How to Go Gorilla Trekking on Budget
Ruhija is one of Bwindi’s most popular sectors frequently visited by tourists for mountain gorilla trekking and birding among others. Ruhija is the home to Bitukura gorilla family group. The Bitukura gorilla family group is the most peaceful family in Uganda and was discovered in 2007 and later on habituated and is said to have taken the shortest habituation time period unlike all gorilla family groups that take between 2 and 3 years to get fully habituated and ready for tracking / visiting.
Access to the Ruhija Area
It’s quite difficult getting to the Ruhija sector of the forest especially for the rainy days as the road can be a bit challenging via the Kabale – Kisoro route. The Ruhija sector can be reached through a number of routes which can either be Kabale-Kisoro though very cumbersome, Ndego to Ruhija route, Buhoma to Ruhija and incase of the wet season, one should come prepared for the long walks as well.
Other Attractions
Birding
Ruhija sector is a renowned birder’s paradise offering great birding sights of the Western Rift Valley endemic bird species like the Green Broadbill. There’s a short birding walk which can be done from the ITFC Guest House, following the road down the hill from the Guest House to the junction to the Bitanwa Primary School , stretching over 300 meters up to a steep path on a ridge. This path takes you through 500m of tropical forest where Regal Sunbirds abound and Doughtery’s Bush Shrike can be located.
Forest Nature Walk
There are forest trails within the forest that can be used by forest hikers to the swamp enjoying spectacular views of the Bwindi forest. At the valley floor, are the pin head sized insects attracted to human perspiration and therefore an insect repellant should be included in the back pack as well as plenty of water.
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