Hirwa gorilla family.

One of the most famous gorilla families, the Hirwa, used to live in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park but has since relocated to Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. The Virunga Massif is home to these two national parks, and the animals may roam freely between them since the vegetation is same.

The mountain gorilla subspecies is one of the most imperilled in the gorilla family. These primates are unique to the Virunga massif, which includes the parks of Mgahinga, Volcanoes, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Because of their great mobility, the Nyakagezi gorilla family has shared Mgahinga and Volcanoes National Parks for a long time. This family is the only habituated gorilla group that has ever traveled in Mgahinga.

Nevertheless, it was heartening to learn that Uganda has welcomed a new gorilla family—the Hirwa gorilla family—that relocated from Kinigi province’s Volcanoes National Park to Mgahinga National Park in the south in August 2019. At the time of their migration to Uganda, the Hirwa gorilla family had seventeen members. Tragically, four of them were killed in the Mgahinga forest when lightning struck.

Until the troop returns to Rwanda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has been issuing 8 gorilla trekking permits per day for Mgahinga National Park. Starting today, that number has doubled to 16.

The exact date of its return to Rwanda is unknown at this time, but be assured that all of the gorillas in the Virunga region are in excellent hands in Uganda, where they are protected by the International Gorilla Conservation Program’s conservation strategy.

Exploring Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park on foot

The national park in Uganda known as Mgahinga is the smallest of them. Since the park only has one gorilla group, the Nyakagyezi, there has always been a daily cap of eight permits for people interested in gorilla trekking.

An intriguing Rwandan gorilla family joined Nyakagyezi in August 2019, bringing the daily gorilla trekking permit total to 16 at Mgahinga. Reach out to us if you are interested in reserving a gorilla trekking permit to see the Hirwa gorilla family. A permit to hike with gorillas costs $800. Safaris with Great Adventures plan trips to Uganda’s Magahinga National Park to see the gorillas in their natural habitat.