Gorilla families in Uganda: As of 2021, a total of about 21 habituated gorilla families in Uganda are open for gorilla trekking. Of the 21 habituated families, 20 groups exist in the dense tropical rainforest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) and they are always trekked in the park’s 4 regions-Rushaga, Nkuringo, Buhoma and Ruhija. The 21st gorilla family in Uganda lives in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, the only group that is so far open for gorilla trekking in this park.
Gorilla families & sectors in Uganda
Buhoma region in the North
Buhoma gorilla trekking region is comprised of 4 gorilla families representing 32 gorilla permits. The habituated gorilla families in Buhoma trailhead/sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include;
Mubare group family-Mubare takes its name from Mubare Hills where it was initially sighted by trackers in Bwindi National Park. Mubare is the oldest habituated family of mountain gorillas in Uganda, it underwent through habituation and only 8 visitors can trek this group each day. In 1993, Mubare was ready for gorilla trekking.
Habinyanja gorilla family-popularly known as the H-Group is another significant habituated gorilla family in Buhoma sector. It is a habituated family with more than 30 gorillas and it can take you at least 5 hours more or less to have a complete trek to see Habinyanja gorilla group. Due to continued splits a normal behavior in the gorilla habitat, there are now 18 members in Habinyanja group alone.
Rushegura gorilla group-this broke off from Habinyanja gorilla family and currently boasts of 20 mountain gorillas under the leadership of Mwirima silverback gorilla.
Katwe group-a newly created family of Bwindi and presently has 9 mountain gorilla members led by Katwe silverback gorilla.
Ruhija sector/trailhead-Eastern sector
Ruhija like Buhoma has 4 families of mountain gorillas translating into 32 gorilla permits each booked at USD700.
Bitukura gorilla group-compared to the rest of the gorilla families, Bitukura only took one and half years then it was ready for gorilla trekking. This was habituated in 2008 with 13 group members under the leadership of Ndahura silverback.
Oruzogo family- an amazing gorilla group in Bwindi that underwent through habituation in 2011 with 22 individuals, 2 silverbacks. Tibirikwata silverback is the leader of the Oruzogo.
Kyaguriro gorilla family-a group with 9 individuals under Rukina silverback leadership.
Mukiza/Kyaguriro B-a newly habituated family that broke off from Kyaguriro and it is currently made of 15 members. The group is headed by Mukiza silverback gorilla.
Rushaga region/trailhead
9 habituated families are available for gorilla trekking in Rushaga trailhead in the Southern Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. These translate into about 72 gorilla permits. The gorilla groups in Rushaga-Bwindi include;
Mishaya gorilla group-this group left Nshongi in 2010 with 10 individuals led by Mishaya silverback gorilla. Mishaya unfortunately passed on in 2014 but the group is presently composed of 12 members.
Nshongi group-Nshongi opened for mountain gorilla trekking in 2009 and when it was officially launched for gorilla tourism, it was comprised of 36 mountain gorillas. Due to splits including effects of break off by Mukiza, the group was left with 26 members.
Busingye gorilla group-Busingye group of Rushaga was habituated in 2012 and initially, it had 9 mountain gorilla members,
Bweza group family-this has 12 mountain gorilla members and it split from Nshongi group. It was opened for trekking after 2 years after it split off in 2013.
Kahungye-this notably the biggest gorilla group of Rushaga with about 27 mountain gorilla members. It is named after the Hill where it was originally sighted from by the park trackers/researchers and in 2011, it was opened for visitors to trek.
Bikingi gorilla group-habituation of Bikingi family began in 2012 and it is one special group that was designated for gorilla habituation experience before officially opening it for gorilla trekking. Bikingi has a composition of 15 members.
Mucunguzi gorilla group-this is one of the 9 gorilla families Rushaga sector is popular for. It takes its name from the local word Mucunguzi which is translated as savior and it also split from Bweza gorilla family. Presently, the group has a composition of up to 8 members and it is without doubt an interesting family to interact with while on gorilla safari in Bwindi National Park.
Rwigi gorilla group-this group split from Kahungye group and presently has 6 individuals. Rwigi is led by Rwigi silverback gorilla of Rushaga region/trailhead in Bwindi.
Kutu gorilla family-this is an interesting gorilla group set for habituation experience in Bwindi and it can be explored while you are in Rushaga region in the South. It has composition 8 mountain gorillas and led by one silverback gorilla.
Nkuringo region/trailhead
Nkuringo trailhead is another significant Southern sector worth exploring while on gorilla safari in Bwindi National Park. The trailhead is comprised of 3 families which is about 24 gorilla permits.
Bushaho gorilla family-initially, Bushaho was visited mainly visitors on gorilla habituation experience tour in Bwindi National Park. It is now open for gorilla trekking in Nkuringo trailhead in the Southern Bwindi. The group is headed by Bahati silverback.
Nkuringo group-This group was originally led by Rafiki silverback though he was killed in 2020, The group is made of 12 individuals and they are led by Rwamutwe black back gorilla. Trekking through Nkuringo family is amazing and thrilling especially if you are looking for the most challenging gorilla treks while on gorilla safaris in Uganda.
Christmas gorilla family group-a newly created gorilla group with 6 individuals and led by brother of Rafiki silverback that was killed in 2020. Christmas and Katwe groups were all opened for tracking at the same period and if you are looking for new gorilla trekking experiences, these are the 2 groups you should expect to pay a visit.
Ntebeko trailhead-Mgahinga National Park
Nyakagezi group-this is the only habituated gorilla family that is open for trekking from Ntebeko trailhead of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Initially, trekking to view Nyakagezi gorilla family was challenging because it used to move up to D.R. Congo borders but interestingly, it has settled in Mgahinga.