Also known as a country of a thousand hills, Rwanda is home to the endangered mountain Gorillas sheltered in the Volcanoes National Park. Rwanda has a total number of 10 habituated gorilla groups and is available for tracking by visitors from all over the world. Gorilla tracking permits in Rwanda are at 1500USD per person and can be acquired through us from the Rwanda Development board. The gorilla families in the volcanoes national park include;
Titus gorilla family
Titus Gorilla family was named after the dominant silverback Titus who was born in the days of Dian Fossey’s research at Karisoke research center. Titus was orphaned at a very young age when his father was killed by poachers and the rest of the family members were left to join other gorilla groups. Titus was left to be raised by different gorilla families in the park until it was fully grown to be a powerful dominant silverback.
Bwengye Gorilla group
Bwengye is a Kinyarwanda word meaning “Wisdom”1` This group was named after Bwengye the dominant silverback that started the family in 2007 after being joined by another female group. Bwengye Gorilla family lives in the foot hills of Bisoke and Karisimbi mountains. The family happens to be one of the most famous gorilla groups in Rwanda since it appeared in the famous film Gorilla in the mist that was filmed by Dian Fossey.
Susa group (Susa A)
This gorilla group gets its name from the nearby river Susa, the gorilla family has a number of 28 members with three silver backs. The Gorilla family had a total number of 45 members until they split into another group of 15 individuals. Susa A gorilla group is an interesting family especially with the presence of the stubborn twins in the group Byishimo and Impano. You will not want to miss their playful character as you also watch the entire behavior of other Gorillas in the family.
Karisimbi gorilla Family (Susa B)
This group was first called Susa B after splitting from the original family Susa A in 2009 but was later named Karisimbi in 2010. The family is headed by the dominant silver back Nyagakangaga who led the struggle to leave the big family and managed to leave with other 13 members to begin a new family.
Amahoro
“Amahoro” is a Kinyarwanda word Meaning “peace”. The name Amahoro is demonstrated by the dominant silverback Ubumwe who tends to keep peace even in a time of losing some of the group members to other gorilla families. The calm nature of Ubumwe was used by the ambitious silverback in the group called Charles to take some females to start a new family called Umubano. The group lives in the slopes of mount Bisoke and can be tracked though it’s a bit difficult.
Umubano
“Umubano” is a Kinyarwanda word meaning “togetherness”. This gorilla family has 13 members under the leadership of Charles the dominant silver back. This family split from Amahoro family and managed to leave with some members to start a new life on their own. Charles challenged the leadership of Ubumwe and was lucky that he starts a new family successfully. The family has two silverbacks in the group but are living together in harmony.
Sabyinyo gorilla family
Sabyinyo is one of the smallest and easiest gorilla groups to track. The family has a number of 13 members under the leadership of a very huge silverback called Guhonda. Guhonda is undoubtedly the largest silverback in the park and was able to kick out his challenger from the group called Ryango. The family lives in the slopes of mount Sabyinyo where they get their group name that means “old teeth”.
Kwitonda Gorilla Group
The group gets its name from the dominant silverback “Kwitonda” a Kinyarwanda word meaning “Humble”. Kwitonda has a total number of over 23 members and the entire group is humble as the name suggests. The family is known for crossing from Rwanda to DRC on several occasions and lives in the slopes of Mount Muhabura.
Hirwa Group
This group is being a formation of 13 members from Sabyinyo and Agashya is named after the word “Hirwa” meaning “lucky one”. The group was lucky since it had other gorillas joining willingly from other families.
Agashya gorilla group
This family is also known as Group 13; it was led by Nyakarima who was overthrown by Agashya (meaning ‘News’) who’s leading the group now. The family currently has a number of 27 members under the leadership of Agashya.
Ugenda gorilla group
‘Ugenda’ is a Kinyarwanda word that means ‘Move’ This gorilla family has 13 members living around the Karisimbi area.
