Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Sectors

BWINDI GORILLA TREKKING SECTORS: There are four (04) designated Gorilla trekking Sectors in the Greater Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. These include;

• Buhoma Gorilla trekking sector.

• Ruhija Gorilla trekking sector.

• Rushaga Gorilla trekking sector.

• Nkuringo gorilla trekking sector.

BUHOMA GORILLA TREKKING SECTOR:

Buhoma sector was the first place in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park to be opened for mountain Gorilla trekking in 1993. Then there was only one habituated mountain gorilla group called Mubare. But as we write this article, the Buhoma region now boasts of six (05) Fully habituated mountain gorilla groups. The Malaya Gorilla family is still undergoing habituation which might bring the number of habituated mountain gorilla groups in the Buhoma region to six (06). Buhoma Region is the busiest gorilla trekking region and a favorite for many upmarket travelers seeking to trek Gorillas whilst staying at luxury lodges; Sanctuary’s Gorilla Forest Camp, Bwindi Lodge, or Buhoma Lodge.

Getting to Buhoma takes approximately 09 – 10hours by road from Entebbe or 1.5-hours by air from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi airfield. All flights from Entebbe or Kajjansi to Buhoma land at Kihihi Airstrip (40 km/25mi to Bwindi ) where you are picked up by a representative of the agency or tour company you booked your tour with.  The gorilla families that can be tracked in the Buhoma Region include; Mubare, Habinyanja, Rushegura, Katwe, Binyindo, and the recently commissioned Muyambi Gorilla group.

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The six (06) Fully Habituated Gorilla families In Buhoma Region

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#1.Mubare Gorilla Family 

The Mubare was the first habituated gorilla group to be commissioned for gorilla trekking on 13th/October/1993. This group of wild gorillas was first encountered at Mubare Hills from which they borrow a name. Habituation Of the mUbare gorilla group started in 1991 and lasted 02 years before they were officially opened to the public to trek in 1993 – this is when Gorilla trekking in Uganda Started!

Mubare Gorilla Family consisted of 12 family members, however, some members left and joined other gorilla groups, and at the time of death of the lead silverback Ruhondeza, there were only 5 loyal family members.

Some good news: In 2013 four (04) other gorillas joined the Mubare gorilla family and there are now nine (09) family members.

Trekking the Mubare group is very interesting and usually, the trek to see them often lasts just about 5-hours round-trip ( No guarantees).

When the Numbers of Members in the Mubare group dropped from the original 12 to six and then five ( after the death of Ruhondeza the Silverback) most gorilla tour operators and tourists declined to visit the group but this has over the years changed as the numbers have risen from 5 to 9 members due to new leadership from the new Silverback Kanyonyi who has taken charge of the group.

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#2.Habinyanja Gorilla Family  

The Habinyanja Gorilla Family was one of the earlier habituated groups in the Buhoma area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and over the years has had thousands of visitors from around the world that have spent an hour with them in the ancient forest.

It normally takes a full day – five hours or more to track the Habinyanja Gorilla Group.  Nevertheless, there are harder groups to track that take a bit more energy plus longer trekking hours.  Habinyanja family is a larger group of about 18 individuals – but such figures change as gorilla babies arrive, old members, die or move to another group, and other factors.

The group was first discovered near a swamp in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The name Habinyanja comes from the local name for water “Nyanja”

Gorilla Families just like Human families split at given times. For instance, the present-day  Rushegura family also found in the Buhoma sector split from the Habinyanja group some years back.  Today these two (02) gorilla families, including the Mubare Gorilla Families cross each others paths and the meetings are mostly peaceful in nature.

If you are interested in tracking the Habinyanja Gorilla Family, you need to plan to book a Buhoma sector gorilla permit which costs $700 per person. Browse our list of reputable gorilla tour Operators to assist you to book a gorilla permit, and also planning a gorilla safari to the Buhoma sector.

Related: Best Places to stay in Buhoma sector.

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#3.Rushegura Gorilla family

The Rushegura Gorilla Group is one of the largest habituated gorilla groups In Uganda with approximately sixteen (16) Individuals.  Tracking time for this group tends to be shorter in recent times since they have stayed around the park headquarters area.  This group at times ventures out of the park and we had a group on safari who had this group outside of their tent during the night until the next morning to their delight.  They were simply amazed! to say the least.

