Rushaga Gorilla groups.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is home to the endangered Mountain Gorillas, and in its southern section you’ll find the Rushaga area and the Rushaga Gorilla Groups. This area is one of four in Bwindi that may be used to monitor gorillas.

One of the areas with the highest concentrations of habituated Rushsga Gorilla groups that are available for monitoring is the Rushaga sector, which is located inside the National Park and is home to the popular mountain gorillas that remain in the wild. Secure your spot now!

Nshongi, Busingye, Kuhungye, Bweza, Mishaya, Bikingi, Rwigi, and Mukyunguzi are some of the Rushaga Gorilla groups that are protected in this area. Compared to other parts of Bwindi National Park, the Rushaga sector offers more opportunities to learn about the Gorillas and why you should walk with them.

In the Rushaga region, visitors may take in breathtaking views of the Virungas, Sabinyo, Gahinga, and Muhavura volcanoes, as well as Lake Bunyonyi, Africa’s deepest crater lake, and other breathtaking landscapes.

You will be captivated by the breathtaking landscape as you drive through this area. The hills and valleys will astound you, and you will also get the opportunity to admire the beauty of the Kisoro district, which is renowned as the Switzerland of Uganda.

Mishaya Gorilla Family.

Number of family members: ten

Ten individuals make up this family, with one silverback named Mishaya serving as leader. They live in the Mishaya section of the woodland National Park. The Mishaya family broke away from the Nshongi family; there were seven of them in the outset, but they’ve since grown to ten. Gorilla conflicts have allowed Mishaya, a formidable warrior, to gain members from other families.

The Family of Nshongi Gorillas

Number of family members: 8

Due to disputes among the group’s adult males, the Nshongi and Bweza families eventually broke apart, with Silverback Kakono taking part in the split to establish the Bweza family. There were originally 18 family members in the group, but after the split, only 7 remained. After a baby was added, the number of members increased to 8. The Nshongi River, which is located in the National Park, is the inspiration for the family’s name. Officially available to tourists in 2009, the group is now visited everyday by trekkers.

Family of Bweza Gorillas

Members of the family: eleven

Within Bwindi National Park’s Rushaga section, you may also find the Bweza Gorilla family. With Silverback Kakono at the helm, this clan seceded from the Nshongi. Kakono founded a new family at the end of 2013 after challenging Bweza Silverback’s authority in the Nshongi family. There are eleven members of the family: two silverbacks, three blackbucks, three adult females, one subadult, and two infants.

Apes of the Kahungye Mountains

Number of family members: twelve

If you’re looking for a gorilla family to follow in the Rushaga region, consider the Kahungye. After a two-year habituation period, this family welcomed visitors in 2011. The hill known as Kahungye is where members of this family were first seen, thus the name. Twelve members make up this family, and Silverback Rumanzi is their leader. The family anticipated that some members would defect to the Busingye faction in 2012 as a result of the escalating disputes.

The Family of Busingye Gorillas

Number of family members: 10

The Busingye Gorillas were formerly a branch of the Kahungye Gorillas, but Silverback Rwigi broke away from the group after a disagreement with Silverback Rumanzi. Named for the hill where they live, the Busingye gorilla family is headed by a powerful silverback named Rumanzi. The group had 27 members before breaking up with Kahungye; following the breakup, there were 9 members left; subsequently, they welcomed a new baby, increasing the number to 10.

Due to the heightened animosity between the two gorilla families, the possibility of a re-emergence with the Kahungye group may appear remote, but the group’s members’ high levels of activity and playfulness have garnered widespread interest.

Mountain Gorilla Tribe

No children in the family

As a follow-up exercise for the dispersing members of the disintegrated Mishaya family, the habituation of the Bikingi Gorilla family began in early 2012. Several members of the former Mishaya family were found in the family with other non-habituated members, and later on, the habituation was declared so that the formerly habituated members could be closely monitored.

The Rushaga tourist area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to the Bikingi family. The leadership of this family is still in the habituation phase, therefore it cannot be established just yet. One silverback, five adult females, two subadults, three juveniles, and seven newborns make up the Bikingi family of eighteen.

Family of Rwigi Gorillas

Number of family members: 10

An official announcement and the opening of a new gorilla family for trekking were made recently by Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The Rushaga region of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is home to the Rwigi gorilla family, who have only become accustomed to humans.

The Kahungye Gorillas, who are also present in the Rushaga area of Bwindi National Park, split off into this new gorilla family. Tourists to Bwindi forest may now follow a new family of gorillas for an exciting and unique opportunity to see mountain gorillas up close. A previous member of the Kahungye Gorilla family and one of the three dominant silverbacks, Rwigi is now head of the Rwigi Gorilla family.

A subset of the Kahungye Gorillas split off to become the Rwigi Gorillas. Rwigi, the now-dominant silverback, chose to have a brood of his own after having disagreements with other members of the Kahungye family. In their fierce struggle, the Rwigi silverbacks saved many young gorillas and adult females, forming what is today known as the Rwigi Gorilla Family.

Family of Mucunguzi Gorillas

Number of family members: 10

The Rushaga area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to the Mucunguzi Gorilla family, another population of mountain gorillas. Mucunguzi, whose name means “Savior” in Bweza Gorilla family, was the third and youngest silverback. It was a leader of the Mucunguzi Gorilla family in the Rushaga area when it split from the Bweza Gorilla group.

According to the Rushaga Gorilla trail head, the Mucunguzi Gorilla family got its name from a single silverback named Mucunguzi. This occurred during a violent altercation among the Bweza habituated mountain gorilla family, of which Mucunguzi was the third-in-command. After being expelled from the Bweza Gorilla family, Mucunguzi began to lead a solitary existence.

The Mucunguzi Gorilla family evolved from the Bikingi Gorilla family when Mucunguzi attacked them, killed the dominant silverback, and abducted other members, mostly females, to establish a new gorilla group. Currently, the Mucunguzi Gorilla group consists of ten individuals, with the majority being female.

It is possible to hike to this group from the Rushaga sector, which is located south of Bwindi National Park. Great Adventures Uganda can help you get the necessary gorilla permits to hike with the Mucunguzi Gorilla family at the headquarters of the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

In contrast to other locations where lodges are owned by foreign investors, all of the lodges in the Rushaga region are owned by members of the local community. When you go on a walk through Rushaga and stay at a lodge—for example, Nshongi Gorilla camp, Rushaga Gorilla Havens, Gorilla Safari Lodge, or Rushaga Gorilla Camp—among many more.

Participating in this opportunity will put you in touch with the region’s growing business and community. The gorilla habituation program, which allows tourists to spend four hours in the bush teaching the monkeys to live near people, is one of several things that this sector offers more than others.Make your reservation with us and see the mountain gorillas in this area up close and personal.

Please take note that these family numbers are subject to vary due to a wide variety of events, such as the arrival of new infants, divorce, group disputes, family deaths, immigration, and many more. Currently, the Busingye gorilla group’s tracking permits are processed at the local offices of the Uganda Wildlife Authority in the Rushaga area. Hopefully, this will change soon.