At home with the gorillas

Gorillatracking at the home of the Mountain Gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable forest, can be an exciting activity. In most cases, it takes time and patience.

When all is done, one needs a place of comfort and class to relax and enjoy life’s little pleasures. 
The Mahogany Springs in Bwindi is one such place. Opened just over eight months ago, the lodge was built with comfort and class in mind. It gives one the once in a lifetime feeling of meeting the Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat and staying in luxury while there.

Mahogany Springs is situated in Buhoma outside the gates of the park around a 15-20 minute walk to the UWA headquarters or two to three minutes in a vehicle.

While at the lodge, you will notice all the rooms were designed to high standards with beautiful in-suite bathrooms and huge terraces with panoramic views of the forest and surrounding terrain. 
The set-up of the rooms can be varied and can accommodate a maximum capacity of around 18-20 people depending on the way their group if organised.

Gorilla haven
You can have a spectacular view just a stone’s throw away from the forest. The gorillas also visit the lodge every couple of weeks to dine on some of the Banana plants and other delights down by the river. Mahogany Springs also has its own section of river where you can have a Bush Breakfast, Private dinner or just sun downers.

BwindiImpenetrable National Park has seven gorilla groups. The Mubare group, which was officially opened in 1993 for tourism, comprises of six members and one silverback. The Kyaguriro group has 17 members. The Habinyanja group was formed in 1998 and it consists of 18 animals with about two silverbacks.

The Rushegura group has about 19 gorillas and was set up for tourism in 2002. The Nkuringo group which is also made up of 19 animals, was opened in 2004 for tourism. The 13 member Bitukura group was opened to tourists in December 2008. The biggest group is the Nshongi, which has 36 members with three silverbacks. It was opened to tourists in September 2009.

With gorilla tracking as a very lucrative tourist attraction, the Mahogany Springs provides the much needed focal point for visitors.

By: Bruce Amp