Top 10 Gorilla Families in Rwanda; Volcanoes National Park
The exact number of gorilla families in Rwanda can vary depending on a number of factors but as of the latest data, Rwanda is home to approximately 10 habituated gorilla families which are open for tourists and researchers alike for gorilla tracking excursions and study purposes.
There are also a few unhabituated Gorilla groups that are not open for tracking because they are not familiar with human presence hence making it a risk to encounter them.
Mountain gorillas live in groups also known as families or troops usually ranging from 5 to 30 individual gorillas inclusive of infants.
Each gorilla family is led by a dominant male called a silverback who serves as a protector, leader, and final decision-maker.
He decides on where the group will forage and feed from and protects it from external potential threats from other fellow gorillas or predators.
During gorilla tracking adventures, trackers are allocated to different gorilla families depending on their preferences and levels of fitness as some gorilla families are found very deep into the forests requiring trekking for long hours.
Only 8 people are allowed to visit each gorilla family in a day for minimal disturbance of their social behaviors and natural habitats and also to reduce the risks of spreading human diseases to them.
There are only 10 gorilla families that are open for visitors and hence 80 gorilla permits are available for reservations each day.
Tracking gorilla families in their natural habitats is a challenging adventurous activity as it involves navigating through different terrains ranging from trails featuring dense forests, rocky, muddy, and slippery grounds to steep slopes for a reasonable amount of time usually ranging from 3 to 5 hours.
The Habituated Gorilla Families in Rwanda
There are 10 habituated gorilla families in Rwanda Volcanoes National park that are open for gorilla tracking excursions include;
- Susa Gorilla Family
- Amahoro Gorilla Family
- Kwitonda Gorilla Family
- Sabyinyo Gorilla Family
- Karisimbi Gorilla family
- Umubano Gorilla Family
- Agashya Gorilla Family
- Hirwa Gorilla Family
- Bwenge Gorilla Family
- Ugenda Gorilla Family
The 4 Famous Gorilla Families in Rwanda
These are the most sought-after by different adventurers and researchers to this destination preferred for their unique characteristics and stories which make them fascinating to observe in their natural habitats. These include;
The Susa Gorilla Family (Susa A)
This is the largest and the most famous gorilla family in Volcanoes National Park. It gained its fame through the works of the famous primatologist, Dian Fossey who effectively studied and fought for the conservation rights of these endangered great apes in the Virunga mountains, specifically in Volcanoes National Park.
This gorilla family was initially very large consisting of about 42 individual gorillas before it split up into two families with one retaining the original name also called Susa A and the other called Karisimbi Gorilla family also called Susa B.
This gorilla family loves inhabiting regions of very high altitudes hence making it one of the most difficult families to track as it involves hiking through dense forests for long hours sometimes a full day depending on its location.
The Amahoro Gorilla Family
Amahoro is a local word of Kinyarwanda meaning peace and this gorilla family lives up to its name. it consists of about 17 members who are led by a calm and gentle silverback called Ubumwe who has influenced peace and harmony within this family.
The group was initially bigger adding up to about 22 members but Charles, who was one of the silverbacks in this group took advantage of the leader’s calmness and split away from it running off with a few females to make his group called Umubano gorilla family.
Amahoro gorilla family is found on the slopes of Mount Visoke requiring a bit of hiking to encounter it. It’s an exciting group to watch while grooming, playful infants, socializing and foraging.
The Kwitonda Gorilla Family
The Kwitonda gorilla family was named after a silverback called Kwitonda, a Kinyarwanda local word which means humble which was displayed by this gorilla.
This group migrated from the neighboring Congo gorilla habitats and it comprised 18 individual gorillas. It is known for its resilience and adaptability and is currently led by Akarevuro in calmness and harmony.
It is found on the slopes of Mount Muhabura but tends to forage in distant areas which makes tracking it a challenging activity.
The Sabyinyo Gorilla Family
This is named after their habitat found on Mount Sabyinyo which is one of the Virunga volcanoes. It is a relatively smaller group compared to others consisting of about 8 members who are led by a dominant silverback called Guhonda, the largest silverback in the park weighing about 220 kilograms.
It is one of the popular gorilla families tracked as it stays near the park’s hedge which makes it easily accessible to tourists.
Other 6 Fascinating Gorilla Families in Rwanda
Karisimbi Gorilla Family (Susa B)
This is named the Karisimbi Volcano where it was found. It is the group that split from the original Susa A after a misunderstanding among the Silverbacks.
This group tends to wander off to distant regions of the forest making its tracking very challenging and sometimes not possible if they can’t be located when they are very far deep into the forest.
It was last documented to hold 15 members, inhabiting the steep slopes of the volcano requiring an individual to be physically fit to track it.
Umubano Gorilla Family
This is the group that split from the Amahoro gorilla family as a result of Charles the leader, taking advantage of the Amahoro silverback calmness.
Umubano is a Kinyarwanda local a word which means living together. This group consists of 11 members and is found near the Amahoro gorilla family.
Agashya Gorilla Family
This group was led by a dominant silverback called Nyakarima before Agashya took it over from him with a deadly fight. He disappeared with all the members up in the volcanoes, running away from the former leader as far as possible.
Agashya who is known for his gangster moves continued adding to his group through fighting and stealing from other groups he encountered and hence it currently comprises about 25 individual gorillas.
This group is found just close to the Sabyinyo gorilla family and is known for its trouble leader. Whenever he senses danger, Agashya takes all his members up the volcano for safety which makes it hard to track it.
Hirwa Gorilla Family
This was formed as a result of some individual gorillas from the Agashya and Sabyinyo gorilla families coming together to form their group. It is led by a dominant silverback called Hirwa, a Kinyarwanda local which means luck gave to it because it was by luck for members to voluntarily join it. This group was last documented to hold 16 members inclusive of twins.
Bwenge Gorilla Family
Some of the members in this group in the adventurous movie called “Gorillas in the Mist” which was created based on the works and book of Dian Fossey. Bwenge is a Kinyarwanda word meaning wisdom given to the dominant silverback in charge of the group.
He formed it in 2007 after splitting from his birth group to create his legacy. He was freely joined by other females from different families and it was last documented to hold 11 individual members.
Ugenda Gorilla Family
This is comprised of 11 members and is found in the Mount Karisimbi region. Ugenda is a Kinyarwanda local word meaning being on the move and it was given to this group because of its dynamic nature of wandering about all the habitat. This roving nature makes tracking challenging on some days as they may not be found where they are expected to be.