Why visit Murchison falls national park on the safari in Uganda?

To the north west of Uganda, there lies a magical classic game park whose beauty and wonders are far beyond those of other ordinary Uganda safari destinations.
The Murchison Falls National Park accessed from different corners of Uganda including the country’s capital Kampala at 311km distance that lasts 5 hours of drive presents a typical wilderness encounter that matches that of Masaai Mara and the great Serengeti while beating them on other myriad of wonders that are typically absent in the listed destinations making it not only a must visit on safaris in Uganda but also at a regional level.
The Protected area stretches to 3,840km2 sheltering extensions of open savannah intercepted by patches of borassus palm, savannah thicket and savannah woodland, the extensions of riverine vegetation, dense forests not forgetting the sections of open water presenting an ideal habitat for diverse species.
The Park is bisected by the mighty Nile River which stands as the longest on the global scale and it is with in Murchison Falls National Park that the Victoria arm of the Nile empties into Lake Albert giving birth to the Albert Nile. The River amazingly leaves behind a magnificent waterfall that is notably the most significant natural feature to ever happen on the course of the Nile. Surprisingly, the Murchison Falls is recorded as the most powerful water fall in the world. It is a historical moment to encounter the Nile River squeezing itself to pass through a less than 7m ravine as it falls 43m below to the famous regarded Devils Cauldron generating a thunderous roar that is covered by a plume of spray and a trademark rainbow on your safari to Uganda.
Besides the falls, the river presents the magical River cruise ever in Uganda. The views of the globe’s second largest Reptile – the Nile crocodile, the Hippos along with prehistoric shoe-bill stork derive remarkable memories on safari in Uganda.
The extensive open savannah grassland and the savannah thicket in the northern section of the park presents magical wildlife views that can never disappoint. The four of the big five except the Rhinos which got extinct but now thrive in the adjacent Ziwa Sanctuary thrive in the park. The other sights of Rothschild Giraffe with Murchison Falls sheltering the greatest count of these species in the whole world, the stretched Jackson’s Hartebeest, the herds of Uganda Kobs, the views of the Oribi mark the exciting sights on your game drive in the park.
For birders, Murchison Falls National Park is a real Paradise. With 451 species of birds, Murchison Falls National Park is by no means an ordinary birding destination. The birders like it for its diversity of savannah birds and the swamp dwelling species including the Shoe-bill stork that is highly sought after on Uganda birding safaris.
The adjoining Kaniyo Pabidi Forest is magical. It presents the groups of habituated Chimpanzees making the only chimpanzee trekking site in the whole of the north. Travelers on Uganda safaris have found it ideal to combine an exciting moment with chimpanzees on their wildlife safari to Murchison Falls National Park.
All these combine to justify your visit to the Murchison Falls National Park while on safari in Uganda.

The duiker antelope

The duiker is notably a small to medium size antelope that is indigenous to Africa’s Sub Sahara including Uganda where they are always explored on Uganda safaris. Belonging to the Cephalophinae Subfamily and Cephalophus Genus; the duikers are separated from the bush and forest duikers where the forest duikers thrive in the Sub Saharan rain forests while the only savannah duiker named common duiker thrives in the savannah.
The duikers are notably shy and elusive species that prefer to dwell in dense forest cover and for those that thrive in open areas always jump to the thicket for protection as always encountered on safari in Uganda. As a result of their scarce and scattered population, little is known about the duiker Species and the generalizations are majorly based on the generally studied red forest, the yellow-backed, blue and the grey duiker.
The Duikers range from 3kg for the case of blue duiker – 70kg for the yellow backed duiker. The duikers feature close to the ground body along with short horns. The Forest duikers – one of the common Uganda safari products has the capacity to navigate through the thick forests and easily dive into bushes while threatened. The grey duiker which is common in open areas including savannah features long legs, vertical horns that gives them the capacity to run faster for considerable distances. The horns are possessed by the males that are notably confrontational and territorial. The duikers feature fully grown preorbital glands that looks like slits under their eyes or the pedal glands in the hooves among the blue duikers which the males utilize to the territory marking.
Apart from reproduction, the duikers are greatly independent and like to thrive alone. This partly explains the limited sexual size dimorphism exhibited in a range of duiker species except the grey duiker where the females are considerably larger than the male duikers.
The duikers hide from the predators as the primary mechanism for defense taking advantage of their reserved nature and size. They first freeze at the initial threat sign and then dive to the closest bush. However, this differs to when they are marking the territories and fighting over females as they are more aggressive.
The duikers tend to thrive alone or in pairs minimizing competition that would occur while thriving in groups. The duikers are selective feeders as they consume particular plant parts. They are majorly browsers other than grazers and consume leaves, seeds, shoots, buds and fruit along with the bark. They are noted to follow the bird flocks or the monkey troops taking advantage of the fruits that these two drop. The duikers supplement the above with carrion, insects and at times capture small birds or rodents.
Food distribution contributed a lot to the distribution of the duikers as well. The duikers tend to like feeding on specific plant parts which are nutritious. They also derive most of the water from the fruits that they consume and thus they can thrive on waterless localities. The duikers are noted to be diurnal or nocturnal and can be both.
Regarding distribution, the duikers thrive in the tropical forests of Africa and the issues of habitat loss along with over exploitation are threatening the duiker continuity. The duikers are always targeted as a source of bush meat and even poached in protected areas including Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where the snares targeting the duikers have at times captured the mountain gorillas one of the main tourist products explored on Uganda tour.

Exploring the gorillas of buhoma in bwindi Uganda

The Buhoma region forms the northern section of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where gorilla safaris in Uganda are greatly carried out.
Buhoma sector shelters three of the twelve habituated gorilla families that thrive in the entire habitat of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The habituated gorilla families are also a section of the greater 400 minimum that thrive in the area making Bwindi the single habitat in the world which has the great count of mountain gorillas.
The significance of Buhoma sector cannot be underestimated considering the fact that the mountain gorillas are world over critically endangered. The Mubare gorilla family the notable gorilla group to receive the first Uganda gorilla safari undertakers in October 1993 is found in Buhoma. The gorilla group still thrives and now features 9 members headed by the Silverback Kanyonyi and has a baby gorilla named Kashundwe.
Besides Mubare, Buhoma also features the Habinyanja gorilla group teeming with 18 members commenced the habituation process in 1997 and by 1999, it had already started receiving the visitors. The initial administration was carried out by Mugurusi who later handed over to Rwansigazi and eventually Makara. It derives the naming from the local word Nyanja which means a pool of water as the group was first sighted near the swamp.
The Buhoma region is indeed gifted. The third gorilla family Rushegura is noted to have disintegrated from Habinyanja under the administration of Mwirima Silverback in 2002 and got its name from the local Ebishegura flora. It features 19 members with the dominant Silverback named Kabukojo.
Exploring these gorillas of Buhoma is far beyond the ordinary. Considering the fact that Buhoma is the pioneer sector in Bwindi to handle the travelers on gorilla safari in Uganda, it features developed facilities most especially the accommodation. The upmarket / Luxury clientele have their expectations settled at Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp and Buhoma Lodge not forgetting the Mahogany Springs. The midrange / standard clientele can have their dream settled at Silverback Lodge while the Buhoma Community Rest Camp that is owned and run by the community themselves present an ideal budget / basic accommodation in Buhoma for the Uganda gorilla trekking safari undertakers.
The road connection to Buhoma is considered better than other regions of Bwindi as the area’s terrain is not mountainous like the south that is marked by Kigezi Highlands. Additionally, the gorillas of Buhoma tend to dwell in close range thus relatively not hectic to trek.
The combination of the above makes the gorilla permits of Buhoma to sell highly and tracking Buhoma on your gorilla safari to Uganda requires a far advance booking.

