Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort
Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort is one of the budget accommodation facilities found in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in southwestern Uganda. Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort is an ideal budget accommodation facility to stay during your safari in Ruhija sector. Ruhija sector is one of the regions of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park where mountain gorillas can be found. There are four mountain gorilla families in Ruhija sector available for trekking and these are Bitukura family, Oruzogo family, Kyaguliro family, and Mukiza family.
Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort is a budget accommodation facility and can be used by those visiting the Ruhija sector of Bwindi. The lodge was built by the local community with an aim of developing local community incomes through sustainable gorilla tourism. Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort is located near the park gate and tourists can even walk to the briefing point.
At Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort, there are exclusive tents, camping grounds, and well-furnished bandas. They have double beds, triple beds, single beds, and twin beds, The restaurant, and the tent overlooking the deep valleys and the Bwindi forest giving fantastic views of the surrounding areas. They have lovely stuff with good customer care which makes you feel at home while at their place. They make sure that you are comfortable during your stay at their place which makes it a perfect place to stay while visiting Ruhija sector.
The resort has a bar with soft and cold drinks as well as a restaurant with delicious foods prepared by professional chefs. They have a gift shop where you can buy African crafts for yourself or people back home. There is entertainment at the lodge every evening where local people take you through dances and drama. Staying at Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort, you have an opportunity of seeing different animals around the area moving around to look for food.
Getting to Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort
Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort is found in Ruhija sector of Bwindi and can be accessed using road transport or air transport. By air transport, travelers can fly to Kisoro airstrip from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport in 1 hour and 45 minutes and thereafter connect to the lodge using road transport. Bar Aviation Uganda and Aerolink Uganda are some of the companies that organize flights to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and travelers must book their seats in advance.
Travelers using riad transport can access Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and drive to Ruhija resort in 9-10 hours. The journey starts from Kampala/Entebbe and goes through Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, Kisoro to Ruhija sector. The journey has different stopovers at places such as the equator and views of the surrounding. Travelers coming from Rwanda can cross to Uganda using Cyanika border in Kisoro, or Katuna border in Kabale to access Ruhija sector of Bwindi.
Activities to do from Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort
Gorilla trekking: Gorilla trekking is the most done activity by guests staying at Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort. The activity is done in Ruhija sector of the park where mountain gorilla families such as Oruzogo, Mukiza, Kyaguliro, and Bitukura are available for trekking every day. Each gorilla family is trekked by a maximum of 8 people and these first go through a briefing to learn about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity. The search for gorillas is led by armed ranger guides who take you around the jungle for a period of 2-7 hours and the time taken to locate the mountain gorilla family depends on the location of the mountain gorillas as well as the speed of trekkers. During the search, trekkers are able to meet different park mammals, primates, and birds. The moment the mountain gorilla family is located, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the members, watch them do daily activities, learn about their habits and take photos.
Birding: Guests staying at Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort can birding in Ruhija sector where they will get an opportunity to encounter birds such as African fish eagle, marabou stork, southern pochard, hammer kop, African goshawk, cattle egret, African jacana, hadada ibis, brown snake eagle, black kite, lizzard buzzard, ayres hawk eagle, bat hawk, black bishop, long-crested eagle, eurasin hobby, common sandpiper, peregrine falcon, olive pigeon, klass cuckoo, great blue turaco, alpine swift, scarce swift, narina tragon, black bee eater, crowned hornbill, cinnamon chested bee-eater, greater honeyguide, and wilcocks honey guide.
Nature walks: Guests staying at Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort can request nature walk activities around the lodge or move to the park. Nature walks are best enjoyed inside the national park where different trails have been created to enable travelers to explore the park on foot. During the nature walks, participants will be having chances to meet different animals such as buffaloes, duikers, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, chimpanzees, elephants, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, plants, and birds such as regal sunbird, great blue turaco, cattle egret, ross turaco, African jacana, green sunbird, and common fiscal among others.
Batwa cultural tour: Travelers staying at Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort should add a visit to the Batwa people on to their itinerary. The Batwa are the short pgymies who used to stay in the jungles of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park until the government evicted them to protect the mountain gorillas. Batwa people were forest dwelleers who used to feed on fruits, honey and sometimes kill small animals for meat. You will visit their communities around the park and see how they live their lives outside the jungle and you will get entertained by the traditional healers.
When to stay here
Travelers can visit Ruhija sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest and stay at Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort at any time of the year but there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months that happen from June to September and December to February are the best to visit Bwindi and stay at this lodge because they are characterized by little or no rainfall that makes the trekking trails stay dry, the vegetation is short and thin with clear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are passable.
Travelers can visit Ruhija sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest and stay at Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort in the rainy season of March to May and October to November to October to enjoy huge discount on prices. Travelers should note that in the rainy season there is plenty of rainfall which makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park and lodge are in bad condition.
