had remained with five members. Ruhondeza later died when he was above 50 years and the family was joined by other members to make in 2013 hence making it to 9 members including one silverback Kanyonyi who is the leader of the group.
Habinyanja gorilla family, Habinyanja family was habituated in 1997 and was opened for trekking in 1999. Habinyanja family was first sighted around the swamp in Bwindi national park hence its name Nyanja. After habituation, the group was dominated by Mugurusi silverback a local name which means old man who later died. After his death the Habinyanga family was led by the two brothers Mwirima silverback and Rwansigazi silverback, they had differences in that Mwirima silverback loved to stay in one place while Rwansigazi loved to travel to far areas which led to their separation in 2002 and Mwirima formed his own family called Rushegura. Habinyanja family is now led by Makara silverback a local name which means charcoal and is comprised of 17 members including one black back, 3 juveniles, 4 infants and 8 adult females.
Rushegura gorilla family, the group split from Haninyanja gorilla family and was opened for trekking in 2000. Rushegura group is the most easily accessed gorilla family in the Buhoma sector because it lives near the park headquarters in Buhoma. Rushegura family is a welcoming and most friendly family in Bwindi national park led by Mwirima who is a calm and peaceful leader and the members sometimes move outside Bwindi national park boundaries where the visitors get a chance to view them early in the morning after gorilla trekking in the previous day. Rushegura family is comprised of 21 members including one black back, 2 sub-adults, 5 adult females, 6 juveniles, 6 infants and one silverback Mwirima the leader.
Katwe gorilla family, this is the newest gorilla family in the northern side, Buhoma sector that was added to make four gorilla trekking families in Buhoma sector. Katwe group was habituated with the Christmas family in the Nkuringo sector and the introduction of these gorilla families increased the number of gorilla trekking permits in Buhoma and Nkuringo sector hence attracting more visitors in Bwindi national park. Katwe gorilla family is comprised of one silverback, 3 black backs, 4 adult females and 2 infants but the exact number is not yet known because some individual members keep on moving in and out of the group.
Gorilla trekking in Buhoma sector offers you with the memorable experiences in that just like other sectors in Bwindi national park a single gorilla trekking permit costs $600 for foreign non residents and $500 for foreign residents which allows you to spend one hour in the presence of the gorilla family taking photos and capturing the moment of the safari and a gorilla permit is only issued to adults above the age of 15 years.
Accommodation in Buhoma Sector
Buhoma sector is the most popular destination for gorilla trekking due to the oldest and first habituated gorilla family Mubare. Buhoma sector offers luxury, midrange and budget accommodation where visitors on a safari can stay including Buhoma community rest camp, Buhoma lodge, Silverback lodge, Volcanoes safari Bwindi lodge, Engagi lodge, Gorilla resort, Mahogany springs camp, Bwindi view Bandas, Gorilla friends lodge, Sanctuary gorilla forest camp among others which offer comfortable shelter, quality services, prepare both local and international dishes, offer privacy, great views of Bwindi forest, primates among others hence the visitors feel relaxed and comfortable while on a safari in Bwindi impenetrable national park.
How to get to Buhoma Sector
Buhoma sector is situated in the northern part of Bwindi national park and can be easily by road or air transport means. By air you can use scheduled flights which operate daily and fly from Entebbe Airport to Kihihi Airstrip and then connect to Buhoma the park headquarters, the flight takes around 90 to 120 minutes to Kihihi Airstrip. By road you can drive from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Rukungiri, Butogota then to Buhoma which takes about 8 to 9 hours drive. When you are coming from kabala town, Buhoma sector is easily accessible where it takes 2 hours drive from kabala town via Kanungu.
Buhoma sector is easily accessible and acts as a connecting destination hence that’s why it gets many visitors for gorilla trekking than the other three sectors in Bwindi national park.
Buhoma sector is close to Queen Elizabeth national park in that it takes about 2 hours to Ishasha sector south of Queen Elizabeth national park which is known for its climbing lions hence combining gorilla trekking in Buhoma with game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park and also takes 4 hours drive to Mweya where you can go for boat cruise on Kazinga channel.
