Bwindi mountain gorilla families are the different groups of gorillas which can be seen in Bwindi national park. The national park is a popular tourist destination and Bwindi national park is located in the south western part of Uganda. Bwindi national park has 4 sectors where gorillas can be seen and they include Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo and Ruhija sector.
Bwindi national park is also home to half the worlds population of gorillas. Each of the gorilla groups found in the national park are headed by a dominant silverback.
Each of the sectors of Bwindi national park is home to gorilla groups which are habituated and can be visited by tourists. These sectors are in different parts of the national park as follows Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south, Ruhija in the east and Buhoma in the north.
Bwindi national park has 21 habituated gorilla groups and Rushaga sector is said to have the biggest number of gorilla families in the national park. For each habituated gorilla group, 8 gorilla permits are issued a day.
Gorilla families in Rushaga
Rushaga sector in the southern part of Bwindi national park and the gorilla trekking families in this sector include Nshongi, Kahungye, Bweza, Busingye and also Mishaya.
- Nshongi family in Bwindi national park was named after their first sighting by the River Nshongi. This gorilla family consisted of about 36 individuals which later divided into a group which was formed by Mishaya and also the Bweza family. Nshongi family is said to be one of the easiest to track when visiting Bwindi and the trail to see this gorilla family starts from the Rushaga trail head.
- Kahungye family consist of about 29 individuals and is headed by a silverback called Ruziika. This group later spilt and Busingye group was formed around 2012 leaving Kahungye with about 25 individuals.
- Bweza family was part of the Nshongi family and it consists of about 12 individuals. This group keeps growing in number as a result of the recent births in the family and is now made up of 13 individuals.
- Busingye family is the newest gorilla family and it was formed after splitting from the Kahungye group. This gorilla family consists of about 9 individuals and is led by 1 silverback.
- Mishaya is another gorilla family in Rushaga sector in Bwindi national park and it consists of 7 individuals. This group is also led by 1 silverback.
Gorilla families in Buhoma
Buhoma is a sector of Bwindi national park which is found in the northern part of the national park and the gorilla families in this sector include Habiyanja, Mubare, Rushegura.
Over the years the families in this sector increased and 2 more groups were added including Muyambi and Katwe.
- Habiyanja family is among the 1st habituated gorilla families in Buhoma sector in Bwindi national park and it is made up of about 12 individuals and is led by a silverback called Makara.
- Mubare family is among the oldest gorilla families in Buhoma sector to be habituated in Bwindi national park and it consists of about 9 individuals and is led by 1 silverback.
Buhoma Sector - Rushegura family separated from the Habiyanja group and it consists of about 19 members led by a silverback named kabukojo. This family was named after a tree species in the national park known as ebishegura and this family sometimes moves close to the park headquarters and also the gardens in the neighboring communities.
- Muyambi family was part of the Mubare gorilla family and it consists of about 6 members and is among the newest gorilla families in the Buhoma sector of Bwindi national park.
- Katwe is another gorilla family in Buhoma in Bwindi national park and it is made up of 1 dominant silverback and about 9 individuals. It is also among the newest gorilla groups in the national park.
Gorilla families in Ruhija
Ruhija sector is found in the eastern part of Bwindi national park and the gorilla families in this sector include Oruzogo, Bitukura, Kyaguriro.
- Oruzogo family in Ruhija consists of about 10 individuals and is led by 1 dominant silverback. This group feeds on a particular plant in the national park locally known as oruzogo which its name originates from, Bwindi mountain gorilla families.
- Bitukura family was named after river Bitukura which was the location for its first sighting in Bwindi national park. This gorilla family consists of 13 individuals including adult females and males, juveniles and infants.
- Kyaguriro family was led by a silverback named Zeus and split into Kyaguriro A and Kyaguriro B.
Gorilla families in Nkuringo
Nkuringo sector is also found in the southern part of Bwindi national park and the gorilla families in this sector are 3 in number. They include Nkuringo gorilla family which has 14 members with 1 dominant silverback.
The gorilla families and individuals in the different sectors of Bwindi national park keep changing overtime and the numbers also alternate as a result of many factors.
Visit Bwindi national park and enjoy an experience of seeing gorillas in an impenetrable forest.