Congo is one of the three African countries where you can trek the endangered mountain gorillas. The country has an advantage when it comes to gorilla permits, offering the cheapest rates compared to Rwanda and Uganda.
Virunga National Park, located in the eastern part of Congo, is the main place to trek mountain gorillas. It is Africa’s oldest protected area, established in 1925 to help protect these great apes. Today, there are 8 mountain gorilla families in Virunga National Park that visitors can trek.
Mountain gorillas are a type of Eastern gorilla that live in tropical and subtropical rainforests. They have long, thick fur, which helps them survive in cold, high-altitude environments. These gorillas live in social groups, usually led by one dominant male known as a silverback.
The Munyaga gorilla family can be visited from the Bukima sector of Virunga National Park. This is one of the more recently habituated gorilla groups. In 1998, the group was led by a female named Nsekuye. A silverback named Munyaga joined the group at that time and quickly took over leadership due to the lack of another silverback.
While Munyaga was the leader, his group often came into contact with the Kabirizi gorilla family. Eventually, he lost all his females to the Kabirizi group and disappeared for two years. During his absence, another gorilla named Mawazo took over leadership.
Mawazo had previously been part of the Buhanga and Katareja gorilla families before joining the Munyaga group. The current silverback leading the family is Gasore. Today, the Munyaga group has 7 members, including 2 silverbacks.
One of the most interesting things about trekking the Munyaga gorilla family is seeing Kadogo, a bald-headed silverback. Unlike most gorillas that have thick hair, Kadogo stands out because he has no hair on his head.
