Gorilla Families in Volcanoes National Park: Mountain gorillas can be found in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, which is located within the Virunga mountain ranges and is home to the endangered species. Mt. Karisimbi or Mt. Bisoke, both neighboring the park are popular destinations for hiking tours.
Volcanoes National Park is home to over 380 gorillas, which are part of the country's 12 fully habituated gorilla families. During gorilla tours, gorilla families are assigned based on tourists' preferences, age and overall level of fitness, because some gorilla groups live deep in the forest at higher altitudes, requiring longer tracking hours.
Gorilla tracking permits cost $1500 per person since mountain gorillas are one of Rwanda's most prized tourist attractions.
There are currently 12 gorilla family groups spread across the park and these include Amahoro, Umubano, Susa, Karisimbi, Sabyinyo,Agashya, Kwintonda, Hirwa, Ugyenda, Bwenge, Muhoza and Igisha.
Mt Sabyinyo Volcano, on whose slopes they reside, is where the group gets its name. Led by a strong silverback, Guhonda who weighs 220 kg and probably the park's heaviest silverback. The group is simple to detect because they camp around and close to the park's border it includes playful young gorillas and they are currently 18 members.
This is the group that zoologist Dian Fossey observed during her studies; it attracted attention after it gave birth to twin gorillas, Impano and Byishimo, a rather rare occurrence. Its name was inspired by the nearby river"susa." Before the conflict that caused the gorilla group to split into two, it had 42 members. This gorilla family is the most challenging to trek to because they frequently live at high altitudes in the mountains. Park guards are always aware of their location, but on days when they stray too far, visitors might not be permitted admission. This gorilla group is full of energy and entertaining to watch thanks to the well-known and active young twins Byishimo and Impano.
Umubano translates as "living together." The Umubano group was once part of the Amahoro family until Charles, the leader, rebelled against Ubumbwe, the Amahoro's dominant silverback. As he grew older, he began to challenge the peaceful Amahoro group leader. After years of conflict with Ubumbwe, Charles decided to leave with some female Amahoro members to start his own. Despite their feud, the gorilla family of 11 individuals with 6 children lives peacefully near the Amahoro family. Many tourists visit this gorilla group because of the ease with which they can be reached and the group's distinct personality.
This group was initially known as "Group 13," under the leadership of Nyakarima before Agashya challenged him to a notorious fight that allowed him to flee with the family to the top of the volcano. Researchers studying gorillas were the first to notice this total takeover. Agashya continued growing his family by recruiting members from other groups and taking in loners after getting away from Nyakarima. it stays near Sabinyo family. Agashya organizes the group's members whenever he senses trouble is and heads to his preferred refuge on top of the volcano. The gorilla group can be challenging to locate as a result. From 10 individuals, the group has now increased to roughly 25.
Amahoro, which in the Kinyarwanda translates as "peace," was given this name because of the remarkable and kind nature that the dominant silverback exhibited. It is led by Ubumbwe and has 21 members. Even after losing a few group members to Charles, another silverback who was once a part of the group, he is still serene. Charles formed the Umubano group by snatching some women and taking advantage of Ubumbwe's composure. The Amahoro gorilla family resides on Mount Bisoke's slopes. Visitors adore this group due to the youngsters and tranquility of the group, despite the steep hill required to approach them.
The Igisha family is led by the dominant Silverback Igisha who split off from the original Susa on November 30, 2014, and with 23 other individuals, he founded a new gorilla group that would later bear his name. The Igisha group consists of five Silverbacks, nine adult females, one Blackback, three adolescents, two sub-adult males, and eight newborns.
There are 15 members in this gorilla family, which is often located on Karisimbi's slopes. After a protracted feud, this gorilla family broke away from Susa, earning the name Susa-B or, more popularly, Karisimbi. It is challenging to track this gorilla troop, and tracking attempts may be postponed if they move too far on a given day. In order to confirm the position of the gorilla family, the trackers typically travel ahead of the tourists. They then communicate this information to colleagues who are leading the tourists. If you are in excellent physical condition and can manage the arduous climb up the Karisimbi volcano slopes, be prepared to be rewarded with breathtaking views that will make the entire trip worthwhile.
This troop of gorillas, led by Kwitonda, the "humble" one in Kinyarwanda, originated from gorilla groups in the Congo. Because they tend to travel across large areas and dwell close to Mount Muhabura's slopes, tracking them s challenging and interesting at the same time. They are 18 members, including two silverbacks.
The Sabyinyo family and several members of Group 13 got together to form their own group, which is why this is a relatively new group. They live on Mount Sabyinyo's slopes, where they are guarded by a dominating silverback. The group was fortunate to have additional people join them freely, which is why the name Hirwa, which means "lucky one," was chosen. Observed in 2006, this uncommon group now consists of 16 individuals, including twins.
The movie "Gorillas in the Mist" included a few members of this gorilla family. Bwenge, the dominant silverback, started the group in 2007 after quitting his family group and enlisting the help of females from other groups. There are 11 members in the family, but getting to them is challenging because they live on a muddy, steep hill on the Karisoke Volcano's slopes. The word "wisdom" is bwenge. Bwenge means wisdom.
The Ugenda group, which has 11 members and includes 2 silverbacks, it resides in the Karisimbi region. Ugenda, which in Kinyarwanda means "being on the move," was used to describe the group's nomadic lifestyle. On some days, tracking them might be particularly challenging due to their propensity to wander.
A dominating silverback named Muhoza formed his own group in December 2016 with seven family members. Later, he added two adult females from Hirwa's group. There are currently 8 adult females, 5 infants, and 1 silverback among its 14 members. Now that you have an idea about the different mountain gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park, Book your Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari and create a signature of memories.
