Buhoma sector Bwindi

Buhoma sector Bwindi

Buhoma sector Bwindi : is the pioneer or the first mountain gorilla trail head for gorilla trekking in bwindi. The sector, for many years was and is still the leading gorilla trekking section in the park. Additionally, buhoma is liked by many tourists that come to Uganda for wildlife safaris because it is close to Queen Elizabeth national park. This is especially for those who plan to go for game drive after the mountain gorilla trekking session in Bwindi. This sector is located in the south western part of Uganda, within Bwindi impenetrable national park. Besides, Bwindi is famous for hosting almost half of the world’s remaining population of the endangered mountain gorillas. The opening of gorilla trekking in here, started with mubare gorilla family in 1993. As a result, this opened the sector to tourists, since the family roams the forest part in buhoma sector.

Furthermore, this is the most developed section of Bwindi with over four mountain gorilla families ready to be trekked. Besides being the first trail head for mountain gorilla trekking, is it attributed to geographical factors. For example the low terrain which makes it so easy to do hikes, unlike the other sectors. Also the proximity to Queen Elizabeth national park and kihihi airstrip, makes buhoma sector closest. It is also much accessible than the other trail heads for mountain gorilla trekking.

What to do in buhoma sector

Gorilla trekking

Definitely, mountain gorilla trekking is very interesting when done in buhoma sector. In fact, this is one of the first activities you can enjoy in this side of Bwindi impenetrable national park. The sector is also known for being a home to over three habituated mountain gorilla families. These include; mubare family, rushegura family, habinyanja family, etc. The habituated mountain gorilla families are interesting to visit. This is because the habituation process makes them familiar to human encounters so it reduces the negative response when they see humans.

Batwa Cultural Experience

The sector is also renowned for the indigenous batwa people. These are a primitive group of people that live in the forest of central Africa in congo and south western Uganda. The batwa trail is basically a famous activity done in Bwindi as well as Mgahinga national park. Visiting the batwa communities in buhoma will give you such an insight on the African old tradition and culture. This is as a result that  the batwa culture has stayed authentic for a long time. You can also learn a lot from the batwa women like how to cook and prepare local food stuffs among others. In addition, get entertained by the traditional dances and performances from the batwa people.

Nature walks

Here, you can also enjoy the nature walks in the buhoma forest side. The nature walks are done inside the forest, led by an experienced guide who is well equipped with the forest tactics. The nature walks in buhoma sector also gives you a chance to other forest creatures like baboons, red tailed monkeys, the black and white colobus, etc.  You will also encounter many bird species and old trees with very big trunks, and butter flies, amphibians and a few reptiles, etc.

Bird watching

Enjoy bird watching in buhoma sector of bwindi impenetrable national park. Bird watching here is basically one of the activities that supplement a great experience of park. Bwindi impenetrable national park is a home for over 370 bird species, and buhoma is the best area to enjoy birding. Birds to encounter here include; cuckoos, flycatchers, dark caped bulbul, red headed blue bill, warbler, etc.

Getting to buhoma sector 

• The sector is one of the most accessible sections of Bwindi impenetrable national park. Generally, the drive to buhoma sector takes you through Ntungamo and through Rukungiri. It later connects with butogota and then buhoma where the main office for Bwindi and the main entrance are found.
• From Entebbe international airport, the drive to Bwindi impenetrable forest is a full day journey. However, it only takes about 6 hours to reach buhoma sector if at all you are connecting from Lake mburo national park. Queen Elizabeth national is the closest protected area to buhoma sector of Bwindi impenetrable national park. It is just about 2 hours’ drive if at all you are connecting from Queen Elizabeth national park.
• However, you can also reach buhoma by air transport but expensive in terms of money although it saves time. There is a scheduled flight twice a day which land in kihihi airstrip and only takes about 90- 120 minutes from kihihi to reach buhoma sector by road.
  

When to visit buhoma sector

The best time to visit buhoma sector is dependent on the tourist seasons which are determined by the weather or the climate. The rainy season in Bwindi impenetrable is a free season experienced in march through April to May and in November through to early December. You should also take note that Bwindi experiences an equatorial kind of climate, so showers are expected any time of the year. The rainy season makes the trail heads slippery and almost hard to pass through. Therefore, it is not good to do gorilla trekking in the rainy season for those who don’t like the wet season.

On the other hand, the dry season is the best to visit Bwindi,  experienced with little or no rainfall. This is in the months of December through January to February and June through July. The dry season is the best season to visit this sector for activities. These include; the batwa trail tour, nature walks, birding, forest guided nature walks, etc. Besides, Bwindi impenetrable national park is open all the year through and you can chose to visit buhoma any time of the year. You should also take note about the accommodation facility you book for. It should be near your allocated gorilla family thereby to avoid inconveniences.