Gorilla valley lodge in bwindi impenetrable national park Uganda

Gorilla Valley lodge is a perfect midrange accommodation that presents the Uganda gorilla safari undertakers with remarkable stay in the Impenetrable forest.
The lodge is located at the margin of the ancient forest boundary and the verandahs of the lodge cottages look straight into the forest. To the south Bwindi in the region of Rushaga, Gorilla Valley lodge finds its position and thus presenting an ideal starting point for trekking the southern gorilla families of Rushaga where the famous Nshongi group that is greatly admired to be tracked by travelers in gorilla safaris in Uganda is found. Besides Nshongi, other gorilla families exist including the Mishaya, Kahungye, Bweza and Busingye.
Crafted using local materials, the cottages at Gorilla Valley Lodge feature the traditional touch and put together using the local materials that enable them to blend well with the ecosystem. This makes the stay at Gorilla Valley Lodge a complete wilderness encounter.
The guests have 12 rooms that are en suite perched on a steep slope with the views of the Bwindi forest dubbed the Impenetrable because if it’s thick structure. The rooms at Gorilla Valley Lodge feature an exclusive terrace and are well decorated, fitted with solar water heater and magical beds.
Owned and run by Nature Lodges Uganda, the Gorilla Valley lodge taps into a complete expertise of this established body that runs a myriad of lodges all over Uganda including Fort Murchison, the Bush lodge, Airport Guesthouse, the Kibale Forest Camp and the Travelers Rest Kisoro. This chain of safari accommodation establishments have for long presented comfortable overnight stay to the travelers on safaris in Uganda.
Gorilla Valley Lodge can be accessed via the rough murram road that branches off from the main Kabale Kisoro road near Muko if coming from Kabale or the Ruhija side. But if coming from Rwanda, Kisoro or the Nkuringo, the lodge can be accessed from Rubuguri. The lodge is clearly signposted giving a clear direction to its guests most of which are on gorilla safari in Uganda

The Murchison River lodge in Murchison falls national park

The Murchison River Lodge positioned on the southern bank of the famous Nile River presents itself as a perfect midrange accommodation facility that travelers on safaris in Uganda can rest for overnight while visiting the park.
Surrounded by a dense savannah thicket overlooking the Nile River as it approaches the delta, the Murchison River Lodge features accommodation in a range of categories that caters for varying preferences of travelers on Uganda safaris.
The top on the list of the accommodation options are the Thatched Cottages that count to four in number presenting a spacious, comfortable and attractive furnishing that make each cottage unique. The Thatched Cottages feature an open plan that has a double bed up stairs fixed on a mezzanine floor along with 2 single beds and an en suite on the down stairs. They feature extensive verandas that overlook the bush equipped with a sofa and a hammock that allows the guest including the one on wildlife safari in Uganda to enjoy the views of the wilderness. The families can utilize these cottages or a group of four adults traveling together. The impressive solar lighting, mosquito nets, the towels and bed linen along with solar hot water and the children’s stair gate are provided in the thatched cottage at Murchison River Lodge. The cottages do not feature Air conditioning or fan and are connected to main building by pathways which are lantern lit at night.
Another accommodation option is Thatched Safari Tent where tents are placed on the ground with a thatch roof and overlook the Nile. They are furnished featuring safari table and chairs outside presenting the wilderness views. These tents feature chemical toilets along with bush shower since they are close to the Nile River thus not ideal to have permanent flushing toilets. They feature wooden doors instead of zips, have solar power, mosquito nets, towels and bed linen along with permanent bathroom. The tents do not feature Air conditioning or fan. The 4 of the thatched safari tents feature twin bed arrangement while other two have provision for third bed.
The accommodation option is a Comfortable Camping which features five (5) simple tents fixed on the ground around an expanse camping area far from the river. They are not self-contained but feature a shared washroom facility with flushing toilet. The tents feature solar power, mosquito nets, towels and bed linen. They do not have Air conditioning and fans.
For more adventurous Uganda tour travelers that prefer camping in the wilderness, Murchison River Lodge has a Campsite and travelers are required to carry own camping material. It is surrounded by bush and is away from the Nile. The camp site features 2 simple Kitchen areas with seating, fire pit and cover. The site has a shared wash room with flushing toilet and water shower.
Murchison River Lodge features a well set restaurant overlooking the Nile River, a well-stocked bar, a secluded swimming pool with soothing waters under the tropical sun and a craft shop where travelers on safaris to Uganda can get themselves a memorabilia to mark the visit to the country.

