Hiking Trails in Nkuringo Sector: After the gorilla trekking adventure in Nkuringo Sector situated in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, take an expert guide deep into the Bwindi impenetrable forest to learn about its species and fascinating ecosystems. Keep your binoculars handy! The extraordinary variety of unusual bird species that make the Bwindi forest home will please birding aficionados.
Wildlife and birds begin to stir as the first rays of the golden light touch the ground, and the hustle and bustle of the day begins. Make the most of your day by getting up early to enjoy the bustling zones of the Nkuringo sector.
Begin a fascinating trek that takes you deep into the lush rainforest—be amazed at the lively, colorful species that inhabit the dense greenery. Crouch down and scan the forest floor, darting with frogs, bright butterflies, and quiet woodland critters. Hear the chatter of the trees, the rustling of the leaves, and the sky lit up with bright fluttering as magnificent birds announce their arrival.
The biodiversity in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is astounding, with over 350 distinct bird species and 90% of all Albertine Rift endemics. The lack of human intervention in this reserve guarantees that the natural ecosystem remains intact. Don’t forget your binoculars while going on a hike; you won’t believe what your eyes tell you they see!
If you want a birds-eye perspective, take a top-of-the-world tour, the Ivy River route, or the Kashasha River trail, and look for colorful birds and wild animals that can’t be seen from the buzzing forest floors.
Guided Nature Walks/Hiking Tours in Nkuringo Sector- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Kashasha River Trail.
The Kashasha River path begins at the Nkuringo Sector trailhead and meanders gently through the park’s surrounding landscapes, with multiple vistas overlooking lush mist-shrouded valleys. The route then enters the bush to reach the Kashasha River, where you may walk for an hour along its banks.
The contemplative walk along the Kashasha River, with its tranquil sounds of babbling brooks and natural soothing melodies of the forest, will relax you enough to complete the second part of the walking track.
One can either take the circular path back to Nkuringo sector or carry on to Buhoma sector. Most hikers traveling from Buhoma to stay in Nkuringo or coming from Nkuringo to connect to Queen Elizabeth National Park via the Buhoma sector favor the latter.
This nature walking track is a great place to see monkeys, duikers, bush pigs, and some of Bwindi’s world-famous bird and butterfly species. This route is quite popular among birders, Hiking Trails in Nkuringo Sector
Ivy River Trail
The Ivy River trek may be hiked in three ways: the first departs from Nkuringo, going 12 kilometers to Nteko hamlet, then another 5 kilometers down the steep valley to Ivy River and back. The second trip begins at the Nteko outpost, 12 kilometers from Nkuringo, where your vehicle would have let you off and you would have gone down the valley to the river and returned. The third route, which begins at Nteko and continues down the valley and over the forest to the Buhoma area on the northern side of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, is the most intriguing.
The trail from Nteko, via the freshly built River Ivy bridge, and into the jungle follows a presumably paved road that was abandoned in the 1980s for unknown reasons. The trek takes roughly 5 hours to go to Buhoma and 4 hours to get back to Nkuringo. The trail is rather flat, with no substantial incline. You will come across several well-known forest dwellers, such as monkeys, different bird species, and hundreds of butterfly species.
Buniga Trail
Hiking the Buniga Trail in Nkuringo sector in Bwindi impenetrable national park takes approximately 3 hours to complete. The Buniga Area Trail depicts the Batwa pygmies’ symbiotic interaction with the untamed Bwindi rainforest before they were expelled to make the forest a protected reserve. The Batwa people, via their community organization NCCDF, take tourists into their little pocket woods, showing their past nomadic cultures when they occupied the jungles, to disclose their unique heritage and customs to the world.
The Buniga forest path is a USAID effort designed to assist the Batwa population in earning a living via tourism in the area surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
You’ll stroll for an hour to a Batwa-enacted community to see the ladies prepare, cook, and serve a dinner. You’ll interact with medicine men, learn about the therapeutic benefits of the rich forest vegetation, and hear old stories and traditional melodies. You’ll learn about the Batwa’s interesting way of life, from religion to food collection and hunting tactics, as well as how they produced fires out of rubbing sticks.
The Buniga trail is one of the most popular leisure activities in and near Nkuringo. It begins at the NCCDF office, which is located near the UWA office and Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge.
Suma Waterfall Trail (4-5 hours)
Suma waterfall is a magnificent 50-meter waterfall located on the outskirts of Suma hamlet, approximately 7 kilometers from the Nkuringo sector. The waterfall rumbles on the outskirts of the community, eventually flowing into a river that flows through a family-owned valley across the settlement, creating a spectacular scene.
As the first golden rays of the day strike the departing night, wildlife and birds tune their sounds, set off Nkuringo hill, and slip through the awakening communities to capture the first life motions of an actual African hamlet. You’ll find children grazing their animals, mothers tending to their crops with hoes on their shoulders and a basket balanced on their heads— Observe men and women plowing gardens submerged in 45-degree soil. View the beautiful, peaceful sceneries that emerge as you crash down the rocky terrain, Hiking Trails in Nkuringo Sector
A mother and her children guard the entrance to the falls, which is also the entrance to their home. You’ll be guided through the family’s well-manicured farm on a valley that ends at the falls’ river after paying the admission fees. Nature’s most magical creation, a roaring and strong but quiet and relaxing waterfall, is unveiled as the rumbling waterfalls sound gets louder. It’s difficult not to be inspired while looking up at Suma waterfall; the strength and beauty never fail to captivate visitors.
Water is an ideal traveler because, after sliding down those craggy rocks, it follows the way itself down the valley past the hamlet, leaving you wishing for its elegant motions to stay with you. There is a seat where you may relax and see the beauty of Suma waterfall valley; sit and let time pass you by.
In that village, there’s a man famed for marrying 16 women; you could hear about him or perhaps visit his home. The waterfall is flanked by several tree types that are home to numerous indigenous bird species that will pique the curiosity of bird enthusiasts. The Suma Waterfall route is frequented by birds such as the Northern Double Collared Sunbird and the Great Blue Eared Starling, Hiking Trails in Nkuringo Sector
Birding Trails (2-6 hours)
The Nkuringo area, south of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, has some of Africa’s greatest montane-forest birding. A birding expedition of 350 species that fly through and across the forest canopy will please birding enthusiasts in crossing off this list on a 2-6-hour trip led by an expert guide.
It is a trip of discovery, travelling through this old jungle and outdoors undulating terraced fields on the slopes of rocky western Uganda, along a meandering route bordered by unique and green foliage.
Your birding walk brings you to stunning falls, roaring forth a tremendous roar of clean river water slamming against massive boulders as it winds through evergreen and montane marshes that entangle throughout the lush forest floor. The waterfalls that roar in the Bwindi forest are definitely a sight to behold, set amid gorgeous lush scenery. A fantastic sound that will vibrate through your eardrums and bring life to your unconscious body, abundant with birds, the clamor of talk, and the cascading waterfall.
While strolling along the Kashasha River Trail, keep an eye out for the White-tailed Ant Thrush and stylish francolin, as well as the magnificent Black Bee-eater, Yellow-eyed Black, and African Sooty Flycatchers.
Visit the Mubwindi Swamp route in Ruhija to see the rare and locally adapted African green broadbill. Look up at the trees with your binoculars to see the Short-tailed Warbler, Blue-headed Sunbird, African Green Broadbill, and Shelley’s crimson wing.
