Trekking Mubare gorilla family
Trekking Mubare gorilla family: This gorilla group is found in the buhoma sector of Bwindi gorilla park in Kanungu district. Bwindi gorilla park is home to the highest population of mountain gorillas in the whole world. Bwindi gorilla park is home to 21 mountain gorilla families including Mubare gorilla group. The park is also home to 120 mammal species, 350 birds, 10 primates, and 160 tree species.
Mubare gorilla family was the first gorilla group to be habituated in buhoma sector of Bwindi gorilla park in 1991 and completed its habituation process in 1993. Habituating Mubare gorilla group took only 2 years and after that it was open for tourism purposes. The name Mubare was derived from the name of the hills which Mubare gorilla family was first sighted.
Mubare gorilla group was first led by a silverback Ruhondeza who unfortunately died after falling off from the tree. By the time of his death, Ruhondeza has stayed alone for some time because he lost all his members to another silverback called Malaya since he couldn’t fight well and protect the members because of the injuries.
When Malaya took over the leadership of Mubare gorilla family, he killed all the juveniles and infants of the group so that he would gain control of the females. When the females saw that Malaya had killed the babies they also tried to move away from the group but he kept on following them and brought them to the group. The females that had joined other groups were also brought back to his family.
Kanyonyi is now the dominant silverback of Mubare gorilla group in Buhoma sector of Bwindi gorilla park. In his regime, he has managed to increase the family members to 13. At the start of the habituation process, Mubare gorilla family had 12 members but the numbers of the family changed due to new deaths, births, and other members going to other families.
Tracking Mubare gorilla group
Being the oldest gorilla family in Bwindi gorilla park, most of the travelers want to trek this gorilla group and spend some time it’s members. The maximum number of people to trek Mubare gorilla family in a single day is 8. The day starts with a briefing at the sector offices where trekkers do gather to listen to the rules and regulations of the trekking activity. The treks are led by armed ranger guides who know well the trekking trails in the park.
Searching Mubare gorilla group can take 2-7 hours and the time taken depends on the location of mountain gorillas as well as the speed of trekkers. During the whole trekkers, there are chances of meeting several mammals, primates, and birds in the jungle. When the members of Mubare gorilla group are located, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around them learn about their habits, take photos and enjoy them do daily activities such as nesting, hunting, climbing, eating, coupling and breastfeeding among others.
Do I need a permit to trek Mubare gorilla family?
Yes, the trekking Mubare gorilla family needs one to have a gorilla trekking permit. The gorilla trekking permit is a document issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority to allow you trek any of the gorilla group in the park. The gorilla trekking permits for Mubare gorilla group are sold to children above the age of 15 years old and each gorilla permit costs $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents, and UGX250,000 citizens of East Africa
“Kanyonyi” Mubare dominant Silverback
How to book a gorilla trekking permit for Mubare gorilla family
Travelers intending to visit Bwindi gorilla park and trek the mountain gorillas of Mubare gorilla group can book the trekking permits using Uganda Wildlife Authority website or any trusted local tour operators. What you have to do is write an email containing the dates of the months and year you want to travel and send them to Uganda Wildlife Authority or a trusted local tour operator. You should also include Mubare as the gorilla family you want to trek and using these dates, they will check for availability of the trekking permits for that family and if they are available, they will send you an email containing banking details. Once you are done sending the money, they will book a permit for you and then send you a scanned copy.
What to pack for Mubare gorilla group?
While coming to Bwindi gorilla park to trek members of Mubare gorilla group, we advise you to come well prepared with all the necessary equipment in order to have the best of the safari. Some of the things you need to have an amaizing gorilla safari include waterproof hiking shoes, cotton stocks, a pair of gaiters, a rain jacket, sweater, long-sleeved pants, long-sleeved shirts, a hat, sunscreen, a light backpack, drinking water bottle, energy-giving snacks, a camera and a pair of binoculars.
When to trek Mubare gorilla group?
Mubare gorilla group is up for trekking each day of the year but there are times better than others. The dry months that happen in June to September and December to February are the best for trekking Mubare gorilla family in Buhoma sector because they are characterized by little or no rainfall which means the trekking trails are dry, the vegetation is thin with clear views of the gorilla, and the roads leading to the park are passable.
Travelers can still trek members of Mubare gorilla family together with other gorilla groups in Buhoma sector in the rainy season of March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. However during the rainy season, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the gorillas, photography isn’t clear and the roads leading to the park are impassable.
Bird watching a long Buhoma trail
Activities to do after trekking Mubare gorilla family
Nature walks: After trekking Mubare gorilla family in your free time, you can decide to have nature walk activities around the lodge or park. The nature walk activities in Buhoma region are done to help travelers explore the park on foot. The nature walks in this region are guided to show the tourists the best routes as well as protect them from dangerous wild animals. During the nature walks, participants are able to encounter park mammals, primates, birds, and vegetation.
Birding: After trekking Mubare group, trekkers that are interested in birding can join other birders and head out to the jungle to look out for over 350 birds that reside in the park. Some of the birds in Buhoma region of Bwindi gorilla park include black bee-eater, African francolin, bar-tailed trogon, mountain yellow warbler, shelly’s greebul, Rwenzori nightjar, grey cuckoo-shrike, dwarf honeyguide, kivu ground thrush, fine banded woodpecker, Rwenzori batis, black-faced rufous warbler, tit hylia, strip-stripped tit, and strange weaver among other.
Batwa cultural visit: A visit to the Batwa community is open for everyone that wants to visit the Batwa community. The activity is led by a Batwa local guide that leads the participants to the homes of the Batwa people that live around the park. A visit to their community gives you an opportunity to interact with the local people and listen to their old stories of how they used to live in Bwindi forest, kill animals for meat, collect honey and gather fruits. The visit will take you to some of the traditional healers that use local medicine to cure illness and in the end, you will be entertained by the traditional local dancers.
