Rwanda Gorilla Groups
Are you planning to trek mountain gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and would like to know which groups are habituated for trekking? Then you are at the right place. The Park is only 16000 hectares but is home to about 300 of the 604 mountain gorillas in the Virunga massif. For gorilla trek, visitors are guaranteed of trekking one of the 13 habituated gorilla Groups with about 104 gorilla permits available each day.
It would interest you to know that each of the Rwanda Gorilla Groups is exceptional, with different terrains, leadership characteristics and vegetation types among others. Therefore, these are the gorilla groups in Volcanoes National Park;
Susa A
Established in 1974, Susa A is one of Rwanda’s oldest Gorilla group, having existed since Dian Fossey’s time with only about 7 members. It was headed by Silverback Kurira who through the years expanded the group to 42 members before breaking away. One of the biggest blows on this group was the loss of some of its members (2 adults) in May 2002 to poaching. It is from this group that Karisimbi was also formed and there are now only about 28 members that include 3 silverbacks.
Karisimbi Gorilla Group
Karisimbi is another Rwanda Gorilla Group and broke off from Susa A, following constant fights between its silverbacks. It is one of the difficult-to-trek gorilla groups owing to the fact that its members occupy the higher slopes of Mount Karisimbi that stands at 4507 meters above sea level. Because of this, it is usually trekked by physically fit visitors, especially youth. There are presently about 16 members here that include 2 silverbacks.
Igisha Gorilla Group
Named after its founding silverback, Igisha is a wonderful break-away Gorilla Group from Susa A. It was established on November 2014 after the silverback left with 23 gorillas, following disagreements with the dominant silverback in his natal group. Presently, there are about 31 members in Igisha gorilla Group that include 5 silverbacks, 9 adult females, a blackback, 5 sub-adult females, 3 juveniles and 8 babies.
Agashya Gorilla Group
The outstanding Agashya Gorilla Group is another Rwanda Gorilla Group and was originally referred as Group 13, owing to the 13 members it was comprised at the time of formation. It was under the leadership of Murthi, who later died in 1992 thus leaving three blackbacks (named Kwirinda, Munane and Nyakarima) who later started grappling for leadership. They interestingly continued staying together until Munane matured into a silverback and became the leader. Another silverback (Kwirinda) lost his life after a fight with another gorilla group and Nyakarima eventually left.
Munane continued expanding the group through fights with other gorilla groups, but he lost his life in 2002 resulting from natural causes. Leadership was left under a blackback who with an adult female named “Safari” were able to manage and expand the group. Sadly for him, another silverback named Agashya overthrew him. It was later renamed Agashya in 2010 and has 25 members that include 4 silverbacks, 6 adult females, 2 sub-adult females, 4 blackbacks, 3 juveniles and 6 babies.
Amahoro Gorilla group
This Rwanda Gorilla Group is under the leadership of silverback Gahinga and its habituation began in March 1996 but was abruptly stopped in 1997 because of the Civil war. It was introduced to tourism in 2000 but its founding silverback (Amahoro) lost his life on 4th May 2002 at 31 years old. Following his death, two of the group’s subordinate silverbacks (Charles and Ubumwe) began fighting over leadership. It is from here that the group was split into two.
Amahoro Group remained under the leadership of Ubumwe while Charles left with some member to form another group (what is now known as Umubano). There are now about 23 members with 2 silverbacks, 8 adult females, 3 blackbacks, 1 sub-adult female, 3 juveniles and 6 babies at the time of writing.
Umubano Gorilla Group
Umubano is a break-away Gorilla Group from Amahoro and was founded by silverback Charles. Following disagreements with another silverback (Ubumwe), he decided to leave without hesitation and one of the most surprising things about them is that the two gorilla groups meet, interact and even forage close to each other without contestation. There are now 13 members that include over 6 silverbacks, 2 adult females, 2 juveniles, 2 blackbacks and one baby. For travellers that enjoy exciting gorilla trekking experiences, this is the perfect gorilla group to spend your one hour and $1500.
