Gorilla trekking is one of the Volcanoes National Park leading activities that has attracted a number of tourists who come on a daily basis to trek the already habituated gorilla’s families which are already used to the presence of visitors.
There are 12 groups/families of habituated gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. For each family, a maximum of 8 trekkers per day are entitled, however depending on the turn up, some families may end up not visited especially in the month of low season. This means there are 96 gorilla permits sold on a daily basis.
The Gorillas usually climb higher up the mountain in the dry season, where the grey vegetation aligns as its cooler in the higher altitude and descend in the wet season, since there is enough vegetation on lower altitude with good weather conditions.
The park keeps a 24/ 7 monitoring of the gorillas and trackers, always moving ahead of the trekkers to sight the gorillas, depending on the previous day allocation. They will always have an idea of the gorilla’s whereabouts.
Below are some of the listed famous gorillas groups trekked at Volcanoes National Park;
The Amahoro group: this group is usually found between the Karisoke and the Visoke peaks of the Virunga volcanoes. This group has about 17 gorillas. Together with the Umubano group of 11, they are the furthest from the park headquarters.
The Sabinyo Group, is usually found between Mt. Sabinyo and Gahinga. It has about 12 individuals, with a couple of silverbacks in the group.
Agashya Group, formerly referred to as “Group Thirteen”, is often found close to the Sabinyo group, and has about 25 gorillas including two silverbacks.
The Susa Group is the largest in volcanoes NP with about 40 individuals, including 3 silverbacks. This group is usually found high up on Mount Karisimbi, which makes for a relatively more challenging hike, but it is well worth the effort.
The Karisimbi Group, which split from the Susa group a few years ago, can be found in the Mt. Karisimbi area. Tracking these two groups requires a full day hike.
The Kwitonda Group has 18 members and was habituated in the DRC. They crossed the border into Rwanda in 2005, and are now open for visitation.
The Hirwa Group has around 11 members including one silverback and a pair of twins. The twins are often sighted playing, taking on each other. If you would like to see baby gorilla twins, this is the group to go for.
The Bwenge Group, named after the group silverback, has 11 members and can be a tough trek. This group requires a little more physical fitness to trek. Those who would like to hike more, are often assigned to this group.
The Ugende Group, whose name means “on the move” – because its 11 individuals are always moving to new areas is also quite difficult to track. For guests who would like a moderate hike, this is always the best choice of group to look at.
For any inquiry, about Rwanda gorilla safaris, please get in touch with One More Adventure Safaris, and our sales team, shall help you on arranging your gorilla trekking safari.