Tracking golden monkeys as part of your gorilla safari in Rwanda

The golden monkey tracking is among the prime activities in Volcanoes National Park that would flow smoothly if incorporated with Rwanda gorilla safari for any traveler visiting Rwanda.
The golden monkeys are considered world over as endangered and surprisingly they are limited in range to the Virunga massif and the Giswati forest in the destination Rwanda. The countries that share the Virunga massif have gone ahead to habituate groups of these species so as to increase their value to humanity and gain reverence for their continued existence including attracting world travelers on gorilla safaris in Rwanda to spend more time in the park as they track golden monkey as an additional activity.
Scientifically referred to as Cercopithecus Mitis Kandti, the golden monkeys are re-known sub species of the Blue Monkey and noted to be rare. They are interestingly playful and very inquisitive usually spending much of their time leaping from branches of Bamboo or doing the frolicking on the floor of the forest to the Volcano base and are noted to have overcome their natural shyness to withstand the regular visit of researchers and leisure travelers on gorilla safari in Rwanda
In Volcanoes National Park, there are two (2) notable golden monkey groups with one comprising of about 80 – 100 members settling on the foothill of Mount Sabyinyo. The golden monkey trek follows more less the similar procedure as that of gorilla trekking in Rwanda. You gather at the headquarters Kinigi and involves one hour of direct viewing session with the golden monkeys. However, the departure for golden monkeys is 7am while the permit is $100 which differs with the gorilla trekking whose departure time is 8am and the permit at $750. Additionally about the variance is that the numbers to track golden monkeys are not limited unlike the gorillas which are put at only eight (8).
The golden monkeys are notably active creatures that leap from tree to tree something that is really entertaining but also challenging to photograph. The visitors are usually recommended to set the cameras in a fast shutter speed that allows low light in the dense undergrowth and increase the chances of capturing the golden monkeys on the film.
Golden monkey tracking is acutely the ideal way to spend an additional night in Volcanoes National Park while on gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda.

Another Barcelona legend Edgar Davids set for Uganda safari

In the recent past, the famous soccer stars, Patrick Kluivert along with Luis Garcia have undertook Uganda safaris coming and promising to create an impact on the soccer of Uganda in the last quarter of the year the time that they will come back to feature for the FC Barcelona legends in the exhibition match against the Uganda Cranes.
It is amazing that Uganda now is in the joyous moods of hosting the football legend and the ex Barca player Edgar Davids. He is a re-known Holland international emanating from the region whose people have always planned safaris to Uganda to explore the beauty of the re-known Pearl of Africa.
Edgar Davids who is also greatly known as Pit-bull a nickname that was bestowed upon him by the current Manager of Manchester United Louis Van Gaal as a result of his aggressive tackling and marking is expected to take a safari in Uganda in the initial week of October to undertake the launching of the match between Barcelona-Uganda Cranes.
The architect of the match Rayco Garcia noted that Edgar is excited about traveling to Uganda. Garcia is apparently with Edgar in China for Lal Liga BBVA International Project Expansion. Edgar has learnt of what Luis Garcia and the Patrick Kluivert came for in Uganda and as a result, he is interested in becoming a component of the project.
Edgar Davids known for his long dreadlocks along with protective goggles that he used to put on as a result of the glaucoma eye condition and liking of club beer sharpened his talent at Ajax Amsterdam under the management of Van Gaal after which he joined AC Milan in the year 1996. He joined Juventus the season that followed and positioned himself a world best defensive mid fielder in the quality side featuring the Zinedine Zidane, Alessandro Del Piero, Didier Deschamps and Filippo Inzaghi.
Edgar Davids later joined Barcelona following seven years of active football at Juventus and he was credited as a catalyst for the Barcelona’s dominance in the Spanish and the entire football of Europe.
He represented his country Netherlands for 74 times at the International level and attained 6 goals among which included the famous injury time pile driver that he scored against the country of Yugoslavia at the World Cup of 1998 in France enabling the Dutch to advance to quarter finals.
Garcia continues to affirm that indeed Uganda has got a talent a reason that is scaling the heights of legends like Edgar. He noted that if he didn’t believe that the talent was there, he would not be intensifying the academy project through the RG (Rayco Garcia) Foundation.
Garcia who is a famous Barcelona trainee and the Leeds United Footballer who pardoned her Carrier as a result of injury intends to use the proceeds generated from the match between Barca Legends-Uganda Cranes to set up a complete football academy of contemporary standards in Uganda. He organized a fund raising dinner last week whose main guest was Luis Garcia and he managed to raise 27.6million.
The historic match that is set to take place in December has been pledged to be supported by a range of people and organizations including President Museveni, the Uganda Tourism Board, Nile Breweries and Insurance Company of East Africa.
The lineup of the game will feature Davids, Garcia, Kluivert Deco, Gaizaka Mendieta and Carlos Puyol while Johan Cruyff a legendary Dutchman will coach the team. The Cruyff is among the trustees of the RG Foundation along with Garcia, Kluivert and Christian Karembeu – the 1998 World Cup winner. It is a magical moment to imagine all these historicals taking a Uganda safari to play with the Uganda Cranes and visit a range of attractions around the country.