You can also connect from Buhoma to Ruhija sector in the East, this means that one can sleep in Buhoma sector and trek mountain gorillas in Ruhija sector and connect from Buhoma sector to Nkuringo sector through nature walk in the middle of Bwindi forest which takes about 3 hours and is adventurous in that you will be able to view different wildlife including bird species, primates, animals among others.
Buhoma sector offers several activities that the visitors can engage in while on a safari in Bwindi apart from gorilla trekking including
Mountain biking/cycling, this is an exciting and adventurous activity which is carried out in and around Bwindi national park. Cycling is a women community organization called ride 4 a woman organized by Buhoma community rest camp and takes 13km to Ivi River. Mountain biking activity starts early in the morning where you rent a bike from the organization hence money used for renting a bike is used for supporting the surrounding communities in Buhoma sector. Cycling starts from Buhoma headquarters where you follow trails like the forest trail and move around the forest with a trained guide who will help you with the trails to follow and to spot animal species and birds while on the way. During the mountain biking tour you are advised to pack snacks and enough drinking waters which will be used to give you energy during the short breaks because the cycling activity takes about 6 to 7 hours and you will be able to see bird species, primates like Black and White colobus monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, Chimpanzees, animals like Duikers, Bushbucks, Squirrels among others.
Bird watching, Buhoma sector is the best destination for bird watching where birding activity takes place along the main trail, along the bamboo zone, Mubwindi swamp in Nkuringo and Buhoma waterfall. Bird watching starts early in the morning and bird lovers will be able to view different bird species including Jameson’s anti pecker, Barred long tailed cuckoo, Ruwenzori Batis, Klaas’s cuckoo, Dusky twin spot, White-throated green bull, Crested guinea fowl, Yellow-fronted canary, Cape wagtail, Common Bulbul, African blue flycatcher, Red headed bluebill, African cuckoo, African goshawk, Blue-headed Sunbird, Short-tailed warbler, Tambourine dove, Great blue Turaco among others.
Batwa trail experience, this is an interesting activity that takes place outside Bwindi national park in Buhoma community where the visitors interact with the Batwa people .the Batwa trail experiences starts with a hike through the forest with a pygmy guide where the visitors learn how the Batwa used to survive in the forest many years ago through hunting small animals for food, gather fruits and honey, show them how they made huts to live in with grass and trees, teach them traditional ways of handling bow and arrow, show them plants species which were used as medicine to treat different diseases. The experience continues to the Batwa craft shop and offices in Buhoma trading center where they sell fabrics, wood carvings, bees-wax candles among others. The Batwa will end with cultural performances inform of song, dances, poems, storytelling which talk about their lifestyles in the forest.
Nature walks / hiking, Buhoma sector has six nature developed trails, where the visitors will explore the guided nature, walks in Bwindi forest, the trails include
Ivo river trail which is the longest trail in Buhoma that takes a whole day walk is great for bird lovers in that they will be able to spot different bird species.
Muzubijiro loop trail which is a great view of Bwindi forest, Virunga volcanoes, western rift valley, historic tree ferns among others, on top of the hike it’s a good area for having lunch after long hiking.
Rushura trail, this trail takes 3 hours and offers great scenic views of Lake Edward, Lake George, Rwenzori Mountains, Virunga volcanoes among others on a clear day.
Munyanga river trail, is located outside the national park and is the shortest compared to other walks in Buhoma where visitors can walk without a guide and the visitors will be able to spot primate species, bird species, see different tree species like ferns, orchids among others.
Waterfall trail, this trail leads you to the three waterfalls namely Ruizi, Muzabajirro, and Rushura and during the walk, you will view tree species like orchids, ferns, epithetic and butterflies.
Buhoma village tourist walk, this trail takes about three hours through Buhoma community where you will visit the Batwa and Bakiga people, learn about the activities carried out in the community including farming, brewing local beer, visit traditional healers, take part is cultural dances by the Batwa, visit the art and craft shops where they sell baskets, huts, bags, sandals among others which provide you with more knowledge on other cultures.
Buhoma sector in Bwindi national park is the best place for gorilla trekking which can be combined with other activities like birding, cycling, game drive and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth national park due to easy accessibility, offers comfortable lodges and camps which provide you with fascinating lifetime experiences on your safari in Uganda.
