BUHOMA GORILLA SECTOR

We cannot talk about the Buhoma gorilla sector without first mentioning Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the best epitome of any gorilla experience in the world as it harbors more than half of the remaining population of mountain gorillas. It was established in 1991 and later declared a UNESCO site in 1994. It covers the districts of Rukungiri, Kisoro, and Kabale with its sheer size of 331 square kilometers. These endangered primate species are social beings living in groups known as gorilla families.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda is a nature haven for endangered mountain gorillas. These primates are endangered because of the few numbers left in the wild. They are only located in East Africa in the Virunga conservation area. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Virunga National Park of DRC are all part of this conservation area. This makes these parks the only places to find the endangered mountain gorillas in the world.

Bwindi alone has over 50 gorilla families and of these 24 are habituated and ready for trekking. Each gorilla family is ruled with an iron fist by a strong male gorilla known as a silverback. The silver fur on the backs of these males is the reason for their name. A gorilla family can have more than one silverback but there is always one dominant male. Silverbacks defend the family from any upraising from internal and external males. The silverback also searches and leads the family to new feeding grounds.

The Buhoma gorilla sector is located in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the southwestern region of Uganda. It is among the four sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Rushaga, Nkuringo, Ruhija, and Buhoma. The Buhoma gorilla sector was the first sector to be formed after the discovery of the first gorilla family in Bwindi. The Buhoma gorilla sector is located in the northern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This sector was established in 1993 following the discovery of the Mubare gorilla family.

The Buhoma gorilla sector has over 5 habituated gorilla families. These families include the following.

Mubare gorilla family

As mentioned earlier, the Mubare gorilla family was the first family to be discovered in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Following the establishment of the park in 1991, the Mubare family was later in 1993 trekked for the first time. The Mubare gorilla family had about 12 members by the time it was trekked. This family was under the leadership of Ruhondeza who was an old and experienced silverback. Ruhondeza later in 2012 June passed away because of old age. The second in command Kanyonyi took over the leadership of the family. He unfortunately led the family for a shorter period than his predecessor after he fell from a tree. Kanyonyi sustained serious injuries that were not fetal but left them very weak and unable to defend the family. Malaya the silverback later was enthroned and took over the family leadership. The Mubare gorilla family has about 9 members currently.

Habinyanja gorilla family

The Habinyanja gorilla family was first sighted close to the water place in the Buhoma sector hence its name. Habinyanja is a local Rukiga word meaning the place of water. This family by the time it was sighted had 25 members. It was under the leadership of Mugurusi who later died because of old age. After his death, there was a power struggle in the family among the old silverbacks Mwirima, Rwansigazi, and Makara. There followed an agreement between Rwansigazi and Mwirima the old silverbacks to share power. This agreement only lasted for a few years until 2002 when they separated. Rwansigazi left with 12 members to begin his family but maintained the family name Habinyanja. Mwirima also started his family and it’s the current Rushegura family.

Rushegura gorilla family

This Rushegura family is a result of an unsettled disagreement between the silverbacks Rwansigazi and Mwirima of the Habinyanja gorilla family. This was after the death of their alpha male and father Mugurusi. When they separated after a failed shared power agreement, these silverbacks left with some members to start their own families. Mwirima left with 7 members and started this beautiful family of Rushegura. Over the years, Mwirima’s Rushegura family had risen to 19 members by his death. A blackback took over the leadership of the Rushegura family since there were no silverbacks when Mwirima died.

Katwe gorilla family

This prestigious gorilla family boosts as the fourth in line on the habituation list of the families in the Buhoma gorilla sector.  The habituation process of this Katwe gorilla family took about 3 years and in 2018 it was concluded and opened for trekking by visitors. This family has about 9 members including 1 silverback, 4 females, 2 blackbacks, and 2 infants.

Muyambi gorilla family

The Muyambi gorilla family just like some of the other families was formed as a result of a break off from the main family of Mubare. After the Mubare family, the first gorilla family grew big, and the silverback Muyambi left peacefully to start his family. By the time it was open for trekking in 2019, it had 6 members. This Muyambi gorilla family ends the list as the newest family to be habituated.

Gorilla trekking and cost of gorilla trekking permits in the Buhoma gorilla sector.

Gorilla trekking in the Buhoma gorilla sector begins early morning by 8 am. Before the trekking, there is always a briefing session that takes about 30 minutes. This briefing involves teaching the visitors about the process of trekking, the rules and regulations, and also the expected code of conduct around the mountain gorillas. This session of briefing is always led by the guide ranger who will escort the visitors on the trekking adventure experience. It is in this briefing that visitors are grouped in groups of 8 people. This is because each gorilla family is trekked by 8 people a day. The trekking process then immediately follows after the briefing. This activity can take visitors some time depending on a particular family to track and the physique of the trekkers. An hour is then given to the visitors to spend with the endangered mountain gorillas immediately after locating them.

The cost of the trekking gorilla permit can vary per the region and nationality of the visitor. Foreign nonresident permits cost USD 800, foreign residents USD 700, and East African citizens and national UGX 370,000 ($100). This money collected in the form of permits is used in the conservation and preservation efforts of these endangered mountain gorillas. Therefore, each visitor who purchases a trekking permit supports the conservation and preservation efforts of the mountain gorillas.