Buhoma is where Gorilla trekking in Uganda Started out in 1993. There are currently five (05) fully habituated Gorilla families In Buhoma Region open for tourists to visit after securing a Gorilla Trekking Permit for $700 per person. Buhoma is still the consider one of the Best Places to trek Gorillas in Uganda. Enjoy this 5 minutes read about the Habituated Gorilla Families In Buhoma Region. This article was updated: 26/12/2021.
Bwindi Forest National park has four (04) Gorilla trekking Regions – Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo Regions. Each of the above-mentioned Gorilla Trekking Regions In Bwindi Forest offers a varied gorilla Trekking Experience based on the nature of the terrain you are going to trek through, the number Of gorilla family groups available for trekking, and finally the number of individual members per Gorilla family group.
Buhoma Gorilla trekking Region boasts of being the first place in Bwindi Forest where mountain gorilla Safaris in Uganda started out in April 1993.
Buhoma has There are five (05) Habituated Gorilla Families in Buhoma; Mubare, Habinyanja, Rushegura, Muyambi & Katwe gorilla groups open for Gorilla trekking In Buhoma Region.
Habituated Gorilla groups in Buhoma Region (Northern Bwindi).
#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.
#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 region 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 Region Gorilla trekking permit which costs $700 per person. Realm Africa Safaris™ can assist you to book a gorilla permit, and also planning a gorilla safari to Buhoma Region.
Related: Best Places to stay in Buhoma Region.
#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
#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
#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.
Only up to a maximum of 08 tourists can visit/trek/see a particular gorilla group on a daily. From the five (05) habituated Gorilla families mentioned above, the number of gorilla permits available in Buhoma Region on a daily is forty (40).
You Might Also Want to know this….
- Malaya Gorilla family – Group. (Not yet open for Trekking)
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.
- 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 Region. 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 Region.
Learn more about How the Binyindo Gorilla family split.
