Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge

Gorilla Safari Lodge is one of the budget lodges found on the extreme northern side of Ruhija sector. Ruhija sector is located in the eastern part of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park harboring over 4 gorilla families which are Bitukira, kyaguliro, Mukiza, and Oruzogo all available for trekking. There are chances of guests seeing mountain gorillas move around the lodge but not every day. Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge is only used by guests that are going for gorilla trekking activities in Ruhija sector. If you are intending to visit Bwindi and you want to stay at this lodge, you can always tell your tour operator to book it for you.

The Safari Lodge has 8 cabins of which some are deluxe cabins, superior cabins, and standard rooms which are designed in an African style. Each superior cabin has got a fireplace where guests gather to get some warmth during the evening and night hours. All rooms are built giving magnificent views of the Bwindi forest and surrounding area. Each of the rooms at Gorilla Safari Lodge Ruhija has comfortable beds, flushing toilets, an alarm clock, and showers with hot and cold water. The lodge has ample parking space, a mini library, laundry services, free wifi, and free breakfast. Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge has a gift shop where guests can buy souvenirs to take back home. Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge has a well-stocked bar with soft and hard drinks, and a restaurant with local and international dishes prepared by professional chefs.

Accessing Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge

Travelers can access Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge using road transport that takes 9-10 hours of great views of the surroundings or air transport that takes 1 hour and 45 minutes. Travelers can access this Lodge by flying from Kajjansi airstrip/Entebbe airstrip to Kisoro airstrip where you will use road transport to access the lodge in less than 2 hours. Travelers using road transport can access the Safari Lodge by driving from Kampala/Entebbe through Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, or Kisoro.

Encounter mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest park

Activities to do while staying at Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge

Encountering mountain gorillas

Most of the guests staying at Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge have gorilla trekking on their to-do list. There are four gorilla families in Ruhija sector open for trekking and there for guests staying at Ruhija Safari Lodge can encounter any of these or even double trek. Gorilla trekking is an activity that involves trekkers waking up very early in the morning for breakfast and then meeting driver guides to transfer them to the sector offices.

At the sector offices, is where trekkers meet the armed ranger guides who teach them the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity and then group trekkers not exceeding 8 people. The trekkers are led by armed ranger guides into the jungle where allocating a mountain gorilla family can take 2-7 hours of meeting different park mammals, primates, birds, and plants.

The moment the mountain gorilla family you have been looking for is allocated, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the members and this enables them to take photos, learn about the gorilla habits, and watch them do daily activities such as hunting, grooming, nesting, breastfeeding, eating and much more.

Birding

Guests staying at Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge can encounter a number of bird species around the lodge or even with i9n the park where they will get an opportunity to encounter over 350 bird species if they are good at birding. Birding activities in ruhija region give you an opportunity to encounter birds such as African jacana, great blue turaco, yellow bill, African wood owl, ross turaco, spotted eagle owl, geat blue turaco, grey crowned crane, scarce swift, giant kingfisher, alphine swift, bar-tailed tragon, crowned hornbill, olive woodpecker, African pitta, western nector, barn swallow, rock martin and forest robin among others.

Have a superb Batwa cultural tour

Batwa cultural tour

Guests staying at Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge and are interested in culture can take a visit to the Batwa community where they will meet the short pygmies. The Batwa are said to be the shortest people in the country and they stay in the southwestern part of Uganda. The Batwa were evicted out of the Bwindi forest and they decided to settle around the park boundaries not move so far from their original home. A Batwa guide will pick you up from the lodge and then take you around the forest telling you how they used to survive in the jungle.  When you reach their community, you will visit different homes and see people do day to day activities, taste their local foods, visit traditional healers, support their business and in the end, you will be entertained by the traditional dancers.

Best time to stay at Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge

Travelers can stay at the Safari Lodge at any time of the year however there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months that occur from June to September and December to February are the best to stay at this lodge especially if you are visiting Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. During the dry season, there is little or no rainfall that makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation is short and thin with good views of the wildlife around the park and lodge, and the roads leading to the parka and the lodge are in good conditions.

Travelers can still stay at Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge in the rainy season of March to May and October to November and those who will do so will enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities because the prices are lowered to attract the few tourists that are visiting the park. Travelers that are intending to visit the Safari Lodge during the rainy season should note that there is always plenty of rainfall that makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation is thick and tall with unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are in poor conditions.