Ruhija Sector – Gorilla trekking Sector in Bwindi: The Ruhija sector is located on the eastern side of Uganda's 331 square kilometers Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which houses and protects more than half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas.

Ruhija opened up as a gorilla-tracking destination in October 2008 following the habituation of the Bitukura group, which ranges across the steep mountainside between the roadside trailhead and Ruhija Ridge and Mubwundi Swamp several hundred meters below.  There are 4 habituated gorilla families active for gorilla trekking experience on a daily basis, eight gorilla permits are available for each family, in total there are 32 gorilla trekking permits available for tourists on a daily basis.

The rocky landscape of steep hills and valleys adjacent to the Congolese border south of Ishasha and north of Kisoro is another feature of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The tangled forested slopes of Bwindi provide protection to one of Africa's most diverse primates, including 50 percent of the global mountain gorilla population, 600 mountain gorillas in Uganda, 204 in Rwanda, and 200 mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Gorilla Tracking Families in Ruhija Sector

The Ruhija Sector

Gorilla tracking at Ruhija sector is once in a lifetime encounter, there are four habituated gorilla families namely the Mukiza gorilla family, Kyaguliro gorilla family, Bitukura gorilla family, and Oruzogo gorilla family. In this article, we are going to talk about all the gorilla families in the Ruhija Gorilla Sector.

The Bitukura Gorilla Family with 14 individuals including four silverbacks was habituated in 2007; there are four silverbacks, four adult females, two juveniles, three infants, and one baby. Initially, this group consisted of 24 individuals but due to disputes and fights in the group, some individuals decided to move to other areas.

The Oruzogo Gorilla Group consists of 17 individuals with one silverback and has become a favored site for tourists simply because of the joyful and playful individuals that entertain the visitors. The Oruzogo Gorilla Group was opened for tourism in 2011.

Oruzogo gorilla family members include Bakwate “old silverback”, Kaganga (silverback), Kasumali (silverback), six adult females whose names include Nyangaro, Katoto, Ruchura, Mutesi, Nyakina and Mukwano, one black back Bwengye, three sub-adult males Nyakashunja, Musenene, Nyabirano, and Muhumuza, two infant males Mufuruki and Paska, one infant female Musana.

After the UWA officials briefing you about the gorilla trek, your driver guide drives you north to the starting point of your gorilla trek. You must be physically fit to track mountain gorillas at the Ruhija sector, expect to climb rough and high terrains of Bwindi in search of mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

The Kyaguliro Gorilla Group consists of 23 individuals; this group is not usually visited due to the fact that it was reserved for research. The group later split into two groups after a sudden death of a mature silverback that was struck by lightning. After its death the family was left with a young silverback which was later attacked by a mature silverback from the Bitukura group, thus forcing the group to split into two groups commonly as Kyaguliro A headed by Rukara with 10 family members composed of 1 silverback, 2 blackbacks, 3 adult females, 2 juveniles, and 2 infants and Kyaguliro B headed by Mukiza composed of 1 silverback, 4 adults females 1 adult and 4 infants.

Mukiza gorilla group consist of 15 individuals – 1 silverback, 7 adult females 1 adult male, 2 sub-adults, 2 juveniles, and 3 infants, the family was formed after one of the silverbacks in Kyagulio B got misunderstanding with another silverback in Kyaguliro A. the group is known for being very deep in the jungle, Tourists who trek this group encounter a lot of fauna (primates species and forest elephants) and flora, trekkers usually spend 2-3 hours to reach this family.

How to get to Ruhija Sector

Ruhija can be accessed from several angles. If you are coming from Kampala/Entebbe, it’s better to go through Kabale town and then proceed to Ruhija. Coming from Kampala, you may branch off at Ntungamo to Rukungiri, Kihihi or Butogota then drive another two hours to Ruhija.

All these routes require a four-wheel-drive vehicle as some sections of the road is rough, bumpy, dusty and during rainy seasons, they tend to get muddy.

By Air transport Kihihi Airstrip also known as Savannah Airstrip is the nearest Airstrip to the Ruhija sector, located in Kanungu District southwestern Uganda – expect 3 hours drive from Kihihi Airstrip to Ruhija mountain gorilla sector.

Where to stay

·         Luxury -  Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Agandi Uganda Eco-lodge.

·         Mid-Range - Bakiga Lodge, Gorilla Mist Camp, Broadbill Forest Camp,

·         Budget - Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort.