Rushaga sector of Bwindi
Rushaga sector is one of the gorilla sectors of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. with the four sectors to include, Ruhija sectors, Buhoma, Nkuringo sector, and Rushaga. Bwindi is a park that was gazetted in 1993 with an aim of protecting a number of wildlife especially the mountain gorillas. The park is divided into four sectors one of which is called Rushaga in the southern part of the park.
Rushaga sector hosts a number of attractions among which include the mammals, primates, and birds. Mountain gorillas are the main attractions with in this sector with most of them habituated and used to human presence around them. There are over 9 mountain gorilla families with in the Rushaga Sector of the park with one being kept for habituation.
Most of the tourists that go to Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park get involved in gorilla trekking. Gorilla habituation is only done by a maximum of 4 people on a given day and trekkers get involved in activities that make these apes get used to human presence around them. Other tourists can engage in activities like bird watching, nature walks, and community tours to mention but a few.
The top activities in Rushaga sector of Bwindi
Gorilla trekking in Rushaga Sector
Rushaga sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has the highest number of mountain gorilla families fully habituated in Bwindi. This means that the park receives the highest number of tourists that are interested in gorilla trekking on a day. For tourists to trek the mountain gorillas of Bwindi they must have a gorilla permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Gorilla trekking in Rushaga starts with trekkers moving to the sector headquarters where they meet all trekkers for the day. A briefing is done to enable trekkers know the rules and regulations of the activities. Then armed ranger guides are assigned to lead the trekkers in the jungle where they start searching for where the mountain gorillas could be.
Searching for mountain gorilla families goes through a number of trekking trails looking for where the mountain gorillas could be. It takes 2 to 4 hours to search and locate the mountain gorillas and when found trekkers do get a maximum of 1 hour around the members. Trekkers get an opportunity to see these apes doing daily activities, take photos, and record videos for future memories.
Gorilla habituation Rushaga Sector
Rushaga sector is currently the only place where tourists can do gorilla habituation from in the whole world. Tourists visiting Rushaga with gorilla habituation permits get an opportunity to spend 4 four hours with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats making them get used to human presence around them.
Just like gorilla trekking, gorilla habituation starts very early in the morning with trekkers of the day going to the sector headquarters. This is where a briefing about the activity dos and don’ts is done for the safety of the mountain gorillas and the people themselves. A maximum of 4 people does go for the activity and they are led by armed ranger guides, doctors and researchers.
Trekkers search for the mountain gorillas for 2 to 4 hours using different trails where they get an opportunity to meet some of the attractions of the park like the mammals, primates and primates. When the mountain gorillas are located, tourists are allowed to be with the members for a maximum of four hours while making the apes get used to human presence around them.
Trekkers are allowed to take photos of the mountain gorillas and also record videos for memories in the future. After the four hours of being around mountain gorillas are done, trekkers are asked to move away from the mountain gorilla families and let the members continue with the daily activities.
Bird watching Rushaga
Bwindi is a home to more than 350 bird species that have been so far recorded in the thick impenetrable forest. On a safari to Rushaga, tourists that are interested in Bird watching Rushaga can use different forest trails to search for different species of birds. Bird watching Rushaga in any of the park sectors is led by armed ranger guides that have knowledge about the birds. Rushaga bird watching comes with an opportunity to see species such as Lagden’s bush shrike, grauer’s broadbill, archer robin chat, grauer’s swamp warbler, dusky crimson wing, regal sunbird, nuemann’s warbler, willard’s sooty boubou, black bee-eater, black billed turaco, mackinnon’s shrike, short-tailed warbler, African green broadbill, common bulbul, and African green broadbill to mention but a few.
Community tours
Community tours to Rushaga take you to encounter the pygmies of Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park used to be home to the Batwa pygmies, but it was not until 1993 that the government evicted them to gazette the area as a national park. The Batwa are the shortest people in Uganda and on a safari to Rushaga, tourists can find them in the communities that are surrounding the sector.
Meeting the Batwa pygmies comes with an opportunity of interacting with the elders and these are the people that tell stories of long ago. Tourists get to know about how these people lived in the jungle alongside wild animals, foods they ate, how they used to make fires and much more. There will be entertainment of dance and drama at the end of the visit.
Nature walks
While on a safari to Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, nature walks are the best ways tourists can feel the nature. Different trails are used in the sector based on what the tourists are interested in seeing. During nature walks, tourists are able to see different forest mammals, primates, birds, vegetation, and the locals living around the park.
When is it appropriate to visit Rushaga?
Tourists that are interested in visiting Rushaga can do so at any time of the year however there are those months that are better than others. The dry season months from June to September and December to February are the best for visiting the sector. These are characterized by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine which is the perfect weather for most of the park activities.
Tourists that visit Rushaga during the dry season find the trekking trails dry and easier to walk through, the roads leading to the park are in good condition enabling tourists to access the areas on time, and the vegetation inside the forest is short and scattered giving clear views of different attractions inside the jungle.
