Mountain gorillas live in family groups on the forested slopes of Volcanoes National Park. Each gorilla family is usually led by a dominant silverback, who protects the group and decides when and where to move. Families typically include several females, infants, juveniles, and sometimes younger blackback males.
They are highly social animals, spending their days feeding on leaves and bamboo, grooming one another, playing, and resting together.
Every family has its own personality—some are more playful and relaxed, while others are more shy—making each gorilla trek in Rwanda a unique and intimate wildlife experience.
Complete List of Rwanda Gorilla Families in Volcanoes National Park
Agashya Group
Zoo tours are great, but quite boring considering that animals are usually caged and quite domesticated. In contrast, the animals in the parks are totally wild and roam freely. This keeps you guessing, as you can’t tell at what point you will be seeing wildlife. This is one of the things that attracts tourists to Volcanoes National Park, and to this group in particular.
They are adventurous and always on the move to discover the different wonders of the park. As such, the hiking experience to see them is enriched like a treasure hunt, as it treats you to many sights and sounds you would have missed out on.
It could be natural swimming ponds deep inside the park, some critically endangered bird species, footprints of elephants—the list goes on.
The group is currently led by a silverback called Agashya, who had to overthrow Nyakarima before taking over the throne. The family’s population has grown from 13 to 27 members in a space of 8 years.
Sabyinyo Gorilla Family Group
If you wish to encounter gorillas in the wild without going through so much trouble, this group is for you. They like to graze in the easily reachable forest zone of the mountain after which they are named, Mountain Sabyinyo. In seasons when food is scarce here, they don’t go very far.
Rather, they hang around the lower slopes of the bamboo zone. This preference for less bushy settings makes it easy to take their pictures as they go about their normal wild lives. The group is headed by Guhonda silverback and has 12 members.
Titus Family
It is believed that no other gorilla group had such a special place in the heart of Dian Fossey as the Titus. This is partly because they shared a lot in common. Like her, this gorilla, which is comprised of 8 members, went through many low moments, and yes, she witnessed so many of them. For instance, she witnessed how the group leader was born amidst excruciating labour pain by his mother.
He was called Titus. Fossey was also there when his father, brother, and uncle (Digit) were brutally poached. This horrifying incident left the gorilla’s mother and sister very traumatized. Eventually, they found themselves forced to join other families where they were offered security.
In an effort to repopulate his group with the intention of filling up the emptiness that was brought by the death of his father and uncle, Titus fathered 20 babies with the five females in his group and lots from others.
By the time of his death in September 2009 (at the age of 35), Titus had been overthrown by his son, Kuryama, the incumbent King of the Titus Monarchy. The group is based on the eastern slopes of the Karisoke volcano, not so far from the grave of their Godmother, Dian Fossey.
Titus’ uncle, Digit, is the famous gorilla that was featured in the documentary about Dian Fossey, Gorillas in the Mist. More to that, he is one of the main characters featured in “The Gorilla King,” a documentary film by the BBC that took 2008 by storm.
Amahoro Gorilla Group
Every year, Rwanda organises Kwita Izina, a global conservation event in which gorillas are named according to their characters. During the second edition in 2005, this group was named Amahoro. It’s a word in the Kinyarwanda language that means someone or something whose peacefulness is profoundly inspiring.
Indeed, the 18 members of this group are true ambassadors of peace. They are very tolerant of tourists and only put up a fight when they are in fear that they are in danger.
To avoid any trouble with its group leader, Ubumwe, don’t look directly in his eyes. Like most silverbacks, it makes him feel like you want to challenge his authority. The last gorilla that did this got a beating of a lifetime. He is called Umubano.
The Amahoro group comprises 2 blackbacks, 5 infant gorillas, 4 juveniles, 2 silverbacks, and four adult mothers.
Susa A Group
Not every good thing that happens once in a lifetime is welcomed. In mountain gorillas, the birth of twins isn’t that exciting to the mother because it means entering into a stressful phase of caregiving.
In this regard, when a mountain gorilla gives birth to twins, it usually abandons one of the infants. Ironically, a mother in this group of 33 members did otherwise. She has defied the odds to mother both of her cheerful twins, Impano and Byishimo.
This is one of the things that makes this group one in a million. 10 years ago, the group had one of the biggest populations in Volcanoes National Park, boasting 42 members. 9 of its defiant members split off to form the Susa B group, also known as the Karisimbi group.
Umubano Group
This group has 13 individuals: one silverback, a blackback, six infants, and three adult females. It was formed by Charles, a dominant silverback who was tired of the unending fights in the Amahoro group. This followed lots of invasions by rival gorillas.
Accordingly, Charles persuaded twelve like-minded gorillas to join him in forming a family that believes in other ways of solving problems apart from violence. That’s how the group came to be called Umubano, a word in the Kinyarwanda language which means living together in harmony.
Susa B — Also Known as the Karisimbi Group
Since their split from the Susa A group in 2008, this group’s population has grown from 9 to 15. This is thanks to the multiple births they have registered.
They live in the higher ranges of Mountain Karisimbi, Rwanda’s highest mountain (4,507M). This is one of the things that makes visiting them more rewarding than most gorilla groups. It entails rising towards the highest point in Rwanda, from where you can take in views of thousands of majestic hills.
Hirwa Gorilla Family
There are two reasons why this group is named after a Kinyarwanda word, which means lucky. For starters, it is one of the only 7 groups in the Virunga region that have twins. This is a big deal considering gorillas depend on big numbers for protection.
The other reason is that no matter the time of the year you visit it, you have a great probability of finding all its 16 members. They have a strong solidarity and always stick together even in the heat of anger.
Their preferred location is Mountain Sabyinyo, where they have been roaming freely since their break-off from the Sabyinyo group and Agashya group some years back.
Kwitonda Group
The group comprises 23 individuals led by Akarevuro, one of the three dominant silverbacks; the other two are Magumu and Kigoma.
Before migrating and settling in the lower slopes of Mt. Sabyinyo and Mt. Gahinga in 2003, the group used to live in Africa’s oldest National Park, Virunga National Park. Then, it was still led by Kwitonda, an adorable silverback that passed on shortly after clocking 40 years in 2012.
The group is named after Kwitonda, as he led his family away from the war-torn zones of Congo. As you walk past community land into the park to see this group, kids will cheerfully wave at you while exclaiming “Abba Mzungo”. It means welcome home, white friend.
Bwenge Group
After being overthrown as head of the Titus group, Titus formed the Beetsme group in 2007. For over 5 years, he ruled with an iron fist and fathered over 20 babies from both within his group and others. One of these babies was Bwenge, an ambitious son who, upon clocking 19 years, led a revolution that led to the formation of this group.
He was followed by two females from his former group and two females from Pablo’s group. Together, they helped him lay a strong foundation for a small kingdom that now boasts 11 members.
They live on the slopes of Mountain Karisoke. The group has so far lost 6 infants, most of whom were victims of fights with other groups.
Ugenda Group
Like identical twins, the 27 gorillas in this group have a very striking resemblance. When you look at their major body features from head to toe, you will spend the next hour trying to tell them apart, but without much luck.
You will be amazed by the perfection with which God created them. Astonishingly, the ranger guides can tell them apart without necessarily seeing them, but by hearing the tone of their vocalizations and rate of heartbeat per minute.
This follows a connection they developed with them since the time of their habituation a few years back. Using this prior exposure, they will identify for you the different individuals and share with you their captivating life stories, highlighting their best and worst moments.
Ugenda is made up of 11 members, including 2 silverbacks.
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