Learn more about the Rushegura Gorilla family

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#4.Katwe Gorilla family

Katwe gorilla family has a total of 9 members – comprised of 1 silverback, 2 adult females, 2 blackbucks, and 2 infants. The name Katwe was derived from a dominant hill in Bwindi impenetrable forest from where the initial habituation of this particular family took place.

Katwe is among the five (05) fully habituated mountain gorilla families found in Buhoma Region. Buhoma now boasts of having a total of 40 gorilla permits available on a daily – gorilla permits cost $700 per permit.

Learn more about the Katwe Gorilla family

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#5.Muyambi Gorilla Family – group is the latest addition to the list of habituated gorilla families in the popular Buhoma Region. The Mumbai gorilla family was birthed from a split of the habinyanja Gorilla family save for the known facts of the group size 4 individuals including 1 silverback – we are still generating information about this group.

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#6.Malaya Gorilla family – Group.

This gorilla family is still undergoing habituation and information about the number of members in the family is still scanty. We will update this page as soon as we have some information about the Malaya Gorilla Family in Buhoma Region.

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#7.Binyindo Gorilla family (No longer existent – the Family split)

Binyindo Gorilla family is the latest addition to the group of habituated gorilla families that can be tracked from the Buhoma sector. Binyindo gorilla Family consists of 06 members including one dominant silverback.

 For visitors looking to experience trekking a wild gorilla group might consider speaking to your guide to try (no guarantees) and book you on a trek to visit the Binyindo gorilla group – this family has just been opened for gorilla trekking and does exhibit interesting wild habits that you may never be able to find with other gorillas groups in Buhoma sector.

Learn more about How the Binyindo Gorilla family split.

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Best time to trek Gorillas in Buhoma sector

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Buhoma sector is open for gorilla trekking all year long, but the best times to go are from June to August and December to February. At these times, the forest trails are drier and therefore less challenging to navigate. Also, your chance of a dry gorilla tracking experience is higher during these months. This might result in a better experience and photography will be easier.

Learn more about the Best time to trek gorillas in Buhoma Region ( Northern Bwindi)

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Price of a Gorilla Permit in the Buhoma sector of Bwindi

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A Gorilla Permits in Buhoma sector cost;

• $700 per person for foreign Non Residents.
• $600 per person for Foreign Residents.
• UGX250,000 per person for East African Citizens (Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania).

RUHIJA GORILLA TREKKING SECTOR:

RUSHAGA GORILLA TREKKING SECTOR:

The Rushaga sector of greater Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park is situated further South. This sector is popular for its amazing gorilla population – it has the highest number of habituated mountain gorillas group in the entire Bwindi impenetrable forest National park, and it is also the place where one can do the Full Day Gorilla Habituation experience in Africa – there is nowhere else where this happens in Africa.

Rushaga sector of Bwindi Forest National park boasts of eight (08) habituated Mountain gorilla groups;

1. Nshongi Gorilla Family 
2. Mishaya Gorilla Family
3. Busingye Gorilla Family
4. Bweza Gorilla Family
5. Kahungye Gorilla Family
6. Bikingi Gorilla Family
7. Mucunguzi Gorilla Family
8. Rwiigi Gorilla Family.

#1.Nshongi Gorilla Family

Named after the Nshongi river where the group was first sighted, the Nshongi gorilla family is historically considered to have been the largest gorilla group in Bwindi with about 34 members, the group split to form the present-day Mishaya gorilla family and Bweza gorilla group in July 2010 and August 2013 respectively.

The Nshongi gorilla family is currently comprised of 08 individuals; 1 Silverback, 1 Blackback, 3 Adult females, 1 Sub-adults & 2 Infants. A total of 08 gorilla permits are available on a daily for individuals who want to visit the Nshongi gorilla family.

#2.Mishaya Gorilla family

The Mishaya Family was formed after a split of the large Nshongi gorilla family in July 2010 caused by inter-family fights. This group was led by the dominant silverback named Mishaya who unfortunately succumbed to a gastrointestinal complication on 3rd February 2014. The death of Mishaya left the family disintegrated later causing the group to split with most members getting assimilated into the Bweza group, while others opted to join the Bikingi Family. However, a fraction of the members simply wandered out of range, and for a while, Nobody (not even the researchers) knew where they went up until May 2018 when they re-appeared.  Their reappearance then triggered the researchers to embark on finding answers to the many questions that surrounded the disintegrated Mishaya Family only to find that the group was now under the new leadership of “Tinfayo”  a former member of the larger Nshongi gorilla family who split from the family in 2012.

