Trekking Habinyanja gorilla family

Trekking Habinyanja gorilla family: Habinyanja is one of the gorilla groups in Buhoma region in Bwindi gorilla park is one of the 2 national parks in Uganda that harbor mountain gorillas and the other is Mgahinga gorilla ark also found in southwestern Uganda. Bwindi gorilla park harbors more than 600 mountain gorilla individuals that live in different sectors of the park.

Habinyanja gorilla family is found in Buhoma sector of Bwindi gorilla park which is in the south of the park. Habinyanja gorilla family started the habituation process in 1997 and completed in 1999. After 2 years of habituation, Habinyanja gorilla family was open for trekking purposes in Buhoma sector of Bwindi gorilla park.

The name Habinyanja was derived from the local word Nyanja which means the body of water. The group was named so because it was first sighted near the water swamp that is inside Bwindi gorilla park. Habinyanga gorilla family was first led by a silverback called Mugurusi that used to lead about 18 individuals not until its death and another silverback called Rwansigazi took over the leadership of the group.

After Rwansigazi, Mwirima another silverback from the group took over the leadership of Habinyanja gorilla family but later they did not agree and the group had to separate peacefully into two. The one that was led by Rwansigazi remained Habinyanja gorilla family. After a certain period of time, Makara a silverback from the same group took over the leadership of the family. As of today, Habinyanja gorilla group leads 18 mountain gorillas and the number in the group kept on changing due to new deaths, births, and other members leaving the family.

Habinyanja gorilla group

Habinyanja gorilla family can be trekked by 8 people each day, The trekking activity starts with a briefing at the park offices where trekkers are taught about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity. Armed ranger guides lead the trekkers throughout the whole hike taking them through different trails of the park with opportunities of meeting the mammals, primates, birds, and vegetation of the park.

The trekking activity takes 2-7 hours of searching and the time taken to find these mountain gorillas depends on the location of the mountain gorillas, and the speed of the trekkers. Once the members of Habinyanja gorilla family have been spotted, the armed range guides give trekkers 1 hour to be around these apes, watch them do daily activities such as hunting, nesting, feeding, coupling, and much more. They also get an opportunity to record videos and take photos as well as learn about their habits.

A dominant Siverback of Habinyanja gorilla group\

How much are permits for Habinyanja gorilla group?

Gorilla permits for all gorilla families of Bwindi gorilla park cost the same. Habinyanja gorilla family is trekked by a total of 8 people per day. Each of the gorilla trekking permits for this family costs $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 East African citizens. The permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority which is in charge of all national parks in the country.

How to book gorilla trekking permits for Habinyanja gorilla family?

Travelers intending to visit Bwindi gorilla park for Habinyanja gorilla family trekking can book their permits using a trusted local tour operator. All they need to do is send an email containing the dates of the month, year, and the family they want to trek which is Habinyanja gorilla family.  The details will be used to check for the availability of the trekking permits with the Uganda Wildlife Authority and once they are available you will receive an email containing the banking details. When you send the money, your permit will be booked and they will send you a scanned copy.

When to visit Habinyanja gorilla family in buhoma sector

Buhoma sector can be visited at any time of the year to trek members of Habinyanja gorilla family but there are months that are better than the rest. The drier months are the best to trek Habinyanja gorilla group and they happen from June to September and December to February. They are characterized by little or no rainfall that leaves the trekking trails dry, the vegetation in the park is thin with good views of the gorillas and the roads leading to the park are passable.

Travelers most especially the budget travelers can visit Bwindi gorilla park and trek Habinyanja gorilla family in the rainy season to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. However, during the rainy season, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is thick with unclear views of the gorillas, the roads leading to the park are passable and the photography is not so good.

African gray flycatcher ( Melaenornis microrhynchus)

Activities to combine with Habinyanja gorilla trekking safari

Birding: Birding activities in the buhoma region after trekking Habinyanja gorilla group give you an opportunity to encounter over 350 bird species. Some of the birds to watch out for include collared apalis, grauer’s warbler, grey cuckoo-shrike, African green broadbill, kive ground thrush, fine banded woodpecker, montane oriole, African gray flycatcher, strange weaver, regal sunbird, chapin’s flycatcher, blue-headed sunbird, chestnut-throated apalis, short-tailed warbler, dusky twinspot, and Brown-capped weaver among other.

Batwa cultural tour: The Batwa cultural tour is common in Bwindi gorilla park for those that love the African culture. The Batwa pygmies are the shortest people that used to live in the jungles of Bwindi before the government evicted them to conserve the forest and protect mountain gorillas. The Batwa are now found at the boundaries of Bwindi gorilla park and a visit to their communities will give you an opportunity of how they live their day to day life, listen to stories of long ago, visit traditional healers to see how they use local herbs as medicine and get entertained by the traditional dancers.

Nature walk activities: After spending some time with the gorillas of Habinyanja gorilla group, tourists can be part of the nature walk activities that are always carried out in the park. The nature walk activities are normally done to enable tourists to enjoy the park on foot. Nature walk activities in Buhoma sector give travelers an opportunity to meet elephants, buffaloes, duikers, antelopes, monkeys, olive baboons, birds, and vegetation.