In the recent past, the famous soccer stars, Patrick Kluivert along with Luis Garcia have undertook Uganda safaris coming and promising to create an imprint on the soccer of Uganda in the last quarter of the year the time that they will come back to feature for the FC Barcelona legends in the exhibition match against the Uganda Cranes.
It is amazing that Uganda now is in the joyous moods of hosting the football legend and the ex Barca player Edgar Davids. He is a re-known Holland international emanating from the region whose people have always planned safaris to Uganda to explore the beauty of the re-known Pearl of Africa.
Edgar Davids who is also greatly known as Pitbull a nickname that was bestowed upon him by the current Manager of Manchester United Louis Van Gaal as a result of his aggressive tackling and marking is expected to take a safari in Uganda in the initial week of October to undertake the launching of the match between Barcelona-Uganda Cranes.
The architect of the match Rayco Garcia noted that Edgar is excited about travelling to Uganda. Garcia is apparently with Edgar in China for Lal Liga BBVA International Project Expansion. Edgar has learnt of what Luis Garcia and the Patrick Kluivert came for in Uganda and as a result, he is interested in becoming a component of the project.
Edgar Davids known for his long dreadlocks along with protective goggles that he used to put on as a result of the glaucoma eye condition and liking of club beer sharpened his talent at Ajax Amsterdam under the management of Van Gaal after which he joined AC Milan in the year 1996. He joined Juventus the season that followed and positioned himself a world best defensive mid fielder in the quality side featuring the Zinedine Zidane, Alessandro Del Piero, Didier Deschamps and Filippo Inzaghi.
Edgar Davids later joined Barcelona following seven years of active football at Juventus and he was credited as a catalyst for the Barcelona’s dominance in the Spanish and the entire football of Europe.
He represented his country Netherlands for 74 times at the International level and attained 6 goals among which included the famous injury time pile driver that he scored against the country of Yugoslavia at the World Cup of 1998 in France enabling the Dutch to advance to quarter finals.
Garcia continues to affirm that indeed Uganda has got a talent a reason that is scaling the heights of legends like Edgar. He noted that if he didn’t believe that the talent was there, he would not be intensifying the academy project through the RG (Rayco Garcia) Foundation.
Garcia who is a famous Barcelona trainee and the Leeds United Footballer who pardoned her Carrier as a result of injury intends to use the proceeds generated from the match between Barca Legends-Uganda Cranes to set up a complete football academy of contemporary standards in Uganda. He organized a fund raising dinner last week whose main guest was Luis Garcia and he managed to raise 27.6million.
The historic match that is set to take place in December has been pledged to be supported by a range of people and organizations including President Museveni, the Uganda Tourism Board, Nile Breweries and Insurance Company of East Africa.
The lineup of the game will feature Davids, Garcia, Kluivert Deco, Gaizaka Mendieta and Carlos Puyol while Johan Cruyff a legendary Dutchman will coach the team. The Cruyff is among the trustees of the RG Foundation along with Garcia, Kluivert and Christian Karembeu – the 1998 World Cup winner. It is a magical moment to imagine all these historicals taking a Uganda safari to play with the Uganda Cranes and visit a range of attractions around the country.

