How many gorilla families are available for trekking in Uganda?

How many gorilla families are available for trekking in Uganda? The best place for mountain gorilla trekking is Uganda, where trekkers can witness 21 habituated gorilla families in its parks. The habituated mountain gorilla families in Uganda live in two destinations in the remote areas in the southwest, namely; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The place that first comes to the minds of travelers is Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park know to harbor half of the remaining mountain gorilla population in the world. This place has done great to the trekkers who can come to 20 habituated mountain gorilla families. There are four sections of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where the habituated gorillas are found, they include; Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo sectors.

Unlike the big numbers in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, there is only one habituated gorilla family to see in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The Nyakagezi Gorilla Family is the only one to find in Mgahinga National Park available for all year trekking. There used to be cases where this family moved into the neighboring places in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and D.R Congo’s Virunga National Park but the Nyakagezi family has stabilized overtime making it trekkable for travelers on safari holiday to Uganda. Are you  still wondering ‘How many gorilla families are available for trekking in Uganda?’ Uganda is home  to 21 habituated gorilla families that are ever present for trekkers to find in the wild.

How many gorilla families are there in Uganda? – Habituated gorilla Families in Uganda

Habituated Gorilla Families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the home of mountain gorillas with 20 habituated families, the highest in the country. What are the habituated gorilla families in Uganda? What habituated gorilla families can I see in Uganda? Uganda is the home of 21 habituated gorilla families although 20 of them are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Habituated Gorilla families are gorillas which have been trained to be around people without being intimidated by their presence.

To habituate the gorilla family, it takes about 5 years of making the animals get used to humans before they can be around trekkers. How many gorilla families are available for trekking in Uganda? How many habituated gorilla families are in Bwindi? Habituation process in Bwindi has led to creation of 20 habituated gorilla families that visitors can come close to. The habituated gorillas live in the four sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, namely; Nkuringo, Buhoma, Ruhija, and Rushaga.

Buhoma Sector – Habituated gorilla families in Buhoma sector of Bwindi

How many gorilla families are available for trekking in Uganda? Buhoma Sector is one of the four sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park found in the north of the gorilla capital. This sector is not hard to reach due to its strategic location from the town of Kisoro.  It is the first place to reach after the 1-2 hours drive from Kisoro or Kihihi Airstrip. Since the 20th century,  Buhoma has stood to be a good site for mountain gorilla trekking due to the many groups it holds. This a renowned destination for primate tracking due to its forests, the birds of Bwindi like the greenery of this sector.

  1. Mubare Gorilla Group

The Mubare Gorilla family is among the earlier families to be habituated in the Bwindi’s Buhoma sector. The family has been open to visitors for more than 30 years being seen in many wildlife films. Habituating the Mubare Gorilla family took about 3 years from 1991 to 1993. Mubare arises from the language of the local people around Bwindi which translates to “the place with many stones”. This was inspired by the initial witnesses of this family who found the gorillas resting in a place with many stones, thus Mubare.

On of the eminent members of the Mubare group is  Ruhondeza who was the first silverback in the family. Ruhondeza brought the different members together to form the gorilla family. During the trek, travelers can see the 9 members of Mubare including; male adults,  juveniles, and adult females. Some of the sightings of this  gorilla group were close to  Buhoma Park headquarters although they are fond of moving into the forests. Mubare Gorilla family is visible all year during the tours to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

  1. Habinyanja Gorilla Group

Habinyanja Gorilla family is found the Buhoma Sector of Bwindi Park. This family is prominent and of the many to see during the gorilla adventures. The family of Habinyanja is huge, comprising of 18 members to watch on your trek. Despite the marvels of witnessing this large group, the duration for trekking for Habinyanja is about 5 hours and sometimes the whole day is spent in Bwindi. Travelers may find less than 18 gorillas for Habinyanja due to aspects like births and deaths, that lead to new born and disappearance of members. Habinyanja is a water related name explaining the discovery of the group which was first spotted in a wetland. Due to migrations, new families have emerged from Habinyanja such as Rushengura group that visitors when you book a trip to Buhoma Sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

  1. Rushegura Gorilla Family

Rushegura is another large group of gorillas that has left many visitors wondering about the awe-inspiring experience of trekking its 16 members. This undoubtedly one of the most huge group to find in Bwindi. To locate the group, travelers have to visit the Buhoma sector and spent some hours hiking close to the Main offices. For those looking forward too doing a short trek, Rushegura is the group you will assigned to on your gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi. This newly formed group came from the Habinyanja.

