Rushaga sector is located south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The park is one of Uganda’s most biodiverse, mountainous, and most visited treasures, situated in the southwestern region of Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is the top destination for gorilla trekking, forest/nature walks, Batwa encounters, birding expeditions, and magnificent scenic views.
Gifted with over 600 mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is also endowed with amazing bird species such as turacos and hornbills, primates like chimpanzees and colobus monkeys, up to 120 mammal species including forest elephants, geckos, chameleons, and many other endangered species.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has numerous exciting activities it offers to all travelers such as nature walks, birding, gorilla trekking, cultural encounters with the Batwa communities, hiking, and many other activities. The park comprises four gorilla sectors: Ruhija sector, Nkuringo sector, Buhoma sector, and Rushaga sector. These are gorilla zones with different gorilla families that attract tourists from across the globe.
Rushaga sector, being among the four gorilla destination sectors, is an exceptional region located in the southern part of the park and a popular sector to view and interact with mountain gorillas. The sector is mostly visited by tourists connecting from Kigali via Kisoro district.
Rushaga is known for habituating a high number of mountain gorilla families that are trekked in Bwindi. It is only in Rushaga that the mountain gorillas are trained to be more familiar with human presence than in other sectors, and this is done before they are declared free for trekking by any tourists.
This sector shelters five gorilla groups, making it evident that a tourist will have an opportunity to get a permit unlike other sectors. There are 40 gorilla trekking permits issued in Rushaga on a given day, thus even last-minute bookings may be favored. Each permit issued allows trekking of one family per hour by a group of only eight members. Trekking takes about 2 to 6 hours in the forest for only a habituated gorilla family in the sector.
Gorilla families in Rushaga include Bweza, Mishaya, Busingye, Kahungye, and Nshongi. These families vary in size, though an interaction with one of the families is a memorable experience. Each family is led by a silverback as it determines the daily activities and movements within the group.
Bweza Family
The Bweza gorilla group broke off from the Nshongi family. It consists of 12 members and is led by a silverback called Kakono. It also comprises 3 adult males, 4 blackbacks, two infants, and 1 juvenile. Gorilla permits to trek this family go for $600 and can be obtained from either the park headquarters or Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Nshongi Family
The Nshongi gorilla family is a popular group not only in Rushaga but in Bwindi National Park. Being the largest habituated and oldest family, Nshongi consists of twenty-five members, under the leadership of silverback Nshongi. Other members include Bwire, Kutu, Busasa (blackbacks), Shida, Bukojo, Munini, Bwiruka (adult females), and Mahoro, Mureba, Mucunguzi (juveniles), among others.
Mishaya Family
The Mishaya family comprises 12 members and 1 silverback which broke off from Nshongi in 2010 due to a dispute that broke out between competing silverbacks. Among other members are Bakunzi, Mwiza, Rutaro, Mize, among others. Please note that Mishaya, the former leader after whom the group was named, died, and when he died, Mwine, his son, took over.
Busingye Family
Being the newest family in the Rushaga region, trekking Busingye family officially opened in 2011. It has nine members with one silverback ‘Busingye’, who broke away from Kahungye family since the group had three silverbacks, so it was anticipated that the family would later split.
Kahungye Family
This family comprises 13 members with three silverbacks but initially consisted of 27 members with three silverbacks headed by a silverback called ‘Rumansi’. It’s one of the newest habituated families in Bwindi National Park and was open for tourism in the year 2012.
Trekking gorillas in Rushaga sector offers a lifetime experience as you walk through the dense forest of Bwindi. You get a chance to interact with the gorillas, see them feed on tree fruits, leaves, and roots, and view them as they play and live their playful livelihood. As you plan your gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Rushaga sector should be a spot that you should not miss on your itinerary.