Rwanda on the move to position herself to realize greater tourism returns

The government of Rwanda is building on the vision of financing own budget and in the process minimize the dependence on donors. This will be reached if the government of Rwanda enhances its strategy to increase the local revenue generation among which includes Rwanda safaris.
The tourism sector can only generate great returns if invested in and nourished accordingly. Considering the fact that tourism is apparently the leading exchange earner generating $304.9million approximately Rwf 223 billion since the year 2014, the potential of the sector continues to expand with greater initiatives being fixed in place by the government through its agency the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) – the body that overlooks among others gorilla safaris in Rwanda.
Following the successful host of the 11th baby gorilla naming ceremony, there are a range of initiatives put in place by the tourism sector to ensure that the industry attains greater heights. Among these initiatives is the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events/Exhibitions (MICE) programme. Formed and created last year as a component of the 7 year government programme to continue capitalizing on the achievements in the aspects of good governance, the economy, justice along with the social being, the MICE initiative is one of the potential Rwanda safari products that can ably supplement the Rwanda gorilla safaris.
The Rwanda Convention Bureau has been put in place to the monitoring and handling of the matters regarding the MICE strategy. From the tourism report of 2014, the destination Rwanda hosted 19,085 conference visitors rising from the 2013 figure of 15,441 creating a 24% increment. From this visit, Rwanda managed to generate $29 million approximately Rwf21 billion from the MICE initiative. Though the bureau did not hit the target of $32 million, it has been inspired to work towards achieving the $207 million by the month of June 2018.
The effort to bid for hosting of events and conferences is in progress and some of the anticipated projects to reap from include the Transform Africa 2015, World Economic Forum and Interpol International Conference.

The Private sector contribution has been acknowledged and the government is apparently finalizing the training of event organizers and the Rwanda Association of Professional Conference Organizers (RWAPCO) along with an interim committee is already in place. It is believed that the association of about 20 companies will assist in solving the problem of ascertaining the qualified personnel for organizing events which has been a great challenge for the companies interested in hosting conferences.

The 2015 Uganda ’s world tourism day to be hosted in lira

The destination Uganda is among the prime locations in the world that travelers have found ideal to explore their lifetime adventures and as a result a range of Uganda safaris have been undertaken to fulfill this desire.
As the world set out to celebrate the tourism day, Uganda has also positioned herself to jubilate the day that represents one of the major sectors nourishing her economy. The tourism day in Uganda for the year 2015 is set to be hosted in Lira in the north of Uganda which is one of sub regional Uganda safari destinations.
To mark the beginning of the event, the tourism sector and government officials have already commenced their journeys to the to the town of Lira in the north of Uganda in the process of preparing for the World Tourism Day event that will take place over the weekend.
The festivity that will run for the whole week commenced on Monday with the outreach activities to local schools. The Uganda Tourism Board Officials are visiting the local schools to invigorate the wildlife and tourism clubs in the district of Lira which intends to build the spirit of tourism and conservation to the young generation that will in turn ensure sustainable tourism development and the continuity of safaris in Uganda.
Considering the fact that the tourism clusters have been formed in the areas of Buganda, Busoga, Rwenzori, Ankole and Kigezi, it is now high time for the sub region of Lango to bring out their history, culture, lifestyle along with other tourist attractions for the world to appreciate its tourism potential.
The Uganda tour to Murchison Falls National Park has been organized by the Uganda Wildlife Authority at a very subsidized price where the people would be picked from the town of Lira at 65,000/= and transferred to Murchison, spend a night with meals and accommodation along with a game drive and the Nile launch cruise. This impressive offer is ending today and has been running for a week long connecting Lira and Murchison which are 150km apart.