  1. Katwe Gorilla Family

Bwindi has a lot exciting gorilla families found in the Buhoma sector namely; the Katwe Gorilla family. Since its commission in 2018, the group has been frequently visited by people from all over the world. The members of Katwe Gorilla group comprise of one silverback, 2 infants, 4 females and 3 males. Like other families, some members are likely to leave the group and join new families and others join from other sectors and areas. Book for a Gorilla permit in advance to avoid any inconvenience of travel.

Ruhija Sector

Visiting Ruhija Sector of Bwindi leads you to the Eastern part where many animal species are inhibiting in the dense vegetation. Ruhija is the home of lush montane forest and photogenic landscapes. Walking safaris are some of the exciting adventures unique to this sector of Bwindi. Although the sector is a good site for gorilla watching, birdlife is vibrant in Ruhija, bringing travelers close to rare birds in Uganda. When you book for a gorilla permit to Ruhija Sector, these are the  different habituated gorilla families  you can trek during your visit to Bwindi.

  1. Oruzogo gorilla family

Orugozogo is a great family in the Ruhija sector that has been key in attracting several visitors throughout the year. In its hugeness, Oruzogo reaches to about 22 members that will blow your mind when witness this group in the wild. One of the eye catching scenes about Oruzogo are energic babies that you can see playing throughout the time around the group. Since its habituation in 2011, the Oruzogo family has attracted hundreds of visitors who have been impressed by the life changing experience around this group in Bwindi. For those fit and can hike to Oruzogo, enjoy a one-in-a-time experience being around the gorillas of Ruhija in Bwindi.

  1. Kyaguriro Gorilla Family

Bwindi is blessed a wide range of gorilla families in its 4 sectors making it a must visit destination for primate admirers. In the Ruhija sector resides one of its popular family called Kyaguriro that extends to 20 members available for travelers to watch. The large family has hard historical moments which have shaped its current structure. Initially there was a large dominant male called Rukina that was in charge of  Kyaguriro and all it members. However, in around April 2018, the silverback was a victim of a lightening disaster that ended its life. This led to the division of the Kyaguriro family into two groups namely; Kyaguriro A & B available for trekking.

The Kyaguriro Gorilla family is also another large gorilla family in Ruhija with up to 20 members. Besides having a large number of individuals, this gorilla family is also renowned for its unique history. The Kyaguriro Gorilla Family is also known as the Kyaguriro A and B. Then the dominant Silverback  Rukina led this group however on 7th April 2018, this silverback lost its life as a result of lightening. After the demise of the experienced Rukina, a young male named Mukiza stepped into his shoes and became the new alpha name.

Unfortunately Mukiza did not rule over the 20 members in Kyaguriro for long as his predecessor Rukina. One day the group was attacked by an experienced silverback called Rukara that took some members to form Kyaguriro A. Rukara had been a member of Bitukura group that split the Kyaguriro group after the raid and Kyaruriro B was formed which is led by Mukiza. The raid happened in 2016 leaving the family separate to create Kyaguriro Family in two groups led by Rukara and Mukiza which travelers can see once they visit Ruhija sector.

  1. Bitukura Gorilla Family

The Bitukura Gorilla Family is a renowned group in Ruhija sector of Bwindi attracting a good number of trekkers annually. This group holds one of the shortest periods for habituation. Due to its fast learning and adaptation to human existence, it has considered among the “A” type students of gorilla habituation process. Unlike other groups that need at least 3 years, the Bitukura family took 15 months to get used to being among humans. During the visitation to the Ruhija sector, travelers can see the 15 members of Bitukura including juveniles, adult females and males.

This gorilla group earlier on hard about 24 gorillas but some of them joined other families leaving 15 individuals that trekkers can visit in Bwindi annually.

Rushaga Sector

Rushaga is the third sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park alongside the Ruhija and Buhoma sectors. The Rushaga sector is a fast growing area around Bwindi offers some of the best lodges and hotels in Uganda. The place is filled with a lot of eye catching scenes of mountain slopes and forested areas. Rushaga is definitely the place to find good hiking spots around Bwindi. The rich biodiversity around this sector brings visitors closer to the many birds found in Uganda.There are a number of habituated mountain gorilla families in Rushaga that you will be able to trek during your gorilla trekking tour to Bwindi.

