Volcanoes National Park has got 10 habituated gorilla families reserved for gorilla trekking while two are for research purposes. Rwanda is very popular for gorilla trekking and conservation due to the works of Diana Fossey who spent many years studying the behaviors of Mountain gorillas and how to conserve these endangered great apes.
Primate Safaris Rwanda is proud to give you details on the different habituated gorilla families in Rwanda to help you make the right decision when it comes to asking for the right gorilla family on the actual Rwanda gorilla trek date. For more information on gorilla families in Rwanda, please contact Active African Vacations Ltd.
Susa Group
This is the most difficult to reach of the permanent groups which lives on the slopes of mount Karisimbi. The group consists of more than 40 individuals, including four silverbacks and several youngsters, this is the second- largest group of mountain gorillas in the world (there is a larger research group) and it was the one originally studied by Dian Fossey. A visit to the Susa Group id delightfully chaotic and totally unforgettable, with gorillas seemingly tumbling out of every bush and bamboo stand, the Susa Group is the first choice of most fit visitors, but it takes about an hour to drive from Kinigi to the starting point, and you should be prepared for a severe hike. This gorilla family derives its name or was named after River Susa which runs through the area where Susa gorilla group normally call their home.
Sabyinyo Group
Sabyinyo group derives its name from mountain Sabyinyo which is shared between mount Sabyinyo and mount Gahinga on Uganda and Rwanda although these gorillas are on the Rwandan side of Sabyinyo Mountain. This gorilla group has two wonders or advantages. It has the biggest silver back called Guhonda and is normally the easiest to trek among all gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park. These are because it is normally found in the gentle slopes of Sabyinyo and Mgahinga making it easy to trek. For all those that are looking for an easier gorilla family to trek should consider Sabyinyo gorilla family. This mountain gorilla family has two silver backs with Guhonda being the dominant one while Ryango silver back is the second in command, three adult females, and three juvenile gorillas.
Agashya Group
Agashya mean special, this was the first habituated group and has grown from an initial 13 members. It can be found in the same area as the Sabyinyo group, although it sometimes moves deeper into the mountains and hike can then be significantly longer. Most often they are found in the foothills slopes of Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Gahinga. It has 27 members, including 1 Silverback
Amahoro group
Amahoro is a Rwandese word that means peace one of the gorilla families in Rwanda. Amahoro group is a peace full family and those that have managed to track this gorilla family will testify that indeed all members are very peace full. This group is led by the dominant silverback called Ubumwe which means togetherness. If one is looking for a gorilla families that is likes peace and togetherness, then it has to be Amahoro group. More often Amahoro gorilla group has been observed roaming on the slopes of Mountain Visoke and those trekking it should expect a medium to harder but awesome experience. Amahoro gorilla family currently has 17individuals including Ubumwe the dominant silver back, 2black backs,5 juvenile gorillas, 5adult females, and 4 young gorillas.
Umubano group
The Umubano group was formed by members of the Amahoro family after Charles, one of the other males, broke off and is now leader of his own group with 10 individuals; share an overlapping territory on the slopes of mount Visoke. Both of these groups have one silverback and hikes to reach them are typically intermediate in difficulty between those of Susa and Sabyinyo. As its’ name suggest, Umubano (live Together) groups have a quiet harmonious relationship despite their territorial overlap, probably because there are strong familial links between them, with several individual having brothers and sisters in the other group.
Hirwa group
Hirwa group was formed in 2006 a silverback that had broken away from the Susa group about two years earlier, and it usually inhabits the foothills of mount Sabyinyo on the Gahinga side. The group derived its name from its formation process that was out of luck. Hirwa means ‘the Lucky one’ and as luck has it, the group got twins in 2011.
Kwitonda group
This group migrated from Democratic Republic of Congo which was named after its dominant silver back called Kwitonda which means the ‘Humble one’. Because of its migration background, the group wonders in the lower slopes of Mt. Muhabura and like Karisimbi group, it is onerous to track as it sometimes moves to the upper slopes. The group is composed of 23 members including 4 silver backs. Together with Susa B this is one of the difficult groups to track.
Bwenge group
the family size of this group is 11 individuals with Silverback. It is mostly found on the Slopes of the Karisoke Volcano. The group is led by a silverback named Bwenge and was formed in 2007 when he left his natal group and was gradually joined by females from other groups. This group has had some hard times; this is because there were some deaths of 6 infants. The trek to see the group is tough and one has to hike up the hill or like 3 hours (gaining approximately 600m in elevation). The trails are sometimes muddy and very steep. Apparently it was also the group that was featured in the movie “Gorillas in the Mist”.
Ugenda group
This Group is found in Karisimbi area of Rwanda. The Family Size consists of 11 gorillas with 2 silverbacks. Its name means “being on the move” and was named because it was always moving from one area to another. Since it’s not in one place, tracking it may be some how difficult and involves also moving from one place to another to locate them.