Things to do in the Rushaga Gorilla Sector besides Gorilla Trekking and Gorilla Habituation Experience
Things to do in the Rushaga Gorilla Sector besides Gorilla Trekking and Gorilla Habituation Experience: Most visitors who visit Bwindi’s Rushaga Gorilla sector come to see the endangered Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat, however, there several activities or things to do and see in the Rushaga Gorilla Sector in Southwestern Uganda.
Nature Walks
Nature Walks are offered at the same fees as elsewhere in Bwindi, Birding is broadly similar to Buhoma, and several primates can be seen on this nature walk like the red-tailed monkey, black and white Colobus, chimpanzees, L’Hoests’s monkey, and blue monkey. The 4-hour waterfall trail descends into a deep valley dripping with giant tree ferns and then climbs upwards through a narrow, stream-filled fissure in the cliff face to reach a towering, rock-walled atrium containing a cascade of more than 30m. Outside the park, a candidate for further exploration would seem to be the dramatic and deeply incised Ruhezanyenda River Valley.
Nkuringo Community Walk
This community-run activity provides insights into Bakiga life and culture, with visits to a traditional healer, blacksmith, brewer, and homestead in the vicinity of Nkuringo Village. The walk costs US$ 30 per person and can be arranged at any time.
Buniga Community Forest Walk – Batwa community visit
This 3km2 patch of regenerating forest on the outskirts of Nkuringo village is owned by the local Batwa and run as a community project. More than 110 bird species have been identified in the forest, and it also provides refuge to several primates. A 3 hours guided trail through the forest gives you the chance to see it through the Batwa eyes and is usually followed by a visit to the contemporary settlement of Sanurio, where 150 of the former hunter-gathers have been resettled about 4km from Nkuringo. Batwa guides demonstrate aspects of their forest life – creating shelter, firing bows and arrows, making fire, identifying medical herbs peeling matooke among others.
Hiking
Nature walks into the national park can be arranged at the usual Uganda Wildlife rates, but the steep nature of the descent and ascent makes it a less appealing prospect than at the other trailheads. Nkuringo is a superbly scenic area with great potential for hiking outside the forest, though the possibilities for haphazard exploration are pretty limited. The steep nature of Nteko Ridge means that the main alternatives for a pleasant stroll are either west along the ridge-top road towards DRC or east towards Rubuguri.
