Ruhija Community Rest Camp

Verandah for views over the valley (added by manager 18 Oct 2022)

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Scenic site in the lush Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
A 90-minute drive from Kabale and 75 minutes from Lake Bunyonyi
Hiking trail, birdwatching tours, rain gear hire and 24/7 restaurant

Gorilla-spotting on your bucket list? Give yourself a good chance of a glimpse at Ruhija Community Rest Camp, a family-friendly site an hour and a half’s drive from the town of Kabale and eight hours from Kampala. The gentle giants are the big draw in this part of Uganda, and a stay at Ruhija brings guests closer to the apes than most. Inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (home to half of the world’s gorilla population), the site is within easy reach of the stomping grounds of the Ruhija, Buhoma, Nkuringo and Rushaga gorilla families. Prefer wildlife watching to involve a feathered friend or two? They’re in no short supply in Bwindi, and there are trained ‘birders’ at the site to guide twitchers around the national park. Visits during rainy season don’t have to be a washout either… there’s walking stick and rain gear hire on site, and a hiking trail within the site means there’s a less lengthy trekking option if a full day of tramping about doesn't look like a possibility. When a lazy day is calling, hang around the site soaking up views over Bwindi or wander along to the restaurant – which is open all day, every day – to sample the local eats they’re cooking up.

Site type

Open all year

Tourist board rating

Languages spoken

English

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house

Cycle hire

Evening entertainment

Fishing

Fitness centre

Games room

Indoor swimming pool

Kids' club

On-site restaurant/cafe

Outdoor swimming pool

Play area

TV room

Take away

Tennis

Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available

Car parking by pitch/unit

Composting toilet

Disabled facilities

Dog park

Drying room

Food shop

Free wifi

Ice pack freezing

Internet access

Launderette

Local produce

Parent & baby washroom

Pick-up from public transport

Portable toilet

Pub toilets

Public telephone

Shower available

Tents for hire

Toilet block

Washing-up area

Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly

Motorcycle friendly

Single-sex groups welcome

Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided

Barbecues allowed

Campfires allowed

Commercial vehicles allowed

Dogs allowed

Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker

Forest

Lake and/or mountain

Peaceful

Spectacular scenery

Walkers' paradise

Wild camping

Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities

Chemical disposal

Electric car charging point(s)

Gas cylinders available

Recycling available

Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby

Dog walk nearby

Nearby farmers' market

Public transport nearby

Shop nearby

Type

Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby

Mountain biking nearby

Restaurant nearby

Location

Ruhija Community Rest Camp

Ruhija Canteen

Bwindi Forest National Park

Kabale

Uganda

Directions

Timezone

Africa/Kampala +0300 (GMT+03:00)

GPS

-1.04373°N
29.77529°W

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

To wind down after all that national park trekking, head to Lake Bunyonyi (an hour and 15 minutes’ drive) for a dip – it’s believed to be one of the country’s few lakes that's free of bilharzia, crocs and hippos, so it’s considered safe for swimming… watch the depth though, as it’s also rumoured to be Africa’s second-deepest lake. Watersports – particularly canoeing – ziplining, hiking and island hopping (the lake boasts a whopping 29 of them) are all options in the area. Or just take a moment to relax in this birding paradise – the lake’s name roughly translates as ‘lake of little birds’ and it doesn't lie… there are more than 200 species to look out for. Around an hour and a half’s drive away is the town of Kabale, for a decent selection of bars and restaurants, a collection of artefacts and masks at the Great Lakes Museum, and a nine-hole golf course for sporty sorts. If you’ve got energy to spare, Lake Mutanda (two and a half hours away) has canoeing, hiking, mountain biking trails and fishing, while at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (a similar length of drive) you can set out for volcano hiking on Mounts Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabinyo.

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Does Ruhija Community Rest Camp have a swimming pool? No View all features
Is Ruhija Community Rest Camp dog friendly? Yes View all features
What attractions are near Ruhija Community Rest Camp? To wind down after all that national park trekking, head to Lake Bunyonyi (an hour and 15 minutes’ drive) for a dip – it’s believed to be one of the country’s few … Read more