HOLIDAY IDEA

Rwanda Safari

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park
"Kurira", the Susa group's dominant Silverback  James Weis / Eyes on Africa

"Kurira", the Susa group's dominant Silverback - Copyright © James Weis / Eyes on Africa

GORILLA TREKKING - INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES
General Info
Mountain Gorillas live at high altitude in Virunga Volcanoes National Park. There are currently ten habituated gorilla families. A maximum of eight visitors per day can visit each family and viewing time is limited to maximum one hour. Gorilla trekking involves walking long distances through thick vegetation, up steep, wet and muddy terrain. This may cause difficulties for some visitors. We recommend you pace yourself; walk slowly and drink plenty of water. No one should feel deterred from making this trip. Children under 15 yrs of age are not allowed on gorilla treks.

The gorillas you will track in Volcanoes national Park will belong to one of 10 'habituated' family groups. Eight permits per day are issued for each group.Gorilla groups tend to move around a lot and their home ranges often overlap.

For many years these groups have undergone an extremely delicate process that has gradually made them accustomed to the presence of humans and has allowed a few privileged visitors to interact with them briefly in the wild. However, the gorillas are by no means tame. They are completely wild animals, which even now tolerate human presence for an hour a day at most. Experienced guides will accompany you on your tracking, many of who have been involved in the habituation process themselves. These guides will brief you in detail on your arrival on the various aspects of 'gorilla etiquette', but the information contained here will help ensure you are well prepared and ready to enjoy this unique opportunity to the fullest.

Visitors may track for as many days as they like, provided they purchase the required gorilla permit for each day. The permits are in extremely short supply and are often booked up as early as 18 months in advance. Only persons over the age of 15 are allowed to track the gorillas.

 Gorilla Trekking Families
There are currently 10 gorilla families that are visited each day in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda (updated: February 2012).
Note: This information for the gorilla families is fairly stable; however, the group specifics do fluctuate over time due to movements within and amongst the families, as well as changes resulting from new births, male juveniles leaving to be solitary, female juveniles moving to new gorilla groups, etc.

Family Name	Individual Members	Dominant Silverback	Location	Characteristics
Agasha	25	Agasha	Sabyinyo Volcano	Agasha means 'the news'
Amahoro	17	Ubumwe	Bisoke Volcano	Led by the calm and easy-going Ubumwe. A fairly steep climb to reach them. Amahoro means 'peaceful'.
Bwenge	10	Bwenge	Between Bisoke / Sabyinyo Volcanoes	New group. Bwenge means 'brightness'.
Hirwa	12	Munyinya	Between Sabyinyo / Gahinga Volcanoes	Formed recently from different groups -- mainly Agasha and Sabyinyo. Hirwa means 'Lucky one'.
Kwitonda	18	Kwitonda	Between Sabyinyo / Gahinga Volcanoes	Kwitonda means 'humble one'. This group has 3 Silverbacks. Migrated from DRC. Tends to range widely, making it a moderately difficult hike.
Ntambara	12	Ntambara	Between Bisoke & Sabyinyo Volcanoes	New group. Ntambara means 'war'. Currently has 2 Silverbacks, 5 Females, 1 Blackback and 4 Babies.
Sabyinyo	12	Guhonda	Sabyinyo Volcano	Easiest group to track, often closest to the park's edge. Named after the rugged Sabyinyo volcano. Sabyinyo means 'old man's teeth'. Guhonda is the biggest Silverback of all the groups  - he is massive and powerful at 220 kgs.
Susa (2 sub-groups)	43 (28 + 15)	Kurira	Karisimbi Volcano	Hardest group to track, as they tend to range high into the mountains. The largest Gorilla Family in the world, it has since subdivided into two groups. The one originally studied by Dr. Dian Fossey. Named after the Susa river. Well known for their rare twins - Byishimo & Impano. Has four Silverbacks. Kurira means 'crying'.
Ugyenda	11	Ugyenda	Between Bisoke / Sabyinyo Volcanoes	New group. Ugyenda means 'departure'.
Umubano	11	Charles	Bisoke Volcano	Originally part of Amahoro group. They broke away when Charles challenged Ubumwe, the dominant Silverback. Umubano means 'Live Together'.