Kyaguriro Gorilla Family
Kyaguriro Gorilla Family: Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is one of the most visited tourism destinations in the world, tourists can trek mountain gorillas in any of the four areas of Bwindi impenetrable national park, his park is situated in the south western part of Uganda.
The Kyaguriro mountain gorilla family is one of the gorilla families habituated in the Ruhija area of Bwindi impenetrable national park, the group was habituated in 1995 but not for tourism because it was first habituated to research and study by institute of evolutionary anthropology.
The family was first dominated by Zeus a Silverback who died in exile and banished by Rukina. Rukina who fought with Mukiza who grabbed some members to form his own gorilla family, this young Silverback dominated the family until he was ambushed by a silver back from the Bitukura family and this made the family to split.
When the Kyaguriro gorilla family split, it led to the formation of two groups that is Kyaguriro A and Kyaguriro B. The Kyaguriro gorilla family B is still used for research purposes to enable the learning of more about the endangered mountain gorillas.
The other habituated gorilla groups that can be trekked by tourists in the Ruhija area of Bwindi include;
Oruzogo gorilla family
The Oruzogo gorilla family is dominated by a Silverback known as “ Tibirikwata”. This gorilla family was opened up for tourism in the 20th of June 2011. The group is one of the most visited gorilla families in Bwindi because there are many juveniles hence the group is lively and playful.
Bitukura gorilla family
This gorilla family was the easiest group to be habituated in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, the gorilla habituation experience normally takes about 2 years but this family only took 15 months and it was ready for tourism. The name Bitukura is derived from a river in which the family was first sighted.
Bwindi impenetrable forest national park also offers birding opportunities for bird lovers, tourists can spot many species of birds from the 350 birds in the park some of the birds found in Bwindi are Gruels rush warbler, bar tailed trogon, honey guide, blue monarch short tailed warbler, yellow eyed black fly catcher, Kivu ground thrush and many more.
Nature guided walks can also be taken within the forest in various trails, exposing tourists to various primates, birds, panoramic views, moths, tree species, butterfly species and so much more.
Tourists visiting the Ruhija area of Bwindi can sleep in lodges such as Gorilla forest camp,cuckoo land tented camp, Ruhija gorilla safari lodge, Ruhija gorilla mist camp, trekkers tavern cottages, gift of nature lodge and Ruhija gorilla resort to mention a few.
Gorilla permits cost $600 and the maximum age for trekking g gorillas in Uganda is 15 years old, an hour of observation is given to tourists immediately after finding the mountain gorillas.
