Gorilla families of Uganda are spaced out in the different gorilla trekking sector and are ready for travelers to trek and enjoy the gorilla trekking experience. Gorillas are known as ground dwelling herbivorous apes that inhabit the forest of central sub-Saharan Africa and are divided into two subspecies i.e. eastern gorillas and western gorillas. They are the largest living primates on earth with highly similar DNA like that of human, ranging from 95 to 99 human genes.
The habituated gorilla families in Uganda inhabit Bwindi impenetrable forest and Mgahiga gorilla national park both home to more than half of the world’s total population of great apes. Both national parks are protected by Uganda wildlife Authority and they are UNESCO world heritage sites because of these endangered mountain gorillas. They have made Uganda safaris to be one of the most famous tourist packages in Africa.
Uganda hosts 11 gorilla families and these include Rushegura, Mubare, Habinyanja, Bitukura, Oruzogo, Nkuringo, Kahungye, Nshongi, Mishaya, Bwenza, Nyakagezi, and Busingye but there is only one group to research about known as Kyaguriro. All the 11 gorilla families in Uganda are distributed in four sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable forest such as Ruhiji, Nkuringo, Buhoma and Rushanga and the one sector in Mgahinga gorilla national park.
Bitukura gorilla family: This gorilla family is situated in the Ruhija sector, comprised of 13 individuals which learnt quickly and it took two years of habituation training of this and now it has been ready for visitors to visit for over 15 months. There are 14 members and a newborn arrived recently on the position. This gorilla group began in 2007 and it was opened for tourism in 2008. Bitukura group was initially comprised of 24 gorillas. In this gorilla family, there were disputes and even some gorillas would simply leave rather than fight.
Kyaguliro Gorilla family: This gorilla group is located in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest with a group size of 20 individuals. The group was habituated in 1995. To note it was a family that was not visited by tourists and during that time there were no permits sold out for the gorilla group. By that period it was stationed as a research group, studied by the German Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology. Unfortunately, the group went into sadness when the leader of the family was shocked with electric on April 7th 2015 and found dead it was named Rukina. After all this happening, the group was later led by an inexperienced young silverback Mukiza who was later surprised by an immigrating Adult silverback ‘Rukara’ from the Bitukura family. This has made the family split into 2 i.e. Kyaguliro A-Rukara family and B-Mukiza and that was May of 2016 to April 7th, 2015. The two other family members are situated deep in the forest and they do not venture out into the surrounding areas. The two groups, for example, Rukara collects 10individuals, 1 silverback, 2 blackbacks, 3 Adult females, 2 juveniles, 2 infants well as Mukiza is made up of 10 individuals which include,1 silverback, 4 adult females, 1subadult and 4infants.
Oruzogo gorilla group: The Oruzogo Gorilla family is one of the 11 Gorilla Families in Uganda and has the largest group of gorillas that can be trekked from the Ruhija sector of Bwindi Impenetrable forest. This group family started to receive visitors in 2011 and those who have so far visited this gorilla family have really enjoyed the most amazing experience in life. Oruzogo gorilla group has become popularly visited with a number of tourists not because of the big size of the group but because of the uniqueness of Juveniles in the group that attracts more to the visitors. The Oruzogo gorilla family is led by the prominent Barware which is composed of 1silverbacks, 2 blackbacks, 5 adult females, 2 sub-adult, 1 Juvenile, and 5 infants.
Mishaya Gorilla group: The Mishaya gorilla family, is one of the 11 gorilla families in Uganda and is found in Rushaga with a group size of about 12 family members led by Mishaya with 1 dominant silverback but the number of gorillas keeps on growing just like in our human families that the number can changing. Silverbacks can be combined with one or other females into their groups. The Mishaya Gorilla group is a breakaway group that was initially apart of the Nshongi Gorilla Family group. The leader of the Mishaya gorilla family is called Mishaya and he is a fighter, in few years ago the gorilla family was in a battle with another non habituated gorilla group and some members of the family were injured.
Kahungye Gorilla group: This gorilla family is another Rushaga group situated in Bwindi Impenetrable forest of Uganda. Kahungye gorilla group is big in number even after splitting themselves to create the new Busingye Gorilla group. The Kahungye Gorilla group is led by Rumanzi categorized of 17 individuals that include 3 silverbacks,3 blackbacks,3adult females,3 sub-adult,3 juveniles and 2 infants. Kahungye group was officially launched for tourism basically for gorilla trekking activity in 2011 after being habituated, a process that took over two years. The word Kahungye derives from a hill in the Rushaga area where the gorillas were located.