Hirwa Gorilla Group
Established in July 2006, Hirwa is another interesting Gorilla Group in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. It was founded by Munyinya who grew the group size by grabbing gorillas from other surrounding Groups like Kwitonda, Sabyinyo and Agashya. Even during its initial stages of formation, the group continued to show vigour in addition to maintaining its place as well as veneration from other group within the Park. However, Munyinya passed away leaving the group under the leadership of Uburanga and currently there are 11 members that include 1 silverback, 2 adult females, 2 blackbacks, 1 sub-adult female, 4 juveniles and 1 infant. You should be 15 years and above to trek and spend time with members of this gorilla group.
Isimbi Gorilla Group
Founded by silverback Getty, Isimbi is another outstanding Rwanda Gorilla Group and was formed from break-away from Karisimbi Gorilla group on 10th April 2012. After departing with 7 gorillas, Getty went on to start his own group but he died on 22nd December 2013 due to Pneumonia-related complications. A young blackback (Muturengere) later took over leadership with the help of Poppy, an intelligent adult female. After maturing into a stronger silverback, Muturengere continued fighting other gorilla groups and grabbed some of their members. There are 17 members here that include 1 silverback, a adult females, 5 juveniles and 5 babies.
Kwitonda Gorilla Group
Could you believe that Kwitonda Gorilla Group was originally founded within Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of Congo? It came into existence in 1995 but its members migrated to Volcanoes National Park in 2003 as a way of escaping continuous pressure from other Gorilla Groups in the area. The founding silverback (Kwitonda) used to live a lonely life prior to joining Rugabo Gorilla Group in the dense rainforest of Democratic Republic of Congo. Following the passing of the group leader, Kwitonda took the opportunity to grab some members to form this remarkable Gorilla Group.
He took a wise decision to leave Virunga National Park for the slopes of Gahinga and Sabyinyo Volcanoes, where he established his home range. He passed away in 2012 from age-related complications, leaving two subordinates (Kigoma and Akarevuro) to fight over leadership of the Gorilla Group. There are presently 35 members that include 4 silverbacks, 11 adult females, 3 sub-adult females, 4 blackbacks, 2 juveniles and 11 babies. This interestingly makes it the largest Rwanda Gorilla Group.
Muhoza Gorilla Group
This incredible Gorilla Group was founded on the 3rd of December 2016 by silverback Muhoza with 7 members. He reportedly snatched two adult females from Hirwa Gorilla Group to from his own group. There are presently 14 members here and they include 1 silverback, 8 adult females and 5 babies that are guaranteed of taking your breath away during Rwanda Gorilla safaris.
Bwenge
It was founded in 2007 by silverback Bwenge, after leaving his natal group with a number of adult females. While it exhibits interesting behavior, the gorilla group has also gone through troubling times in the past including the death of 6 of its babies. They have however made positive strides that include birth of two babies in the recent years and now is made up of 11 members that include 1 silverback. However, reaching there takes a lot of courage and physical fitness, maneuvering through muddy and slippery trails. You will be surprised to discover that its members featured in “Gorillas in the Mist” film.
Ugenda
Ugenda means “on the move” in the local Kinyarwanda dialect because this 11-member group is known for roaming from one area to another. It is made up of two silverbacks and the fact that it roams around the slopes of Mount Karisimbi makes it one of the most difficult-to-trek gorilla groups in Volcanoes National Park.
Sabyinyo
You won’t believe this but Sabyinyo is one of the easiest-to-trek Gorilla Groups in Rwanda, found within the lower slopes of Mount Sabyinyo. Interestingly, it is headed by Rwanda’s largest, strongest and oldest silverback known as “Guhonda” One thing that excites tourists about this Gorilla Group is the fact that the leader kept his contender-Ryango away from the Group to live a solitary life. It is one of the smallest groups in Volcanoes National Park but surprisingly one of the most rewarding and unmissable.
This interesting Gorilla Group was named after the stunning Sabyinyo Volcano with peaks that resemble an “old man’s teeth”. It is also one of the easiest to trek groups and therefore number one choice for persons with low fitness levels. There are 8 members here that include 1 silverback, 3 adult females, 1 sub-adult female, 2 juveniles and 1 infant. Another exciting thing about trekking this Gorilla Group is the fact that it involve hiking two wonderful Volcanoes-Sabyinyo and Gahinga.