Research then recommended Re-habilitation of the Mishaya group to ensure they were still exhibiting traits of being fully habituated and welcoming to tourists – a test that they passed so well. The Mishaya gorilla group is currently comprised of 10 members; 1 Silverback, 1 Blackback, 4 Adult females, 1 Sub-adult female & 3 infants.

The Mishaya group is now open for tourists to visit, and there is only 08 permits available on a daily. Its important to pre-book your slot indvance as these run out especially in the peak seaso months of June – August and December to February.

#3.Bweza Gorilla family

Bweza gorilla family was formed after Silverback Bweza opted to leave the larger Nshongi gorilla group in 2013. The family currently is comprised of eleven (11) members; 3 Silverbacks, 4 Adult females, 1 Juvenile & 3 Infants. The Bweza gorilla group’s traits of liking to keep close to the community whilst feeding on the bordering vegetation make it a favorite choice for travelers seeking a short and less strenuous gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi. The family is often found closer to the community than deeper in the forest. To further minimize human interference, an exceptional rule by UWA only permits six (06) tourists to trek the Bweza family – while the number Of tourists trekking other gorilla groups remains eight (08) per gorilla group.

#4.Busingye gorilla family

The present-day Busingye gorilla group emerged out of the Kahungye group which had undergone full habituation in 2008. Meaning that at the time Silverback Busingye lured other members to follow him during the split from Kahungye, all the members were habituated and didn’t have to go through the traditional 2 -3 year habituation process.

Busingye gorilla family currently is comprised of 12 members; 1 Silverback, 1 Black back, 5 Adult females, 3 Juveniles & 2 infants. The five (05) young playful members of the group (3 juveniles & 2 infants) make this group is the most entertaining group to visit in Bwindi (Rushaga sector).

#5.Kahungye gorilla family

The Kahungye gorilla family has quite an interesting story behind it. The silverback in the Kahungye gorilla group doesn’t like to share its females with any other – this has continuously caused the family to break off from the bigger family and start their own families.

Historically, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) initially started habituating the Kahungye group in 2008 and with 29 members at the time including; four (04) silverbacks – Riziika, Busingye, and Rwiigi that didn’t get along well. In 2012, silverback Busingye split and left with 19 individuals to form the current Busingye gorilla group. Eventually, Rwiigi also split with an unknown number of individuals to form the Rwiigi gorilla family.

Kahungye gorilla group member statistics still remain scanty at the time of writing this article.

#6.Bikingi Gorilla family

The present-day Biking gorilla group was previously led by the now-deceased Bikingi Silverback who died on 9th June 2018 after succumbing to wounds from a brutal fight with a solitary unnamed Silverback.  The brutal fight that led to the downfall and eventual death of Bikingi left the family disgruntled which caused some members to join other families. for instance, up to 07 members from the Bikingi family joined the Mchunguzi gorilla group. The whereabouts of the other members were still unknown up until UWA discovered that the violent unnamed silverback (bikingis’ murderer) had retained up to 09 members. Because the group was split and leadership had fallen into the hands of an unknown silverback, the UWA researchers decided that they subject the group to fresh habituation. This group is the group that people can visit for the Full day Gorilla habituation experience alongside UWA researchers.

#7. Mucunguzi gorilla family

Previously a member of the Bweza gorilla family, silverback Mucunguzi during his stay in the Bweza family where he was third in command attempted to challenge the leadership of the dominant silverback Bweza whose only choice was to chase Mucunguzi out of his family. Mucunguzi then wandered out into the Bwindi forest and lived a solitary life for quite a while up until Mucunguzi decided that the only move to end his loneliness was to attack and capture members of any group he found. Mucunguzu then attacked the Bikingi gorilla family and successfully managed to snatch quite a few females to start his own group named the Mucunguzi gorilla family.

The Mucunguzi gorilla family is currently comprised of 12 members;

#8.Rwiigi gorilla Family

The Rwiigi gorilla family was formed after a split of the already habituated Kahugye gorilla group. The six (06) individuals that left the Kahugye gorilla group were all fully habituated and therefore did not need and further habituation but the UWA team continues to keep tabs on it just so they monitor its behaviors to ensure it’s still safe for tourists track.

