Different travelers visiting Uganda for gorilla trekking are Interested in seeing different gorilla families/groups in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park or in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Other travelers want to know which is the best Uganda gorilla family/group to trek. Currently, as of 2024-2025, Uganda has a total number of 23 habituated gorilla families/groups located in both Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga National Park.
Bwindi forest alone has 22 habituated gorilla families groups and 1 gorilla family in Mgahinga national park which makes a total of 23 habituated gorilla families in Uganda for 2024-2025, each gorilla family has only 8 gorilla permits available daily which means Uganda has 184 gorilla permits available per day in both Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Bwindi forest has 4 different gorilla trekking sectors namely the Buhoma sector, Rushaga sector, Ruhija sector, and Nkuringo sector each sector has its own gorilla families/groups and each family in the different sector offers a different difficulty level for trekking that something you may not know but we the local tour operators know and that why we always recommend you to book your gorilla safari through a local tour operator like us Kisoro Tours Uganda who know some of those small things that you will not see on the internet yet very important.
Detailed data of 2024-2025 Uganda habituated gorilla families and groups: – Below is the detailed gorilla trekking sectors in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park with their gorilla families/groups and their names
Buhoma sector is located in the northern part of Bwindi Forest, Buhoma sector is also the park headquarters of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park and is close to Kihihi airstrip which has daily domestic flights from Entebbe International Airport, Buhoma is also close to Queen Elisabeth National Park just about 45 minutes to one hour drive to Ishasha Sector the northern part of Queen Elisabeth National Park. The Buhoma sector can be easily accessible by both road and by air, Buhoma sector is well known because it is where the first gorilla family/group was habituated and open for tourism, the first gorilla to be habituated in Bwindi is called the Mubare family which makes it the oldest habituated gorilla family in Bwindi Forest and currently it is one of the easiest groups to trek. Below is the full list of gorilla families/groups that are found in the Buhoma sector
Ruhija sector is located in the Eastern part of Bwindi and it is closer to Kabale district, Rubanda district, and Lake Bunyonyi, it is about 3 hour’s drive to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Ruhiha sector is also suitable for those travelers who have their Uganda safari itineraries starts or ends in Kigali Rwanda because it’s just about 4 and half hours drive from Kigali International Airport to Ruhija sector via Katuna boarder in Kabale, Ruhija sector is also the highest point of Bwindi forest which makes it the coldest among the 4 sectors of Bwindi. below is the full list of 2024-2025 gorilla families that are found in the Ruhija sector.
Rushaga sector is located in the southern part of Bwindi Forest, Rushaga also has the highest number of habituated gorilla families in Bwindi. Rushaga sector is also the most easily accessed for those travelers who wish to start their Uganda gorilla safari from Kigali Rwanda because it is approximately about 3 to 4 hours drive from Kigali to Rushaga sector through the Cyanika border in Kisoro. Rushaga sector is also very close to both Lake Mutanda and Lake Murehe.
Currently, the Rushaga sector is the only place in the world where tourists and other visitors can take part in the mountain gorilla habituation process so those who wish to spend more time with gorillas can go for gorilla habituation which allows 4 hours with gorillas instead of the normal standard gorilla trekking that allows spending only one hour with them. See below the 2024-2025 full list of Rushaga sector gorilla families/groups and their names.
Nkuringo is also located in the southern region of Bwindi. Nkuringo has fewer habituated gorilla families compared to other sectors. Nkuringo sector can be easily accessed by those who are accessing Uganda via Kigali Rwanda because it is about a 3 to 4 hours drive through the Cyanika border in Kisoro, Nkuringo is close to Lake Mutanda and Lake Murehe, because of the terrain of the Nkuringo sector it is considered as one of the hardest sectors to trek in, Nkuringo has the high altitudes which make hard for travelers during trekking. See below the 2024-2025 list of Nkuringo gorilla families/groups and their names.
Mgahinga gorilla national park is located just about 13 km from Kisoro town on the border of Rwanda and DR-Congo, Mgahinga gorilla national park is the smallest national park in Uganda but it has a lot to offer, Mgahinga has only one gorilla family called Nyakagezi group/family and it is the largest gorilla families in Uganda with 3 silverbacks’ gorillas in one family
Mgahinga gorilla national park is the only place in Uganda and in Africa where you see both golden monkeys and mountain gorillas in one park, for those who love hiking, Mgahing has 3 volcanoes mountains Mount volcano Muhabura which is 4,127 meters above sea level, Mount Gahinga volcano which is 3474 meters above the sea level, Mt Gahinga is the smallest of the 3 volcanoes and it takes about 3 hours to hike to the top and 3 hours to come back, Mount Sabunyo volcano which is 3645 meters above sea level, Mount Sabinyo hiking is one of the top tourist activity to do while on your visit in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and also for one to hike Mt Sabinyo you must a good fitness level because it is not easy, When you hike Mt Sabinyo to the summit (3rd peak) you will get the opportunity to stand in three countries which is Uganda, Rwanda, and DR-Congo using one sing visa fit and
Hiking mount Sabyinyo to the top takes about 7 to 8 hours depending on your hiking speed and fitness level, Hike Mt Sabinyo can only be done in Uganda in a single day and it has no limit on the number of people to hike per day.
Another exciting activity in Mgahinga gorilla national park is both golden monkey habituation and standard trekking, both golden monkeys trekking and habituation experience are not as popular as gorilla trekking so permits are usually available you may not need to book in advance you can easily purchase the permit on the day of trekking