Nkuringo Gorilla trekking sector is situated in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has Four Gorilla trekking centres and Nkuringo is one of them.
Nkuringo sector is known for hosting two Gorilla groups but the famous one is Nkuringo Gorilla family. Nkuringo Gorilla family was named after the ‘rolling hills’ where the gorilla group was first found. The habituation of Nkuringo family was officially launched in 2004, the hills are the very first picture one would see when travelling to this sector.
Nkuringo family was habituated to enable local community benefit from it since it was frequently sighted destroying people’s crops. Nkuringo family was originally led by the silverback Nkuringo who died on 2008, and later Safari and Rufiki the silverbacks took over the power to led the family. In the same year the family welcomed a set of twins from Kwitonda the twin mother, the twins were named Muhozii and Katungi making the family to expand more however Katungi died before turning 2 years.
Apart from Gorilla trekking, you can do birding, Forest walk, community walks, learn about the day to day life of the local people share meals and stories. Batwa trail interact with the first people who lived in the forest caves, learn about their life how they lived in the forest and survived.
You can also visit the community schools and interact with children on how they learn with no computers but very knowledgeable. To trek into Nkuringo Sector, you need to be physical fit and good energy because it’s one of the toughest trail / trek in Bwindi forest but after this experience which is rewarding lifetime and rewarding adventure, one cannot complain of the hard time spent in the course of Gorilla trekking.
The trek to meet the Nkuringo family takes a period of 3 hours and one is allowed to spend only one hour with the group as they enjoy the day to experience as they play, feed ,display their nests and many more in the forest.
What Makes the Nkuringo Sector Exceptional
Nkuringo region is set in the southern area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. It is one of the four gorilla trekking regions where gorilla treks begin in Bwindi National Park. The others include Buhoma which is located in north, Ruhija in the east and Rushaga in the south. Nkuringo area is 8-10 hours by road from Kampala and 3-4 hours by road from Kigali capital city. Nkuringo area is strategically located in an area with exceptional landscape, sceneries especially the clear view of Kabale and Virunga volcanoes of DR Congo.
Habituated gorilla family
Nkuringo area comprises of habituated families such as Nkuringo one of the best gorilla groups you need to explore while on holiday in Uganda. If you are interested in more challenging gorilla experiences within Bwindi National Park then consider Nkuringo a must to trek. This region is also ideal for photo taking, due to its breathtaking views of the surrounding areas including the Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira volcanoes of the Virunga National Park thus rewarding travel endeavors with magical experiences. At a time of habituation, the group comprised of 19 members but later reduced to 12 individuals and it is open to 8 visitors. It was habituated in 1997 and in 2004 the group welcomed a set of twins in December. The group is led by rafiki silverback. The other is Bushaho group which is composed of 8 individuals and some of its members belonged to Nkuringo family. It is led by Bahati silverback and derived its name from the word Bushaho-a topo name of the locality where it foraged. It includes 1 black back, 1 sub-adult, 1 juvenile, 1 infant and 3 (three) female gorillas. Bushaho is one of the 2 only groups where gorilla habituation experience is conducted worldwide. This is one unique primate adventure that makes this sector exceptional besides its remarkable and challenging experiences. There is also Christmas-a newly habituated gorilla group in Nkuringo region of Bwindi National Park.
Nature/forest walk
A side from gorilla treks, Nkuringo area is also ideal for nature or forest walks. For nature lovers, you can take part in this activity in the morning and evening at beginning point. If you are coming from Buhoma area, you can use the Kabale Butogota-Buhoma then connect to Nkuringo route. Nature/forest walks allow you to explore variety of primates like monkeys, baboons as well as forest pigs and many more.
Bird watching
Nkuringo sector is ideal for bird watching. The birds to spot out in this region include African emerald cuckoo, Africa blue flycatcher, yellow eyed black flycatcher, white tailed blue flycatchers, short tailed warbler, yellow eyed black catcher, Kivu ground thrush, African blue flycatcher, black bee-eaters and others.
Cultural experiences
A visit to Batwa and Bakiga communities gets you the best of thrilling cultural experience. You will learn about the unique local traditions, norms and cultures. There are well-trained guides to take you through the banana plantations and other gardens that make it amazing while you wind through the community trails. On cultural tour in this community, you have a chance to enjoy the unique traditional dances, songs and poems from local performers. There are also a number of amazing activities you can engage in while on cultural tour in the Batwa and Bakiga community.
Best time to visit Nkuringo sector
Nkuringo sector can be explored at any time of the year. But it is best to visit Nkuringo region during the dry season which starts in the months of June-September and December-February. It is also possible for you to visit this region in the wet season that begins from March-May and October-November. The challenge with wet or rainy season is that there is plenty of rainfall which makes it a bit challenging to hike through the dense vegetation and steep slopes while in search for mountain gorillas. However, it is season with plenty of forage for gorillas to feed on.
Accommodation in Nkuringo sector
The accommodation options for visitor overnight stay in Nkuringo area include Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, Hammerkop Bunkhouse, Nkuringo Gorilla Campsite, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge and many others.
Getting to Nkuringo sector
Nkuringo area is accessible by road or air. By road, you will spend about 8-10 hours to drive from Entebbe or Kampala to Nkuringo. You will drive via Masaka-Kabale or Kisoro or spend 3-4 hours from Kigali. By air, you can take a flight from Entebbe airport or Kajjansi airfield to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip then connect to Nkuringo area.