Things to do in Buhoma after gorilla trekking

Things to do in Buhoma after gorilla trekking: Buhoma sector is one of the 4 trekking sectors where travelers can meet mountain gorillas. The region is part of Bwindi national park which harbors the highest population of mountain gorillas in the whole world. Buhoma region is located on the northern side of the park and is home to the oldest gorilla family in the park called Mubare. Mubare gorilla family was the first to be habituated in Bwindi and it was habituated for 2 years from 1991 to 1993.

Buhoma region is the first area where mountain gorilla trekking took place and this was in 1993. As of today, mountain gorilla habituation in Buhoma region is done on 5 gorilla families. Gorilla families in the Buhoma region are Rushengura, Habinyanja, Mubare, Katwe, and Muyambi. To trek any of the families in Buhoma region, you must buy a permit which acts as a ticket to allow you to trek the gorilla family.

The permits for Buhoma region are bought from the Uganda Wildlife Authority at a fee of $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 East African citizens. The trekking permits are presented at the briefing point before the rangers teach the trekkers about the rules and regulations of the activity. Armed ranger guides lead the trekkers to the jungle where they spend 2-7 hours searching for mountain gorillas at the same time meeting different mammals, primates, birds, and plants. When the gorillas are located, the trekkers are able to have 1 hour around them while seeing them do daily activities, learn about their habits and take photos.

African harrier hawk bird Spotted in Bwindi National Park

Activities to do in Buhoma after gorilla trekking

Birding in Buhoma: Buhoma region is the best birding area in Bwindi gorilla park and is best done in June, July and September because these are nesting periods and the migratory words are always in the park. Buhoma region harbors most of the birds that are found within Bwindi gorillas park and these are seen using different trails in the region with a help of an armed ranger guide and a bird guide.

Some of the trails in Buhoma region are Muyanga waterfall trail that goes along Ivi River and connects to Nkuringo trails, Munyanga river trail, Kashasha river trail, and Habinyanja hiking trail among others. Birds to look out for in Buhoma region include giant kingfisher, black bee-eater, African wood owl, African harrier hawk, mountain yellow warbler, African hill-babbler, red-throated alethe, crowned hornbill, western green tinkerbird, tambourine dove, black bee-eater, tit hylia, regal sunbird, sooty falcon, collared apalis, short-tailed warbler, and Brown-capped weaver among others.

Guided nature walks in Buhoma: Nature walks are one of the ways to explore Buhoma region of Bwindi after mountain gorilla trekking. The nature walks are guided by armed ranger guides that take tourists around different areas of the sectors while exploring the park on foot. The armed ranger guides lead the trekkers in the jungle passing through different trails and these include Rushura hill trail, ivy river trail, Muzabajiro trail, Habinyanja trail, Kashasha trail, bamboo zone trail, and Rusizi river trail among others. While carrying out nature walks, tourists will be able to see different animals s such as monkeys, duikers, giant forest hogs, elephants, buffaloes, bush pigs, jackals, birds, and plants among others.

Batwa cultural experience in Buhoma: Batwa cultural experience is one of the activities to look out for in Buhoma region after a successful mountain gorilla trekking. The activity will give you an opportunity to interact with the Batwa people who used to live in Bwindi forest but were evicted out to protect the forest and the animals most especially the mountain gorillas. The Batwa cultural experience is led by the Batwa people who forest take you around the forest telling you stories of how they used to live and survive in the jungle. They will take you to their communities and you will be part of activities such as farming, and food preparation, you will visit different homesteads, listen to stories from elders, learn how different plants can work as herbal medicine, and also get entertained by the traditional dancers.

Best time to visit Buhoma sector

Buhoma sector can be visited all throughout the year although the nest time is during the dry season that occurs from June to September and December to February. The dry season also known as the high season is the best season because its characterised by little or no rainfall that leaves the trekking rails dry, the vegetation is short and scattered giving good views of the animals and the roads leading to the sector are in good condition.

Tourists most especially the budget travelers can visit Buhoma sector in the rainy seasons of March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. However during the rainy season, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the park animals, and the roads leading to the sector are in bad conditions.

A view of Bwindi Forest

Accessing Buhoma region

Buhoma region can be accessed in a single day using either road transport or air transport. Travelers using air transport have to inform their tour operator in advance so that they book for them a flight. Flights to this region are done by different airlines such as Aerolink Uganda, Bar Aviation, and Uganda airlines among others. The flights start from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport and end at Kihihi airstrip which is located within the Buhoma region.

Travelers using road transport can access Buhoma region from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale Kisoro road. The journey is long taking 9-10 hours but if great views of the surrounding places, different stopovers, and much more. Travelers from Kigali can access the sector in 3-4 hours using Katuna border in Kabale or Cyanika border in Kisoro.

Where to stay in Buhoma region

Buhoma has a variety of accommodation facilities where travelers can stay while on a gorilla safari. The accommodation facilities are spread in different parts of the park and they do offer different facilities and are of different prices. The accommodation facilities in Buhoma range from budget to mid-range to luxury and include Buhoma Lodge, Engagi Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Bwindi Forest Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Bwindi View Bandas, Ride 4 women Guest House, Silverback Lodge, Buhoma Rest Camp, Haven Lodge, and Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge.

Things to do in Buhoma after gorilla trekking