How many habituated Gorilla groups are in Bwindi Forest? – Bwindi has 18 Habituated mountain gorilla groups – Which can only be tracked by 8 tourists per group per day.
How many habituated Gorilla groups are in Bwindi Forest? – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has the highest number of gorilla groups among the Mountain Gorilla National Parks. Bwindi forest is situated in South-Western Uganda at the extreme Rift Valley and its sites on an area of about 327 km² on the edge of the western Great Rift Valley neighboring the Democratic Republic of Congo border.
Bwindi Forest National Park has 18 habituated guerilla groups ready for trekking and on daily basis, 8 visitors are allocated to trek a single gorilla group in the four gorilla trekking sectors/regions of Bwindi forest. The four gorilla trekking starting points are known as Buhoma Region, Ruhija region, Rushaga region, and Nkuringo region all sectors are open to receive visitors every day.
List of Habituated gorilla families in Bwindi Forest
- Mubare Gorilla Family
Mubare gorilla family is located in the Buhoma sector and is the oldest habituated gorilla family in Uganda with 9 members including 1 silverback as head of the group, and was fully habituated in 1991.
- Habinyanja Gorilla Family
Habinyanja gorilla family is located in the Buhoma sector with 18 members including 2 silverbacks and was fully habituated in 1997.
- Rushegura Gorilla Family
Rushegura gorilla family is located in the Buhoma sector with 19 members including 1 silverback. Rushegura Gorilla Family was formed in 2002 with Mwirima silverback.
- Katwe gorilla family
Katwe gorilla family is located in the Buhoma sector and is the newest family in the Buhoma region on the northern side of Bwindi with 7 members family with one dominant silverback.
- Nkuringo Gorilla Family
Nkuringo Gorilla group is located in the Nkuringo area with 19 members including 2 silverbacks. The group is led by one Silverback Nkuringo who died in April 2008, leaving behind 2 Silverbacks.
- Bushaho gorilla family
The Bushaho gorilla family is located in the southern sector of the Nkuringo area with 8 members including 1 silverback known as Bahati.
- Bitukura Gorilla Family
Bitukura Gorilla Family is located in the Ruhija area with 14 members including 4 silverbacks the habituation process started in 2007 though it took over 15 months before it was fully habituated.
- Mishaya Gorilla Family
Mishaya Gorilla Family is located in the Rushaga area with 7 members including 1 Silverback with one silverback (Mishaya) who is the only adult in the group.
- Oruzogo Gorilla Family
Oruzogo gorilla group is located in Ruhija Sector with 23 members including 1 silverback and was habituated for trekking in 2011.
- Nshongi Gorilla Family
Nshongi Gorilla group is located in the Rushaga area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park with 18 members and it was officially launched for trekking on 26th September 2009.
- Kahungye Gorilla Family
Kahungye Gorilla group is located in the Rushaga area with 13 members with 3 silverbacks which are the only ones named. The dominant Silverback is called Rumansi and the group was opened for travelers in gorilla tracking in 2011.
- Bweza Gorilla Family
Bweza Gorilla group is located in the Rushaga sector with 9 individuals including 1 silverback known as Bweza. Bweza split out from the Nshongi family where it started its group.
- Busingye Gorilla Family
Busingye Gorilla Family is located in Rushaga with 9 members including 1 silverback and is the newest group to break away from the Kahungye family in June 2012.
- Kyaguriro Gorilla family
Kyaguriro Gorilla group is located in Ruhija with 20 individuals who feature a fascinating history which is an attraction of itself, and it’s known as Kyaguriro group A and B, this explains that the group’s habituated in 1995,
- Bikyingi Gorilla Family
Bikyingi Gorilla group is located in the Rushaga area in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with 21 individuals including 1 silverback. The only silverback and leader of the group was named the same as his group, Bikyingi and he is very friendly to all his young ones.
- Christmas Gorilla family
The Christmas Gorilla group is the newest family in the Nkuringo region makes up three gorilla families in the Nkuringo sector, with 9 members and one dominant silverback known as Christmas.
- Mukiza gorilla family
Mukiza gorilla family is located in the Ruhija sector and it was one of the silverbacks in Kyaguriro which splits out. The family has 10 members
- Mucunguzi gorilla family
Mucunguzi gorilla family is located in the Rushaga sector with 8 members dominantly female; it splits from Bweza after a serious fight Mucunguzi is the head of the family
