Gorilla trekking has become more impressive in Uganda, Bwindi National Park received a new baby Gorilla last week on 11th October 2020. The birth in Mukiza gorilla group is one of the many births that occurred in the impenetrable forest during the Covid 19 lockdown. It is believed that the lockdown gave a great time to these forest giants to relax and reproduce without the daily stress of people coming to their faces. The mother of the new baby is an adult female known as Mwijukye who is in a good state with the new born baby Gorilla. this elevates the number of individuals in Mukiza group to 15 in number.
Mukiza Gorilla family
Mukiza was part of the Kyaguriro gorilla group before splitting up to form this new family. The split up was from an aggressive migrant silverback know to be Rukara came to the group and caused a lot of trouble to the leader Mukiza at that time. Mukiza then left Kyaguriro with a number of other family members making a separate group in May 2016. Mukiza group was originally set aside for research and is now available for the Habituation Experience. Mukiza is one of the Gorilla families in Ruhija Sector of Bwindi.
Ruhija Sector of Bwindi National Park
Ruhija sector is in the Eastern part of the park and is known for the highest number of mountain Gorillas. Ruhija is one of the most accessible areas of the for anybody interested in Gorilla tracking and Habituation experience. Some of the Gorilla families include; Oruzogo, Bitukura, Kyaguriro A, Kyaguriro B and Mukiza.
Ruhija can be accessed through Buhoma and can also be accessed by air from Entebbe airport to Kihiihi Airstrip. This would save you time as a visitor especially if you have limited time or if you are not interested in traveling long hours by road.
OTHER ACTIVITIES TO DO AT BWINDI
Batwa Cultural Experience
The Batwa are the former indigenous people of the forest who lived there before the forest was gazetted as a national reserve in 1991. The batwa trail will lead you to this most amazing culture in the neighborhood of Bwindi impenetrable forest. The Batwa guides will lead you to this reality of these forest people. You will be introduced to their local herbs and their survival tactics of hunting.
Golden Monkey tracking
Golden monkeys are found in the neighboring Mgahinga Gorilla Park in the neighboring district of Kisoro. Tracking the monkeys is more/less like tracking the mountain Gorillas. The monkeys live in the high Virunga ranges of Mgahinga.
Lake Bunyonyi
Bunyonyi is believed to be the deepest Lake in Africa located in the south western part of Uganda in the Kabale district. This small lake interestingly has 29 islands on it that can be toured on a boat with a highly trained guide.
What to carry for Gorilla Tracking
• Hiking boots
The hiking boots are meant to help you hike with ease through the rough terrain of the thick vegetation of Bwindi Park.
• Pair of Binoculars
The Binoculars are meant to help you zoom images of the wildlife from a far, they enable you have a closer view of the Gorillas that be a little far or high in the trees.
• Camera and extra Batteries
Watching the Gorillas will leave you with memories and these memories are kept in images and videos you record with your camera. The extra batteries will help in case your camera battery runs out.
• Rain Jacket
Gorillas live in the rain forests where the weather is so unpredictable and can rain anytime of the day, your rain court will save you from getting wet.
• Sun Glasses
The glasses will help protect your eyes from the direct sun rays into your eyes on a hot day.
• Hat
You will need a hat to protect your head from the hot sun as you track the Mountain Gorillas.
• Long Sleeved Clothes
You will need long sleeved short/blouse/t-shirts to protect your arms from the itchy forest vegetation.
• Long Trousers
You will need the long trousers to keep your legs safe from the thorny and itchy ground vegetation during the Gorilla trekking experience.
• Walking Stick
The slippery forest trails will need you to have a walking stick to give you extra support especially as you hike the mountains.
• Water and Snacks
You will need to carry enough water and snacks to avoid starving on the way, Tracking the Gorillas may take more time than anticipated.

We have these trips available for you to Meet the Mountain Gorillas. Just Click Here

Nyakagezi gorilla family in Mgahinga

Nyakagezi is the only Gorilla family in Mgahinga gorilla national park in the Virunga area.
The family is dominated by a silverback known as Mark who overthrew his father Bugingo who is now about 53 years and still in the family which is unusual for mountain gorillas to stay with the family after being overthrown.
The name Nyakagezi originates from a place in the park where the group always spent their time, this gorilla family was always on the move and sometimes move far to the volcanoes national park in Rwanda and sometimes to Congo a few years ago. It was hard to track this group until last year 2018 when the family finally settled in Mgahinga and can be tracked with confidence that the family is in Mgahinga National Park.
Members of Nyakagezi gorilla family are Bugingo, Mathew, Nyiramwiza, Mafia, Nshuti, Rukundo, Mutagamba, and Nkanda all dominated by Mark. The group is fully habituated and was opened for tourism in 1994.
When visiting mount Mgahinga national park, tourists never want to miss to visit the local people. The Batwa trail reveals to you the forest people known as Batwa or pygmies-the first forest people. The Batwa lived in forests as hunter gathering for many years until they were displaced by government. Tourists enjoy learning about the lives and listen to ancient forest stories and also get entertained with local traditional dances.
A part from trekking the Nyakagezi gorilla family in Mgahinga, tourists can also go for golden monkey trekking, there are several troops of golden monkeys in park that have been habituated for tracking. Golden monkeys live in the Virunga mountains which includes Mgahinga and Volcanoes national parks. Golden monkeys are tracked at $100 per person and their permits are acquired from UWA headquarters or at the park headquarters in Kisoro. They are well known for their playful character as they go about their daily business.