Track Nyakagezi Gorilla family. Habituated Gorilla family –Mgahinga National Park – Gorilla Trekking – Uganda.
About the Nyakagezi Gorilla Family
This gorilla group is found in South-Western Uganda, just in the renowned slopes of the three Virunga Volcanoes that includes the Muhabura, Sabyinyo and Gahinga. The group borrows its name from Nyakagezi a place in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park where there is a lot of food attractive to the gorillas. Nyakagezi family is the easiest to track in Mgahinga given the fact that it prefers a narrow home range for feeding, nesting, relaxing and recreation.
The Nyakagezi gorilla family is the only fully habituated gorilla group in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This fact offers tourists a great opportunity to track the rare mountain gorillas in the wild. The Nyakagezi family is composed of 9 members; 4 silver backs, 2 infants, 2 Adults females 1 juvenile. Mark is the the name of the dominant silverback and he took over leadership from his father Bugingo. The other silver back members include Mathew and Mafia. Nyiramwiza and Nshuti are adult females, Nkanda is a juvenile, and Mutagamba and Rukundo are Infants. Bugingo the oldest silverback is believed to be more than 54 years. A rare but an interesting fact about the Nyakagezi group is that Bugingo still lives in the family yet in most cases, once the dormant silverback is overthrown, he is banished and dies in isolation or seeks refuge from other gorilla groups.
Bugingo silverback is estimated to be 53 years and still thriving in the gorilla family something uncommonly seen in gorilla life. In normal occasions, any silverback gorilla that happens to be overthrown from the main group would resort to a lonely life or totally abandons the family like the case was with Mubare gorilla group in the Buhoma North of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Tracking the Nyakagezi familay.
The Nyakagezi gorilla group was famous for their migratory behavior across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. However, this gorilla group has today settled in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda where tourists are assured of gorilla trekking experiences.
Though this group is mobile and crosses over to Rwanda and DRC, it is considered the easiest to track in Uganda because they are found in areas of lower altitude and prefer a small home range for nesting, relaxing and feeding because of abundance of food. The Nyakagezi group is one of the most interesting gorilla groups worth tracking in Uganda because of it being the only gorilla group in Mgahinga, their mobile behavior and the fact that the silverbacks of the family especially the oldest silverback “Bugingo” and the reigning silverback live together happily.
The success rate to see these great apes stands at over 95% chances. Now it is easier to track this gorilla group because they have a permanent settlement unlike initially where they were always on the move. More and more tourists are now visiting the Park to track this interesting group. Due to their mobile and unpredictable behavior, gorilla permits for Nyakagezi group have to be booked at the Uganda Wildlife Authority Park headquarters in Ntebeko and it is always important to first confirm within 24 hours to ascertain whether they are within the park or have crossed to other countries. Because it is the only group in the park.
Visiting the Nyakagezi gorilla group shouldn’t be an experience that centers on mountain gorillas but also an excitement that is built around the most incredible three Virunga volcano summits, the gorge and then the magnificent flora. Indeed, you will appreciate taking gorilla safari to Uganda’s most gifted remote national park. However, there are only 8 (eight) gorilla permits that are always available for visitors to track the Nyakagezi gorilla group and this also be quantified to only 8 visitors per trek.
Getting to Mgahinga to track mountain gorillas in Nyakagezi gorilla group
If you are interested in tracking the mountain gorillas in this group, you can choose to travel on road or by air. Nyakagezi gorilla family is situated in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and interested visitors can take scheduled flights from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip and then land in Kisoro Airstrip where they can to be moved to the park on road from their respective lodge. By road: You can take the Kampala-Mbarara-Kabale-Kisoro route where you can easily connect to park where gorilla trekking is done.
Where to stay when trekking Nyakagezi gorilla family in Mgahinga gorilla national park.
Tracking the mountain gorillas at Nyakagezi gorilla group has no worries since there are lodging facilities. Some of the comfortable lodging facilities around the park include Mount Gahinga Lodge and Mutanda Lake Resort.
In conclusion, the Nyakagezi gorilla group is the only habituated gorilla family that offers unforgettable and ultimate gorilla safari experiences to tourists who get into Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Although the group used to roam around and past DRC and Rwanda borders, today you can track the mountain gorillas in the group which leaves them with authentic gorilla experiences of a life time.
Contact us with any inquiries about tracking the Nyakagezi Gorilla family.
