Upmarket
Four Gorillas Lodge
Forest-edge cottages 6 km from the briefing point, full board with packed lunches on trek days.
Bwindi’s southern sector and the only place in Uganda where you can do the Gorilla Habituation Experience. It is also home to more habituated gorilla families than any other part of the park.
Why Rushaga: it is the only sector in Uganda where the Uganda Wildlife Authority runs the Gorilla Habituation Experience, with two families, Bikingi and Bushaho, each taking four visitors a day.
Rushaga lies in the far south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Kisoro District, close to the borders with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The forest here climbs over steep ridges and deep valleys, and the hills around the park are farmed in terraces almost to the forest edge.
Alongside the two habituation families, Rushaga has several fully habituated families for standard one-hour treks. That makes it the easiest place to combine habituation with a second gorilla encounter on a different day, without changing lodge.
The trade-off is the terrain. Trails in Rushaga are among the steepest in Bwindi, and on a habituation day you leave the path for much of the walk. A porter and a walking stick make a real difference.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority assigns families on the morning of your visit and reviews habituation status from time to time. We confirm current assignments before every trip.
Still being accustomed to people, so behaviour is more natural and the research team walks with you.
About HabituationFully habituated and relaxed around people. Ideal as a second encounter after your habituation day.
All Bwindi Gorilla FamiliesBwindi has four trekking sectors. Here is how Rushaga stacks up.
| Sector | Rushaga | Buhoma | Ruhija | Nkuringo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the park | South | North | East | Southwest |
| Gorilla habituation | Yes, the only sector | No | No | No |
| Standard trekking | Yes, several families | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Terrain | Steep | Moderate | Moderate, high altitude | Very steep |
| Closest airstrip | Kisoro | Kihihi | Kihihi or Kisoro | Kisoro |
All within a short drive of the Rushaga park office, so habituation mornings start without a long transfer.
Forest-edge cottages 6 km from the briefing point, full board with packed lunches on trek days.
Cottages and suites with fireplaces and private decks above the forest.
A hillside lodge close to the Rushaga gate, good value for a habituation trip.
Habituation is the centrepiece. These fill the days around it.
A standard one-hour trek to Nshongi, Mishaya or another Rushaga family on a different day.
A half-day with Batwa community members on traditional forest skills, stories and music.
Island-dotted lake below the Virunga volcanoes, roughly 1 to 1.5 hours by road.
Bamboo forest on the Virungas near Kisoro, easy to add before or after Rushaga.
Village visits and a coffee tour with families farming the edge of the park.
Forest-edge trails with a bird guide for Albertine Rift species.
We arrange every transfer as part of your trip. For timing by month, read our best time to visit Bwindi guide.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority has designated two Rushaga families, Bikingi and Bushaho, for the habituation programme. For now no other sector in Uganda offers it.
Generally yes. The terrain is steep and often muddy, though difficulty on the day depends on where your family is.
Yes, on separate days with different families. Our Double Family Experience is built around exactly that.
June to September and December to February are driest and most popular. The rainy months bring muddier trails but easier permit availability.
Send your dates and we will check habituation and trekking permits together.
+256 716 068 279 Check Availability