The Rwiigi gorilla group is currently comprised of 10 members; 1 Silverback, 5 Adult Females, 2 Juveniles & 2 Infants.

NKURINGO GORILLA TREKKING SECTOR:

The Nkuringo sector is located in the southwestern part of Bwindi impenetrable National Park. This sector was the second to be commissioned for gorilla trekking (after buhoma sector in 1993) in 2004. The Nkuringo sector currently has three (03) habituated gorilla groups. These include;

1. Nkuringo Gorilla Family
2. Bushaho Gorilla Family 
3. Christmas Gorilla Family
4. Posho Gorilla Family (still undergoing the Habituation Process)

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The four (04) Habituated gorilla groups in the Nkuringo Sector of Bwindi

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#1.Nkuringo Gorilla family

This group was officially commissioned for gorilla trekking in April 2004 – just after the group had undergone and completed a 2 -3 years habituation process. The group was led by a silverback named Nkuringo who led the group from 2008 up until his death at the age of 50 years. Silverback safari then assumed power and led the Nkuringo gorilla group for quite a while up until he had a brutal encounter with another gorilla group called Bushaho that he mysteriously disappeared without a trace (up until today).

Rafiki whose name means “friend” in the Swahili language then took over the fatherly role of leading the Nkuringo gorilla family. Rafiki up until his death in June 2020 led this family in the most amazing way, going against the odds by occasionally allowing the previous member to visit the Family at their will – something very un-usual. Rafiki at the time of his death was believed to be 25 years and had led the Nkuringo gorilla family for 12 years. During his reign, The Nkuringo Family birthed two (02) other families; the Chrismas gorilla family, and Posho gorilla family  Both situated within the Nkuringo sector. At the time of Rafiki’s death, he left behind four (04) brothers – Blackback Kamara, Muhoozi, Tabu, and Rwamutwe who each wanted to take up the topmost office of “dominant Silverback”. Of the four (04) brothers, Rwamutwe managed to beat all three thus making him the next leader of the Nkuringo gorilla family.

• A black back is a fully mature gorilla of about 11 years of maturity but hasn’t any silver hair on its back yet – hence the name “blackback”.
• Rwamutwe – whose name means “big-headed” in the local dialect.

The Nkuringo gorilla family is currently compromised of 12 Members; 04 Male Blackbacks, 04 Adult Females & 04 Infants.

#2. Bushaho Gorilla family

The Bushaho gorilla groups were the second habituated Gorilla family to be opened (after the Nkuringo gorilla family) for gorilla trekking in the far-flung Nkuringo Sector. The group is currently led by a silverback named Bahati who is believed to have been a member of the Nkuringo gorilla family but left after the death of silverback Nkuringo. Bahati is believed to have left the Nkuringo gorilla group with a couple of other individuals under his lead and run a family comprising of other wild and unhabituated individuals. UWA picked interest and immediately launch a follow-up study on Bahati and his group. The group was later subjected to the habituation process which saw it become the next habituated gorilla group open for tourists to visit in the Nkuringo sector.

The Bushaho gorilla family is currently comprised of 12 individuals; 1 Silverback, 1 Blackback, 5 Adult Females, 1 Sud-adult Female, 2 Juveniles, & 2 Infants.

#3.Christmas gorilla family

This was the third habituated gorilla group to be commissioned for trekking in the Nkuringo sector. The group gets its name from the silverback Christmas who was born on Christmas day.

At the time of formation of the Christmas gorilla group, all individuals in the group were already habituated and didn’t need to undergo the 2 -3 habituation process. However, there were an additional two (02) wild and unhabituated gorilla’s mother and its kid that joined the Christmas group. This mother and child have easily taken on the behavior of the rest of the habituated members but like to keep at the back of others because they are not too sure they can trust man yet.

The Christmas gorilla family is currently comprised of six (06) individuals; 1 Silverback, 2 Adult Females, 1 Sub-adult Female & 2 Juveniles.

#4.Posho gorilla family

Comprised of 14 members under the leadership of silverback Magara, the posho gorilla group in the Nkuringo sector is still undergoing the mandatory habituation process, and might soon be available for the full day Gorilla habituation experience.