Nkuringo Sector sits in the southwestern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, one of four gorilla trekking sectors in a park known for offering some of the closest encounters with mountain gorillas anywhere in the world. Nkuringo is home to two habituated gorilla families and is known for delivering a rewarding, if physically demanding, trekking experience.
Gorilla Families in Nkuringo
Nkuringo Family: Originally led by silverback Nkuringo, this family was first habituated after repeatedly wandering into nearby villages and damaging crops, prompting authorities to habituate the group. It opened to tourists in 2009, making it the sector’s first trekkable family. Nkuringo, the group’s founding silverback, died on April 27, 2008, leaving leadership to his son Safari, alongside fellow silverbacks Rafiki, Bahati, and Kirungi. Other members include adult females Kwitonda and Semehe, blackbacks Karibu and Posho, juveniles Kwesima, Magara, and Kuhirwa, and infants Rwamutwe, Muhozi, Tabu, Furaha, and Kizza.
Christmas Group: The most recently habituated family in Nkuringo, alongside Buhoma’s Katwe family. Led by silverback Christmas, this group split from the original Nkuringo family and has 9 members, including one silverback, three females, one blackback, and one infant. Its habituation in 2018 brought the sector’s daily permit total to 8.
Name Origin
Nkuringo comes from a Rukiga word meaning “round hill,” a reference to the area’s terrain.
Other Activities in Nkuringo
Beyond gorilla trekking, Nkuringo offers nature walks in the early morning and evening from several starting points. Travelers connecting from Buhoma via the Kabale-Butogota-Buhoma-Nkuringo road pass through forest along the way, with good chances of spotting baboons, forest pigs, and monkeys in a quiet, less-trafficked stretch of park.
Birdwatching is a strong addition to a forest walk here, with species including the white-tailed blue flycatcher, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, black bee-eater, short-tailed warbler, Garner’s warbler, and African emerald cuckoo regularly spotted.
Cultural encounters with the Batwa and Bakiga communities give visitors a look at local traditions, dance, hunting history, and daily life, offering a different pace from the physically demanding gorilla trek. Hiking in the sector is genuinely challenging, but rewards visitors with views into DR Congo’s Virunga National Park and the chance to interact with local communities along the way.
Getting to Nkuringo
From Kampala, Nkuringo is reached via the Kabale-Kisoro-Rushaga route, or from Kisoro via either the Buhoma or Rushaga roads. By air, scheduled or charter flights from Entebbe or Kajjansi land at Kabale or Kihihi airstrip, with a road connection from there into Nkuringo.
Where to Stay
Accommodation in Nkuringo ranges from budget to luxury, including Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Campsite, Hammerkop Bunkhouse, and Chameleon Hill Lodge.
Book Your Nkuringo Gorilla Permit
With two distinct gorilla families and some of Bwindi’s most demanding but rewarding trekking terrain, Nkuringo offers a different pace from the park’s other sectors. Book your Nkuringo gorilla trekking permit with our team today, and we’ll help you plan the trek alongside nearby cultural and nature activities.
