The great news about Uganda safari lovers and African wildlife enthusiasts is about the new mountain gorilla safaris in Bwindi impenetrable national park.

If you did not know, gorilla trekking is the best-selling African safari and Bwindi impenetrable National Park is the best destination for gorilla trekking safaris worldwide.

The factors are quite many but the fact that Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to almost half of the remaining mountain gorillas is phenomenal making it 100% chance for visitors to Uganda to find the mountain gorillas with ease.

New Bwindi gorilla families

On the 17th of January 2024, the wildlife regulatory authority organ of Uganda; Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) made a great announcement about the newly habituated gorilla families ready for visiting and released for tracking in Bwindi impenetrable national park. 

About 5 mountain gorilla families have been under habituation by a team of professional scientific researchers and trackers over a reasonable period; habituation of the mountain gorillas, in simple terms, involves the process of getting the gorillas familiar with human encounters to make the experience enjoyable by the visitors.

The newly released habituated families in Bwindi impenetrable national park are in Buhoma sector, Nkuringo sector, and Rushaga sector.

In Buhoma sector the new families include the Bunyindo family which is led by a silverback called Bunyindo and Muyambi family which derives its name from Muyambi the silverback that heads that family.

Muyambi has about 8 gorillas in the family and it is split from Mubare family in Buhoma sector in Bwindi impenetrable national park.

Rushaga sector of Bwindi impenetrable national park has Rwigi and Tindatine gorilla families, new and fresh for first visits. Rwigi gorilla family has about 6 members and is split from Kahugye family of Rushaga sector in bwindi impenetrable national park. Tindatine gorilla family split from shongi family

Nkuringo sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has one new gorilla family called posho. The posho gorilla family in Bwindi is the largest family among the new families. It has over 14 members including silverbacks, blackbacks, adult females, and infants.

Other gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Not forgetting that Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to over half of the remaining mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, there are also other gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, plus the new families making up 24 gorilla families, ( and one family of mgahinga national park; also ready for visitors and the rare golden monkeys make the park experience unforgettable).

The other gorilla families are distributed in the three sectors of Bwindi’s impenetrable national park including;

 Ruhija sector of Bwindi impenetrable national park has about 10 families including, the Bitukura family which has over 13members with 4 silver backs, Ngahura being the alpha silverback of the family, Kyaguriro gorilla family, Oruzogo family with about 19 gorillas 2 which are silver backs, Mukiza gorilla family with about 12 members, Bweza gorilla family, kahungye, Busingye, Muchunguzi, kuto, bikyingi, and mishaya gorilla families.

Buhoma sector is the most visited part of Bwindi impenetrable national park whose families include; mubare, Habinyanja, katwe, rushegura, Muyambi, and Bunyindo gorilla families.

Nkuringo sector of Bwindi impenetrable national park has gorilla families like Nkuringo, Bushaho, Christmas, and the newly habituated large gorilla family called posho.

 Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Habituation History

Tourism in Uganda was terraced back to the pre-colonial era, and it has been gradually changing and advancing over time. Wildlife, sights, and climate were some of the factors for tourism to start in Uganda, not forgetting the hospitality of the kabaka of Buganda, mutesa 1, who invited the missionaries to Uganda.

As for gorilla trekking and habituation, history began in the 1980s when Dian Fossey, a conservationist, reported that there were only 250 gorillas left in the world and that the species was critically endangered according to his research.

Therefore, with an allied effort from the world conservationist groups, gorilla habituation began in 1991 with Katendegyere and Mubare families of Buhoma sector in Bwindi impenetrable national park, and in 1993 the two families were opened for tourism.

At the time, Katendegyere gorilla family had 11 members initially and later left with 3 members when others migrated to Sarambwe game reserve in the democratic republic of Congo. Mubare gorilla family has 13 members and is led by Ruhiondeza the silverback, who died in 2012, and now Mubare has 10 gorillas.

Ruhija sector had Kyaguriro which got habituated in the 1900s for research purposes and in 1995, Kyaguriro gorilla family lost about 4 members to the bloody hands of the poachers.

Habinyanja gorilla family in Buhoma sector had about 25 gorillas by the time of its habituation in the 1990s. In 2002, Rushengura gorilla family split from Habinyanja, making two gorilla families in Buhoma sector of Bwindi.

In Nkuringo sector, gorilla habituation started in 1997 with Nkuringo gorilla family which was later opened for visits in 2004, the delay was caused by the poor roads and other infrastructure in the sector.

Nshogi and Bitukura opened in  2008, with 30 members in Nshongi gorilla family in Ruhija sector. Later in 2010, the Mishaya gorilla family split from Nshongi with 8 members, and Mishaya the silverback died in 2014.

Since then, the conservation efforts in Bwindi impenetrable national park have been felt with the increase in the number of gorillas; not critically endangered anymore, according to UNESCO.

Reasons for gorilla habituation

• For conservation purposes
• Makes mountain gorilla trekking easy, as the gorillas get familiar with human encounters.
• Habituation creates more families for visiting and also minimizes wildlife risks during gorilla encounters.
• Also, the habituation of new mountain gorilla families, means more gorilla trekking permits.

Best season for gorilla trekking safari in Uganda

By the rule of thumb, Uganda is the best destination for gorilla safaris. The dry season is by far the best time to trek the jungle of Bwindi impenetrable national park. The dry season in Uganda starts in June through July to August. And early in the year around January to February.

To note: the dry season is not a dry spell as a few showers are expected from time to time

The dry season is the best time to explore the gorillas of Bwindi and Mgahinga because; 

• There is limited slipperiness in the forest, so expect almost no falls.
• The forest is more transparent during the dry season
• You can combine gorilla trekking with other activities like birding safaris, wildlife safaris, and hiking adventure safaris among others.
• All the above make the dry season, the best of gorilla trekking in Uganda: Bwindi and mgahinga national parks.

On the other hand, the wet season is not completely out of consideration as the national parks are less crowded with a few tourists moving around.

In the wet season, you can enjoy the free game drive trails and some discounted accommodation facilities. 

The wet season can also be the best time to enjoy all scientific research about mountain gorillas. Due to the few people in the national parks, you can get ample time for gorilla habituation and research.

Packing guidelines for gorilla trekking

Especially in the wet season make sure that your backpack includes the following;

• Appropriate trekking boots
• Long-sleeved shirts to avoid scratches from the thickets
• Safari huts for shelter from scorching and rain in case of a drizzle
• Insect repellents
• Cameras to take the epic 1-hour encounter with the mountain gorilla family
• Sun eye shades and long trousers.

Not to forget, you can also carry some extra pennies to tip during the community visits and Batwa trail cultural encounters as a token for playing a role in the conservation of the mountain gorillas.

Gorilla trekking experience can never leave you the same, and it will create lasting memories.