The Uganda Wildlife Education Center is estimated to take 200 species of wildlife to Lira with intention of showcasing to people the range of animals that thrive in various parts of Uganda on top of enabling the locals and the region at large to demonstrate their culture. A cultural gala has been organized at Lira Hotel tomorrow Saturday by the Uganda Tourism Board in conjunction with the private sector. The people will enjoy a range of cultural performances and then the contemporary artistes thereafter.
Lango is noted to be a great place with great history, beauty and location and the hosting of the world tourism day in Lira is a perfect move to demonstrate a range of tourism and investment opportunities in the district of Lira and Lango region at large. A range of people from other tourism clusters of Uganda and beyond are expected to be in attendance.

Trekking the oruzogo gorilla family in bwindi Uganda

The gorilla trekking in Uganda is one of the prime safari activities that the country is proud to have in possession along with magical Uganda Wildlife safaris, the birding safaris in Uganda, Mountaineering, Chimpanzee trekking, fishing safaris and Cultural tours. In her protected area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, there lies a minimum of 400 of the critically endangered apes – the mountain gorillas and it is from this group that several groups have been tamed / habituated to accommodate humans.
Apparently, there are 12 gorilla families that are free to people and willing to interact with them with no wild characters unless provoked. The Oruzogo Gorilla family is among the three gorilla families that have a habitat in the eastern sector of Bwindi named Ruhija. The sector shelters other two families named the Kyaguliro which previously was a research group and Bitukura gorilla group. All these are fully habituated and well explored by travelers on gorilla safaris in Uganda.
The Oruzogo gorilla group features a count of 23 members including one Silverback and is noted to be among the recent introduced groups for gorilla trekking in Uganda having been opened up on June 20th 2011. The Oruzogo Gorilla Family is led by the dominant Silverback called Tibirikwata.
Tracking the Oruzogo Gorilla Family involves purchasing the gorilla permit of the Ruhija region which goes for $600 for the foreigner staying outside the East African partner states, $500 for the foreigner with valid work permit in the partner states of the East African Community and then 250,000/= for the natives of the partner states. Though the Uganda Wildlife Authority tends to offer discounted gorilla permits in the months of April through May and the month of November, it is always publicized at the beginning of the year and if offered, the gorilla permit reduce to $350, $300 and 150,000/= respectively making it cheaper and cost effective for those interested in undertaking low cost gorilla safari in Uganda.
The encounter involves driving through magical countryside landscapes of Uganda including the traditional rangelands of the Banyankole pastoralists before being fronted by the scenic Kigezi Highlands and Virunga Mountains beyond. You branch off from the main Kabale – Kisoro road at 10km from Kabale town taking the north direction where you drive through fascinating highlands of Kigezi with sharp corners steep slopes up and down before entering through Ndego gate to the Ruhija section of the park. The accommodation of your choice is booked in advance and can be either Broadbill Forest Camp if interested in budget stay or Gorilla Mist Camp which suites both Midrange and Luxury.
The morning would see you gather at the Ruhija park headquarters and a special request is passed on to the rangers allocating the gorilla families by your safari guide and you get yourself allocated Oruzogo Gorilla family and though it’s not guaranteed as it is not provided for in the arrangement, a humble request might grant you triumph.
The Oruzogo features young gorillas which are playful thus making it vibrant and interesting to encounter in Uganda gorilla safaris. Following the day long hike traversing the dense jungle of Bwindi, exploring magical flora and birds along with gathering great pictures and memories, you are rewarded with a gorilla certificate indicating that you have indeed tracked the Oruzogo gorilla family. You can opt to spend your evening down at Lake Bunyonyi, chilling at the lodge or taking a community tour to the Batwa People.