Habinyanja mountain gorilla family can be trekked from Buhoma sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, the group derives its name from a local word Nyanja to mean “water” this is because the family was first spotted near a swamp on Bwindi.
Habinyanja mountain gorilla family was habituated in 1997 and was first visited by tourists in 1999, the group was led by silverback Mugurisi at the time of habituation and after some years Mugurisi passed away and left leadership to his two sons Mwirima and Rwansigazi.
Rwansigazi loved exploring new places while Mwirima loved to within the same area so the two silverbacks decided to separate peacefully in 2002, the members that stayed with Rwansigazi remained as Habinyanja gorilla family and the members with Mwirima came to be called Rushegura gorilla family.
Habinyanja mountain gorilla family faced a challenge in 2011 when it was attacked by poachers and one black back known as Mizano was found dead with spear wounds. Silverback Rwansigazi left his leadership to silverback Makara who now dominates the group.
Other gorilla families in Buhoma
Rushegura gorilla family
The Rushegura mountain gorilla family derives its name from Rushegura area in Bwindi where Mwirima separated from his brother Rwansigazi to form his own gorilla family. Habinyanja mountain gorilla family was at first led by Mugurisi who died and his two sons took over the group leadership but couldn’t get along because one was adventurous while the other loved to be in one place.
Mwirima moved away with 7 members and formed Rushegura gorilla family while Rwansigazi remained with Habinyanja gorilla family. The two families are always seen along each other and no fights have been reported ever since the separation.
Mubare gorilla family.
The famous Mubare gorilla family is the oldest habituated gorilla family in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, the group was dominated by silverback Ruhondeza at the time of habituation with 12 members
Mubare gorilla family derives its name from Mubare hills in Bwindi where the group was first sighted by trackers. This one of the easiest gorilla groups to trek as they can sometimes be seen at the Buhoma park headquarters Mubare gorilla family is now dominated by Makara the silverback and its composed of 17 individuals.
Gorilla permits
Gorilla permits in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park cost $600 per person and gorilla habituation permits cost $1500 per person. Gorilla habituation gives visitors a chance of spending more time with mountain gorillas
Featured in: Uganda Information