If you are trekking from Rushaga, Rwanda is the nearby place to access the sector from where you land in Kigali and drive for about 5 hours reach Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. From this article you will learn about the Gorilla families in Rushaga that travelers can watch.

  1. Nshongi Gorilla Family

Nshongi Gorilla family is one of the main groups of the Rushaga Sector that is available for trekking. This group formerly belonged to Mweza  Gorilla group from where it disintegrated. Nshongi was very large at first consisting of 18 members in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Those who discovered Nshongi found the family at River Nshongi from which it derived its name. The family is fond of staying near the forests around the river area where travelers can appreciate the unique biodiversity of Bwindi.

  1. Mishaya Gorilla Family

While visiting Bwindi , the Rushaga sector offers the rare opportunity to witness the daily life of the members of the Mishaya Gorilla Family. Although this group is relatively small, visiting it is worthy it all looking at the how travelers react after being near the small group in Bwindi.

  1. Kahungye Gorilla Family

One of the best groups to encounter in Bwindi during the gorilla trekking tour to Uganda is the Kahungye Gorilla family in Rushaga. It was formed after it split from the eminent Busingye Gorilla group and travelers can watch it separately while on the trek. Travelers strated visiting Kahungye Gorilla Family in 2011 and it has been one of the most trekked families during the Uganda Gorilla Adventures. If you are organizing a trip to Bwindi for gorilla trekking, book with us to enjoy an amazing tour of a lifetime.

 Busingye Gorilla Family

Busingye Gorilla family is related to Kahungye group found in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi. This Busingye group formerly belonged to Kasusingye from where it broke off in about 2012. Travelers can find the Bushingye group in the forested parts of Rushaga where it has been living ever since its formation. While in Rushaga,  you can witness the 9 members of the family including the playful infants who bring incredible energy that attracts the attention of visitors. Are you excited about Bushingye? In case you are dying to visit this gorilla group, you can book your gorilla permit with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

  1. Bweza Gorilla Family

This is a small gorilla group that broke away from other big families in the Bwindi Forest. Bweza emerged after splitting from a bigger group and began living in the Rushaga Sector. Before it was part of Nshogi Gorilla family and later it become an independent group that can be trekked. During the primate tracking adventure, the 7 members are visible to visitors. If you want to take photos of Bweza Gorilla Family, book with us for Uganda Gorilla Safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Nkuringo Sector

The Nkuringo Sector is an iconic section of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park found in the south and is the heart of gorilla conservation in Uganda. The Uganda Holiday Tours here are filled with captivating encounters of birds and primates found in Bwindi. Walking tours are some of the most done activities to learn about the flora and fauna of the sector. Nkuringo sector is a good place to do your mountain gorilla trekking because of the many habituated groups you can find.

Nkuringo Gorilla Family

The Nkuringo family is found in the isolated parts of southern Bwindi in Uganda and adored for the photogenic places. The walk to find this group in the Nkuringo sector is one of the most difficult tracing adventures in Uganda’s Bwindi , the strong and physically fit trekkers are put to the challenge. Despite the challenges faced, the Nkuringo walk is always a success for visitors who love the experience and always ponder about the uniqueness of the world at Bwindi. For those seeking to do the Nkuringo trek, it is better to start the experience from Rwanda.

 Mgahinga Gorilla National Park -Habituated Gorilla Families in Mgahinga

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in the southwest of Uganda is an iconic place to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda. Despite the many habituated groups in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, some trekkers prefer to visit Mgahinga National Park for their gorilla trekking adventure in Uganda. while in Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park, visitors can see only one habituated gorilla family, the Nyakagezi Gorilla Family that is protected in this wilderness. Furthermore, there are two groups that are not yet habituated in the jungle of Mgahinga. During the Mgahinga tours there are exciting enocunters of the endangered golden monkeys seen alongside the gorillas.

Nyakagezi Gorilla Family

The Nyakagezi Gorilla family is the center of attraction for the visitors who go to the wilderness of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Unlike the many numbers in Bwindi, Mgahinga is the natural home of one  habituated group that is called the Nyakagezi family accessible for people. However the Nyakagezi group had a vice of moving to the nearby Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Virunga National Park in the D.R Congo but it returned and stayed in Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park where it has been living since 2012. The other group that is fond of crossing the interational borders is Rwanda’s Hirwa Gorilla Family that crossed in 2019 into Uganda in Mgahinga and spent about one full month and it later returned to its original home. Book for a remarkable gorilla trekking adventure with us and explore the homes of the endangered primates in Uganda.