Busingye Gorilla Group: The Busingye gorilla group found in Rushaga area in Bwindi Impenetrable forest which was splintered from the Kahungye Gorilla Group, all happened in August of 2012.The group was made up of 9 members and some of them were 3 infants what is called a sub adult. The new group has created more excitement in internet convention since it is a new group opened for gorilla trekking.
Bweza Gorilla Group: The Bweza Gorilla Group is also located in Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest .The family is headed by the silverback named kakono and is comprised of 12 individuals including 4blackbacks,2 silverback,3 adult females,1sub adult and 2 infants. The group separated from the Nshongi family group because of too many fights that used to occur within the group at the end of 2013. Since the group lies in the southern direction of the park, Uganda wildlife Authority has provided more space available for the traveler who wishes to do gorilla trekking in this sector.
Nkuringo Gorilla family: The Nkuringo Gorilla family is one of the 11 gorilla families of Uganda and was the first family to be habituated in the entire southern sector of Bwindi in late 1997 and this has become the most sounding trek in Uganda .When you reach in here enough experience of gorilla trekking in a lifetime. This is the longest trek you can have in here where a 94-year-old woman in 2013 managed this trek and satisfying memorable experience in her life of sightseeing the gorillas in the wild. More so, she couldn’t make it go back at the lodge, porters had to carry her on a stretcher into the forest. Nkuringo gorilla group is headed by the silverback called Rafiki and the family is comprised of 12 individuals, 2 silverback,2 adult females, 1 blackback, 3 Juveniles, and 2 infants.
Mubare gorilla group: The mubare gorilla group sits in the Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable forest, which was the first gorilla group to be habituated in 1998 with a respectable group of 12 family members. When the leader died, Ruhondeza left behind only 5 family members. Since gorilla families are similar to those of human families with all kinds of aggressiveness. In early 2018 there was an increase of 11 members in Mubare family headed by the silverback Kanyonyi and there other 6 adult females,1 sub-Adult “teenager “and three infant’s toddlers. The easiest way of trekking with the Mubare group is to sleep in lodges closer to the Buhoma park headquarters but it can take 5 hours’ journey to trek the group. This is a big family that has been visited by thousands of tourists since 1991.
Nshongi Gorilla Family: Nshongi Gorilla Family is located in Rushaga with a group size of 26 individuals with 4 silverback but the family is led by the silverback Mishaya with 10 members. The name Nshogi was got from ‘Omushogi Gwoboki’ which means honey and the group was found after the river next to where the family was first seen. The family was officially opened for trekking in September 2009 for tourism. During that time the family was the most beautiful habituated group because of the large size of gorillas with over 36 individuals. It was well known that there were three silverbacks and seven black backs who lived in peace with others and did not make any danger for leadership.
Rushegura Gorilla Family: Rushegura gorilla Family is positioned in Buhoma with a group size of 19 individuals including 1 silverback, the name Rushegura means the place where the division of this group demarcated from the larger family of Habinyanja which took place as early in 2002. The separation of this family was led by Mwirima who left with seven members and begin with 12 individuals such as 5 females and his regard was to make a fully stable family. Years passed and the family increased from 12 to 19 individuals by April 2010. Over the 25 years age Mwirima has become the most leading silverback in his group and does not lose power during fights with other gorilla groups .they used to migrate to Congo one of the neighboring countries to Uganda but now they are no longer crossing to the other side and decided to enjoy the thick forest of Bwindi impenetrable forest.
Nyakagezi Gorilla Family: Nyakagezi gorilla family is the only family found in Mgahinga gorilla national park with a group number of 10 individuals comprised of 3 silver backs. The family is headed by mark, a silverback who prefers moving from one place to another crossing borders between Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda. In November 2012 they tried to come back to form Ugandan citizenship in Mgahinga gorilla national park and they stayed for a while. Here come 2013 when a new baby gorilla was born making up a total group of 10 members.
To be part of one of these gorilla families, all you need to do is to book your gorilla trekking permits from the park headquarter of Uganda wildlife Authority or by the help of the well-known tour operator to you and the cost of group permits is USD600 per person per day.
