Gorilla families in Buhoma sector.
Families of gorillas in Buhoma Sector: One of the four gorilla trekking sectors in Kanungu District’s northern region of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Buhoma Sector. Situated in the southwest of Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to half of the world’s mountain gorilla population. In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, gorilla trekking is also conducted in the southern Rushaga sector, the eastern Ruhija sector, and the southern Nkuringo sector.
Five habituated gorilla families—the Mubare, Rushegura, Habinyanja, Muyambi, and Katwe gorilla families—live in the Buhoma area and are accessible for daily trekking.
Mubare family of gorillas
In 1993, the first gorilla family to be walked by tourists was Mubare, the oldest in the Buhoma district. The Mubare family had twelve members when they first moved in, and Ruhondeza Silverback was their leader. He passed away in June 2012 from old age, leaving Kanyonyi, an alpha male, to command the family.
After he was hurt when he fell from the tree, Kanyonyil lost it to the Malaya Silverback because he was too weak to defend his family. There are currently nine members of the Mubare gorilla family, including four females (Nyampazi, Karungi, Twesiime, and Buzinza), four newborns, and Malaya, the dominant silverback.
The Habinyanja family of gorillas
The term Habinyanja, which comes from the Rukiga word Nyanja, which means a site with water, refers to another gorilla family in the Buhoma region that was habituated in 1996. The Mugurusi silverback, who died of old age, was the dominant member of the Habinyanja gorilla family, which at the time of habituation consisted of 25 members.
Rwansigazi, Mwirima, and Makara, the silverbacks, were vying for leadership after Mugurusis’s death, which led to succession issues. Up until their separation in 2002, Rwansigazi and Mwirima shared authority and headed the family. Twelve members—two silverbacks, two blackbucks, three adult females, three sub-adults, and two juveniles—followed Rwansigazi and kept the name Haninyanja, while others adopted Mwirima’s name and were dubbed the Rushegura gorilla family.
Family of Rushegura Gorillas
In 2002, the Buhoma sector’s Rushegura gorilla family split off from the Haninyanja gorilla family. Strong silverback Mwirima Silverback led the breakoff from the Habinyanja family, which included of seven individuals. By 2010, the group had grown to 19 members, which included two silverbacks, three blackbuck, six adult females, one sub-adult, three adolescents, and four newborns. Following Mwirima’s death, a blackbuck and gorilla families in the Buhoma sector are currently leading the group.
The Katwe Gorilla Family
The fourth group to become accustomed in the Buhoma sector was the Katwe gorilla family. The nine members of the Katwe group include two blackbucks, four adult females, two silverbacks, and two newborns.
The Muyambi family of gorillas
The six-member Muyambi Gorilla Family, the newest gorilla group in the Buhoma area, began trekking in 2019. Originally belonging to the Mubare family, the first gorilla family in the Buhoma region, Muyambi broke away from the family to establish its own group.
Families of gorillas in the Buhoma sector
Katwe
In the Buhoma sector, gorilla trekking begins very early in the morning with a briefing on the guidelines to be followed. You will be divided into groups of eight after the briefing, and each group will be assigned a habituated gorilla family to travel with, as well as park rangers and an experienced park guide who is familiar with the gorilla trekking trails.
Because mountain gorillas prefer to roam around in search of food, trekking with them in the Buhoma area can take anything from 30 minutes to 7 hours, depending on the gorillas’ location. In addition to seeing other monkeys, you will be able to observe many plant and tree types and hear the melodies of other bird species while hiking.
After locating the gorillas, you will have the opportunity to spend an hour with them in their natural habitat, where you can observe their daily activities, learn more about their behaviors, take pictures, and document the amazing moments to share with others back home after the safari.
The price of permits for gorilla trekking in the Buhoma area
The cost of a gorilla trekking permit in the Buhoma area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is 800 USD for non-resident foreigners, 700 USD for residents, and 300,000 UGX for East African nationals.
The best time to visit Buhoma Sector for gorilla trekking
Although it is possible to go gorilla trekking in the Buhoma sector at any time of year, the ideal time to do it is during the dry season, which is also referred to as the peak season and lasts from June to February. Because the national park receives less rainfall during the dry season, access roads and gorilla trekking trails are dry and passable, making walking easier than during the rainy season, when the trails are muddy and slippery.
Accommodations in the Buhoma sector
During your gorilla trekking safari, you can stay at any of the several lodging options in the Buhoma sector. Buhoma lodge, Sancturary gorilla forest camp, Mahogany springs lodge, Volcanoes Bwindi lodge, Silverback lodge, Engangi lodge, Bwindi forest lodge, Buhoma haven lodge, Bwindi view Bandas, Buhoma community rest camp, Crested crane Bwindi, CPTH Gorilla Conservation Camp, and Trackers Safari Lodge are just a few of the lodging options that range from affordable to luxurious.
Directions to the Buhoma Sector
The Buhoma sector is situated in the northern region of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It is accessible by road transportation; visitors will travel from Kampala to the Buhoma park headquarters via Masaka, Mbarara, and Kabale, which would take approximately eight to nine hours.
A scheduled or charter flight with Bar Aviation or Aero Link Uganda from Entebbe International Airport to Kihihi Airstrip, followed by a road connection to the park headquarters, is another way to get to the Buhoma area.
