Ruhija sector, Bwindi
Four habituated gorilla families, one of Africa's great birding trails, and a forest that has stood for 25,000 years — all within a few minutes of the lodge.
Full day · from $800 per permit
Ruhija has four habituated gorilla families — Bitukura, Oruzogo, Kyaguriro and Mukiza. Briefing is at 7:30am at the ranger post, five minutes from the lodge.
You will walk anywhere from forty minutes to six hours, through undergrowth that earned the forest its name, and then spend one strictly-timed hour with the family. It is the hour people talk about for years.
6–9 hours · from $60 per person
The Mubwindi Swamp trail is one of the finest birding walks in Africa, with 24 Albertine Rift endemics including the African green broadbill and Grauer's rush warbler.
It is a long descent and a longer climb back, but serious birders consider it unmissable. We leave at 6am with breakfast in a box.
2–4 hours · from $30 per person
Shorter walks along the forest edge and the old research trails — waterfalls, colobus monkeys, and the plants our guides grew up using as medicine.
A good option on the day you arrive, on the day you leave, or for anyone in the party not trekking.
Half day · from $25 per person
Walk down into the village with one of our staff: the school, the tea plots, the weaving group, and a Batwa cultural performance at the community centre.
Money paid for this goes directly to the community association, not to the lodge.
Full day · from $1,500 per permit
Four hours with a semi-habituated group and the researchers who work with them, available in the Rushaga sector — we arrange the logistics and the overnight.
Not offered in Ruhija itself, but many guests combine it with a stay here.
Good to know
The Ruhija ranger post is a five-minute drive — about 2 km. Briefing is at 7:30am, so you leave the lodge at 7:00 after a full breakfast. Guests staying in Buhoma are usually on the road by 5am for the same trek.
USD 800 per person for foreign non-residents, set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Yes — tell us your dates and we will check availability and arrange the permits for you. There is no mark-up.
Yes, 15 years. Younger children are very welcome at the lodge and we arrange forest-edge walks, a community school visit and baking afternoons for them while the adults trek.
Moderately. Treks run from forty minutes to six hours through steep, muddy terrain at 2,000–2,600 m. Rangers try to match visitors to a group by fitness, and porters are available for about USD 20 — hiring one is money well spent and goes straight to the community.
Solar power with a generator backup runs 24 hours, with charging points in every cottage. Wi-Fi reaches the lounge and restaurant and is fine for messaging, less so for video calls.
All rates are full board: breakfast, a packed lunch on trekking days, a three-course dinner, and tea, coffee and drinking water throughout. Transfers to the briefing point are included. Drinks from the bar, permits and laundry are extra.
Colder than people expect. We are at 2,350 m, so evenings sit around 10°C year-round. Bring a fleece and one warm layer. Your fire is lit at dusk and there will be a hot water bottle in your bed.
In the dry season a high-clearance saloon will manage the last 40 km of murram slowly. From March to May and September to November, a 4×4 is strongly advised. Fill up in Kabale — there is no fuel in Ruhija.
Tell us your dates and we'll check permit availability with the Uganda Wildlife Authority alongside your cottage.
Enquire now