Gorilla Groups

With over 500 mountain gorillas that thrive in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, Uganda is undoubtedly one of the incredible destinations that you should visit while on safari in Africa.

Of the 1000 mountain gorillas still thriving on earth, Uganda protects half, while the rest are shared between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. About 36 gorilla groups are found within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, but about 20 are available for gorilla tourism, and one is only tracked in Mgahinga National Park. In Bwindi National Park, there are four tracking sectors (Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo, and Ruhija), each with habituated families.

Below is a list of some gorilla groups in Uganda

This is the oldest gorilla group and the first to be habituated in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. It derives its name from the Mubare hills and is situated within the Buhoma area of Bwindi National Park. It is headed by Kanyonyi silverback. Habituation of the family began in October 1991 under the guidance of well-trained experts from the Uganda Wildlife Authority and lasted 2 (two) years. It was established around 1998.

During habituation, the group featured 18 members under the leadership of Ruhondeza. The silverback encountered many misfortunes, leading to a decrease in the group’s size. The group has recently increased to 9 members under the leadership of Kanyonyi. The Mubare gorilla family is the most accessible in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and is the most sought-after group by most trekkers on safari in Uganda.

This is a splitter group from the Nshongi family in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The group is led by silverback gorilla Bweza, which split from the Nshongi gorilla group. Gorilla trekking has been taking place in this group for more than 2 years. This group has seven members, including one silverback.

The Habinyanja family is located within the Buhoma sector. The group derived its name from the word Nyanja, which means “body of water,” referring to the swamp in Bwindi National Park. The family members are concentrated on the Northern side of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Habituation of this group began in 1997 under the Mugurusi silverback, whose name means ‘old man’. Mugurusi died afterwards, and his leadership was succeeded by Rwansigazi and Mwirima. The two male gorillas ruled together, but their leadership styles differed, leading to a split in the group.

To avoid any fights, the family decided to break up harmoniously in 2002. The troop that remained with Rwansigazi to date has the identity of Habinyanja, while the other group members who chose Mwirima’s leadership style stayed at Rushegura to form the current Rushegura family.

This group comprises 18 members, including 2 silverbacks and several juveniles. Tracking through this group takes about 3 to 8 hours, and visitors who wish to realize their dreams in this group are advised to spend a night in lodges in the Buhoma region.

Bitukura derived its name from the river where it was first sighted, when it comprised 24 members. This group can be tracked within the Ruhija sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The family’s habituation process started in July 2007 and ended in October 2008, making it the shortest habituation period compared to the full 2 years of a normal habituation process. The family is not led by the oldest silverback, but by Ndahura, the second-youngest of 3 silverbacks in the family. This group comes with 14 members.

Busingye Group derived its name from Busingye Silverback, situated in the Rushaga area of Bwindi National Park. The word Busingye means peace. The silverback gorilla Busingye is known for fighting, and in 2012, he split off from the Kahungye group, taking 7 members with him. He is known for grabbing other females from other gorilla families. The group comprises 9 members.

Kahungye was named after Kahungye Hill. The group can be tracked within the Rushaga area. It was set for tourism in October 2011. It comprised 27 individuals, with 3 of the strongest silverback gorillas. But the disgruntled Busingye broke off with many members. The group is currently led by Rwigi, whose name means ‘door’. It is open for tracking throughout the year.

This group is mainly for research, but when the rest of the groups are full, visitors can visit Kyaguriro for gorilla trekking. It was first habituated in 1999 and has since been studied by the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology. The group features many silverbacks, right from its first silverback, Zeus, who was banished into the forest by Rukina, where he finally passed on. He was succeeded by the next silverback, Rukara, who heads the 15-member group. The group can be seen along the Northeastern border, west of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, in the Ruhijha sector.

The Mishaya family derived its name from the first silverback Mishaya. Mishaya happened to be the first to set off the fight in the Nshongi group at a time, and walked away with 10 members in July 2010. He acted like a Bweza silverback, split off from the Nshongi family within 2 years, and formed his own group. He died in February 2014. The group now features 12 members, all of whom can be tracked in the Rushaga region while on safari in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The group is headed by Mwiine silverback.

If you are looking for the most breathtaking gorilla adventures, then look no further than the Nkuringo family. Hiking through the thick vegetation of Bwindi to look for this is strenuous but rewards visitors with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The group derived its name from the Nkuringo sector, which in Rukiga means ‘ round hill’. Its habituation ended in 2004, and Nkuringo passed away 4 years later. He left 2 sons: Rafiki. The group is credited for its playful baby twins, Muhozi and Katungi, but unfortunately, Katungi passed on afterwards. The group comprises 19 members with 2 silverbacks.

Nshongi gorilla family lies within the Rushaga area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, and it is headed by Nshongi silverback gorilla. This family derived its name from the adjacent stream, Omushongi gwoboki, which means ‘honey’. The Nshongi group was established for tourism in September 2009 and was among the largest gorilla troops in Bwindi, with 36 members.

Splits started around July 2010 when Mishaya split off and took about 10 members to form its own group. And after 2 years, another silverback, Bweza, also left with some members to form its own group. The group currently consists of 26 individuals. Tracking through this family offers exceptional views of forest birds, primates, and butterflies.

The Oruzogo gorilla family was set for tracking on 20th June 2011. The group comprises 23 members, with Tibirikwata as their leader. The group has continued to thrive, with the birth of Musi’s and Ntamurungi’s babies in 2011 and Kakoba’s twins in March 2012. The juveniles in the group have always kept the visitors entertained with their playful behavior. The Oruzogo group can be tracked in the Ruhija area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

The Rushegura troop split from the Habinyanja family, and it can be tracked in Buhoma region of Bwindi National Park. The group is led by Mwirima, the silverback gorilla. The Rushegura family derived its name from two brothers who broke off to form their own groups. It is one of Bwindi’s most friendly gorilla families, thanks to its calm, harmonious leader. The Rushegura group comprises 19 individuals, including one silverback. It began with 12 members, including 5 females.

The Nyakagezi group is the only habituated gorilla group in Mgahinga National Park, with 10 members. It was known for its migratory behavior, during which it used to wander between the Virunga National Park and the Volcanoes National Park. However, this group is currently settled within Mgahinga National Park.

The Nyakagezi group is headed by Bugingo silverback. Bugingo silverback is the father of several gorillas in the Nyakagezi troop. Currently, Mark heads the group that comes with 2 other silverbacks, his brother Mathew and Mafia, juveniles known as Furaha and Nkanda, females known as Nyiramwiza and Nshuti, as well as the 2 black backs of Ndungutse and Rukundo. Gorilla permits for this group can be obtained from the Uganda Wildlife Authority offices in Kisoro.

Other gorilla groups include Mukiza, Christmas, Bikingi, and Bushaho.

In conclusion, Uganda has the highest number of gorilla families among gorilla destinations. While on a gorilla safari, visitors are assigned to only one habituated gorilla family, with a group of eight people.

Note that the composition of gorilla families keeps changing, and you will be updated on any changes. Each group offers a distinct experience, and it’s worth visiting at least 2 families.