Description
Wild Olives Lodge is among the top accommodation properties in the Rushaga region of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The luxurious Wild Olives Lodge has 9 self-contained rooms with a range of amenities including comfortable beds made using local materials.
Wild Olives Lodge has a good and safe parking area, 24/7 security, daily housekeeping, laundry facilities, a well-stocked bar, a restaurant, Wi-Fi, and hot water heaters. The lodge has single and double rooms all available at affordable rates.
Location & access
Wild Olives Lodge is strategically located with possibly for tourists to connect to the Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors. With access to the Nkuringo or Rushaga, visitors can engage in gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experience. Getting to Wild Olives Lodge from Entebbe or Kampala takes about 8-9 hours while from Kigali Capital, it is 4-5 hours’ drive. If you happen to take a flight from the Entebbe International Airport, expect to spend between 1 and 2 hours to the Kisoro Airstrip. From the Kisoro Airstrip to this lodge is about 20 miles.
Tourist Activities to do
Gorilla trekking
Gorilla trekking is a captivating adventure awaiting for you to experience starting the Rushaga or Nkuringo sector. The Nkuringo and Rushaga sectors are found in the Southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Visitors can track the habituated groups in either sectors and each is visited by a maximum of 8 (eight) guests.
In the Rushaga sector, gorilla groups to visit include among others Kutu, Bikingi, Busingye, Bweza gorilla families, Nshongi gorilla families, Mishaya, Mucunguzi group, Kahungye, and Rwigyi. If you are interested in the Nkuringo gorilla trekking experience, then expect to interact with habituated gorilla families such as Christmas, Nkuringo, and Bushaho.
The ideal time to travel for gorilla trekking in the Rushaga or Nkuringo sector is around the dry season. The dry season occurs twice each year with the longest often recorded from June to September and the short dry months begin from December to February. A successful gorilla safari in the Rushaga or Nkuringo also requires you to have the right gear or equipment. The items to pack for gorilla trekking include first aid kit, waterproof hiking boots or shoes, long-sleeved shirts, rain jacket, a sweater, a rain jacket, a valid gorilla trekking permit, a daypack, insect repellent, and a good camera.
A valid gorilla permit for Rushaga or Nkuringo gorilla treks cost the same amount that is USD 800 for the foreign nonresidents, USD 700 for all foreign residents, USD 500 for the Rest of the Africans, and Ugandans/East African citizens are charged UGX 300,000 per person.
Gorilla habituation experience is a distinct primate adventure and often takes half day or long day. The entire idea is to make gorillas get used to human presence before they are officially opened for trekking.
Visitors with valid gorilla habituation permits have a chance to be part of this thrilling primate adventure and each costs USD 1500 per visitor for all foreign nonresidents. The foreign residents pay USD 1000 per visitor and Ugandans or East African citizens can obtain gorilla habituation permits at UGX 750,000 per person.
Unlike normal gorilla treks, during gorilla habituation, tourists enjoy a maximum of 4 hours mainly observing how gorillas behave and also take pictures.
Cultural tour
There is also a chance to have an addition of cultural visit to the Bakiga or Batwa communities. During the cultural walk, visitors get a chance to interact with residents to learn more about their unique traditions, cultures, and practices. Each of the local communities has unique experiences worth sharing and you can be part of it after trekking gorillas.
Birding
A guided birding excursion through Bwindi Impenetrable National Park allows you to explore diverse bird species. Bwindi alone protects over 350 species of birds and include many Albertine rift endemic species and forest birds. The check-list of birds to encounter here include the ross’s turacos, Rwenzori turacos, African green broadbill, yellow-eyed black flycatchers, Chapin’s flycatchers, handsome francolins, red-chested sunbirds, Bronze sunbird, little bee-eaters, Western tinker bird, Black-faced rufous warblers, Bare-faced go-away bird, white-throated bee-eaters, cinnamon-chested bee-eaters, scarlet-chested sunbird, papyrus gonoleks, piping hornbill, and African sacred ibis.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest also shelters birds such as the Rwenzori nightjars, Kivu ground thrush, the red-headed bluebill, Narina trogon, African black ducks, African emerald cuckoos, colored bush shrikes, Neumann’s warblers, African olive pigeon, hammerkop, black crakes, pin-tailed whydahs, and piapiac, etc.
