If your plan is to pay a visit to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park to track the rare mountain gorillas and you are wondering which habituated family to explore then it is high time you stopped worrying. Nyakagezi gorilla group is the only habituated family in Mgahinga National Park that has been set for visitor experiences while on gorilla safari in this particular part of Uganda. This group accommodates fewer visitors and also features among a few easiest to track groups in Uganda as its members love feeding, relaxing and nesting within a narrow home range.
This is the only family in Mgahinga National Park led by a male dominant silver buck known as Mark. The group has 11 members including three silver buck. The nyakagezi group kept on traveling and crossing borders of Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda though it is trying to settle on the Ugandan side since 2012. Permits for tracking this group can only be got at local Uganda Wild Life Authority.
This gorilla family is composed of 9 individuals, 4 silverbacks, 2 infants, 2 females and 1 juvenile. However, take note that the number of members may keep changing as changes always occur in gorilla families due to varied factors.
The group is led by Mark silverback gorilla who succeeded his father-Bugingo. The others include Nshuti, Nyiramwiza, Mathew, Mafia, Nkanda, Mutagamba and Rukundo among others.
Bugingo on the other hand features as the oldest silverback with over 54 years. The most amazing part of this group is that Bugingo still thrives within the family and yet in many occasions, once the dominant silverback is overthrown, banished and perhaps dies while in isolation or alternatively looks for where to live. The best example is Mubare family of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where after Kanyonyi took over from Ruhondeza, he left the family and stayed in isolation till his death.
This gorilla group is also situated within an area with plenty of forage for these creatures to enjoy. Like for other gorilla families in Bwindi, gorilla permits for Nyakagezi family can be obtained at the Uganda Wildlife Authority offices in Kampala. Please note that there are no more permit bookings at the park headquarters.
The Mgahinga Gorilla National Park offices are located at Ntebeko. The cost permit still remains the same (US$700 per person) and the fact that it only takes 8 visitors, you need to secure it early enough.
Facts about Nyakagezi Family
Nyakagezi gorilla family is found in the south-western part of Uganda, the only famous gorilla group found in Mgahinga gorilla national park. The gorilla family sits in renowned slopes of the three Virunga Volcanoes such as Muhabura, Mgahinga and Sabyinyo. In Mgahinga national park there is a place called Nyakagezi area with variety of fruits that are attractive to gorillas and this is where the name ‘’Nyakagezi’’ gorilla family was derived out from. However, the Nyakagezi gorilla family is the most interesting gorilla family and the easiest family to trek due to the fact that it prefers a narrow home range for nesting, feeding, relaxing and recreation.
This gorilla family of Nyakagezi which are composed of 9 members can be easily identified by their names such as Baby Rukundo, Nvukagezi gorilla family, Nshuti, Mutagamba, Bugingo, Mark and Mathew. Nyakagezi gorilla group has been led by Silverback ‘’Bugingo’’ for some periods of time but fortunately, Mark is said to have succeeded in overthrowing his leadership.
How trek the Nyakagezi Family
The Nyakagezi Family is known as migratory gorilla family that like crossing to Democratic Republic of Congo ‘’DRC’’ and Rwanda. This Nyakagezi gorilla has for today settles in Mgahinga Gorilla National park in Uganda where visitors who visits the park are assured of the gorilla trekking expedition.
Though this gorilla group keep on migrating and border crosses over and over to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, it still considered to be a gorilla family that belongs to Mgahinga national park and it is easiest to be trekked in Uganda’s Mgahinga national park because they inhabit in lower altitudes and prefer a small home range for relaxing, nesting and feeding and also because of lots of food and fruits.
The Nyakagezi gorilla family is one of the most stunning and amazing gorilla families worth trekking in Uganda because of being the only gorilla family in Mgahinga and is due to their mobile behavior and the fact is that the oldest silverback ‘’Bugingo and currently silverback live together happily.
By 2012, this gorilla group has been settled within Mgahinga Gorilla National park and the possibility of seeing these gorillas in their nature forest of Mgahinga is 95%. Now it is easier to trek this gorilla family because they have a permanent settlement unlike the way of moving from place to place. Many travelers have visited this park to get interested in trekking this group.
Due to their movements and unpredictable behaviors of this group, travelers are advised to book their gorilla permits for the Nyakagezi family group within 24hours to ascertain whether they are within the park or they have borders crossed to Congo or Rwanda. The gorilla permits of this group can be booked at Uganda wildlife Authority at Mgahinga headquarters in Ntebeko. And since is the only group in the park UWA sells only 8 gorilla permits per trek per day.
Visiting Mgahinga national park doesn’t mean that you just experience in only mountain gorillas but also you can get excited around the most incredible three Virunga volcanoes summits, the admirable flora and gorge. For this case, it’s when you will appreciate that encountering gorilla safari to Uganda is something interesting and rewarding.
Apart from, trekking the Nyakagezi gorilla family, travelers can still participate in Golden monkey trekking because this is the only national park in Uganda where you can trek Golden monkey species, visit the Batwa trails ‘’the people who used to live in the forest with mountain gorillas’’, do birding, mountain hiking to Mt Sabyinyo, Mt Muhavura and Mgahinga.
For any plans to track gorillas in Mgahinga National Park, Nyakagezi gorilla family is the only option for you to realize your dreams while on Uganda gorilla safari.