The Bweza Gorilla Family can be trekked in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This group is named after the dominant silverback, Bweza, who left the Nshongi Gorilla Family in 2012 to form his own group. Book a Uganda trek to see how a Bweza visit fits into your safari.
The split in the Nshongi Gorilla Family was expected, since it was the largest gorilla family in Bwindi at the time, with several silverbacks. The Bweza Gorilla Family has 12 members, including 2 silverbacks, 4 blackbacks, 2 infants, 3 females, and 1 sub-adult gorilla.
The Nshongi Family’s History of Splits
The Nshongi Gorilla Family is the group from which the Bweza Gorilla Family originated. Nshongi was the largest habituated gorilla family in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. However, the group split when Mishaya left to form the Mishaya group, and two years later, Bweza followed to form his own family.
Both the Bweza and Nshongi groups are among the gorilla families you can trek when you book tours in Uganda.
Gorilla Habituation in Rushaga
The Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gives tourists a chance to join researchers and trackers in habituating mountain gorillas. Gorilla habituation lets tourists spend four hours with the gorillas, unlike regular gorilla trekking, which allows only one hour, and it also provides better opportunities for taking clear photos.
Gorilla Permits
Uganda gorilla permits can be purchased through the Uganda Wildlife Authority or a trusted tour company. Permits cost $800 per person for regular trekking and $1,500 per person for the gorilla habituation experience.
People with communicable illnesses like flu or a cough, as well as children under 15, are not allowed to trek with mountain gorillas.
What to Bring for Gorilla Trekking
Gorilla trekking requires both physical fitness and the right hiking gear. Essential items include waterproof hiking boots, garden gloves, energy snacks, plenty of drinking water, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and insect repellent.
Best Time to Visit
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can be visited year round, but the best months are June to September and December to February. During these months, the roads leading to the park are more accessible, and the trekking trails are less muddy and slippery.
The vegetation is also thinner during this period, making it easier to spot mountain gorillas.
Trekking Bweza Alongside Its Sister Families
Because the Bweza, Mishaya, and Nshongi families all trace back to the same original group, trekking any one of them in Rushaga offers a window into the same broader story of a once-dominant gorilla family gradually dividing over time. Visitors interested in gorilla social dynamics may find it worthwhile to ask their guide about how these three families interact today, since their shared history and overlapping territory in Rushaga still occasionally bring members of the different groups into contact with one another.
