Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is found in the southwest of Uganda containing around 459 mountain gorillas. With this population, Bwindi is considered to have the most individuals in the entire world. The great apes thrive in the big enough 321 square kilometers Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This forest ecosystem is settled on altitudinal range of 1,160-2,607 meters above sea level. This offers both shelter and nourishment to sustain their lives for generations to come.
There are other factors that have led to these numbers of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This includes among others, a significant number of habituated gorilla families. Over 24 gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park have been familiarized to human presence. Majority of them are available for gorilla trekking tours everyday and thus enhancing their value among people for conservation.
Bwindi like other Uganda national parks is well-managed, by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. This is a government body mandated to conserve all wildlife on behalf of Ugandans. They however do this with the citizens in various ways. They recruit and train personnel to protect and monitor these animals against poaching. The authority also has expert scientists tasked with ensuring that the forest ecosystem remains intact to ensure the survival of gorillas.
They also support community development initiatives by offering a certain percentage of tourism revenues to fund the programs. Local communities are also directly or indirectly employed in and around the park as porters, entertainers or tour guides. With such benefits and more, park adjacent communities do not destroy the forest. All these have led to success stories in terms of conservation and tourism, thus reduced gorilla-human conflict.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gorilla tracking regions and families?
In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, there are 4 different regions where the habituated gorilla families can be trekked. These regions include Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo and Ruhija as explained below.
Ruhija region
This region is situated in the south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. At least 4 habituated gorilla families are found here and 3 of them are available for trekking adventures. These families comprise Bitukura and Oruzogo led by silverbacks Mugisha and Kaganga respectively. The other 2 families are Mukiza and Kyaguriro, headed by silverbacks Mukiza and Kasoni respectively.
Rushaga region
This region is also in the south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and southwest of Ruhija. The Rushaga region has 10 habituated gorilla families available for gorilla trekking tours throughout the year. The Rwigi family headed by silverback Rwigi and the newly habituated Tindatine family headed by Tindatine. The Bikyingi family is headed by the silverback Kaharata, and Kutu family is led by Ndugu.
Other families are Mucungunzi headed by Mucunguzi, Mishaya with Tinfayo as the dominant silverback, and Kahungye led by the dominant Kasigazi. The final 3 families include Busingye, Bweza and Nshongi is led by Mutatina, Rurehuka and Nshongi respectively.
Buhoma region
This is the only region in the north of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The Buhoma region shelters 5 habituated gorilla families which are also available for gorilla trekking. There is the Katwe family headed by a silverback called Mahaane. Habinyanja is another family, and has the silverback Makara as the head. There is the Mubare family led by the silverback Maraya. Rushegura and Muyambi families are the other 2 led by Kabukojo and Muyambi respectively.
Nkuringo region
Nkuringo region is also situated in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with only 4 habituated gorilla families. First is the Nkuringo family headed by the silverback Rwamutwe, then the semi-habituated Bushaho family headed by Bahati. The third and the fourth families are Christmas and Posho, respectively led by Christmas and Magara silverbacks.
Other destinations where gorillas inhabit?
Worldwide there are about 1,075 mountain gorillas still in existence. Besides Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, mountain gorillas in the wild can also be found in the following destinations.
Virunga National Park
Situated in the Virunga Conservation Area, Virunga National Park is home to a third of the extant mountain gorillas. Virunga National Park is in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Virunga ranges has around 350 mountain gorillas. In Virunga National Park, there are 8 gorilla families that have undergone habituation and available for gorilla tracking adventures. There are 2 more gorilla families in the park still in the habituation process.
The habituated gorilla families comprise the Nyakamwe and Humba families headed by the silverback Nyakamwe and Humba respectively. The Munyaga and Lulengo families are headed by Mawazo and Lulengo silverbacks. There is the Rugendo family and Mapuwa family led by Bukima and Mvuyekure respectively. Finally, Virunga National Park has the Kabirizi and Bageni families, led respectively by silverbacks Kabirizi and Bageni.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are the only 2 destinations in Uganda where to find mountain gorillas. Mgahinga is situated in southwestern Uganda within the Virunga Conservation Area. Only a single gorilla family has been habituated and it is known as Nyakagezi led by the dominant silverback called Mark. Each day of the year, a group of 8 visitors can track and spend an hour in their presence.
Volcanoes National Park
Situated in the northwest of Rwanda and another region in the Virunga Conservation Area, Volcanoes National Park shelters mountain gorillas. Volcanoes National Park has 24 known gorilla families. With at least 12 habituated gorilla families, gorilla treks can be enjoyed each day. These families include Sabyinyo, Susa, Kwitonda, Hirwa, Umubano, Agashya and Amahoro among others.
