Choosing A Gorilla Family To Trek In Bwindi National Park
May 9, 2026
Choosing A Gorilla Family To Trek In Bwindi National Park
Choosing a gorilla family to trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is very possible, where any individual holding a valid gorilla permit is allowed to choose a gorilla group of their choice depending on interest and physical fitness.
The question of who determines the gorilla family to trek lies with Uganda Wildlife Authority senior ranges who determine exactly which gorilla family you will trek. This decision on the gorilla family you will be assigned too is made on the morning of your trek during the pre-tracking briefing at the sector headquarters in Bwindi impenetrable National Park.
While no single person can select a specific gorilla family when purchasing your permit, the allocation process is highly systematic and considers several factor fields to ensure a safe and successful trek. So specific gorilla allocation only happens on ground while region allocation is done on booking.
How the gorilla family Assignment Process Works
- Your Assigned Sector Sets the Boundaries: When booking your $800 gorilla permit through the Uganda Wildlife Authority or a licensed tour operator like Encounter Africa safaris, you must choose one of four trekking regionss: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, or Nkuringo. You can only be assigned to a gorilla trekking family that resident within that particular region.
- Real-Time Scout Intel and follow-ups: Early every morning on the day of your gorilla trek, advance team of trackers head into the forest to locate where the gorilla families nested the night before. They communicate these precise coordinates back to the park headquarters before your briefing ends.
- Physical Fitness and Age: Wardens group holidaymakers into teams of up to eight people based heavily on physical capabilities. Elders or individuals with limited fitness are intentionally assigned to families currently located closer to the park boundaries. Those seeking a rigorous hiking challenge are assigned to families deep in the mountainous terrain.
- Personal Requests: If you or your tour guide voice a preference during the morning briefing—such as wanting to see a exceptionally large family or desiring a shorter trek—the park wardens will try their best to accommodate your request, though it is never guaranteed
Our Popular Safaris in Bwindi National Park
3 Day Uganda Gorilla trekking tour
4 Day Gorilla trekking and Golden monkey safari
5 Day gorillas and game safari
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the world's leading gorilla park when it comes to habituated gorilla families that can be visited by tourists. Currently, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has 28 habituated gorilla families spread across the four sectors of the park.
Some of these gorilla families are in Ruhija, Buhoma, then Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Ruhija region is the east and has gorilla families for research and gorilla trekking while Rushaga and Nkuringo located in the south has both gorilla families for normal gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experience.
Buhoma sector located in the northern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, has gorilla families for trekking and its here that gorilla trekking started in 1993 when Mubare gorilla group was officially opened to the first group of tourists.
Key factors about Gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
As earlier noted, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has many habituated gorilla families located in different sectors of the park. Because of this, different gorilla families differ from one another as follows.
Families with young ones
While in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you will discover from records that some gorilla families have more young gorillas than others. So if you are a person who is interested in visiting a gorilla family that has more young gorillas, feel free to ask at the time of booking or the day of your trek.
Gorilla families with more silverbacks
There gorilla families with more silverbacks so if you are interested in searching for gorilla families, it is better to tell us at the time of booking so that we research on which family and sector is suited for your needs.
Gorilla families with many members
Bwindi has gorilla families with both few and many members. If you are interested in a family with many members, don’t worry, park authorities will assign you a gorilla family with many members in the sector of Bwindi you will be visiting.
A gorilla family closer to the starting point.
Some people prefer a shorter trek, possibly due to their physical inabilities. This is very possible to get if you request for it during the briefing. This is possible because the movement of gorillas is constantly being monitored by trackers, and you will be assigned to a gorilla family that will be near you at the time of briefing.
Gorilla families far away from the starting point.
For those people looking for a longer gorilla trek and more challenging treks, the southern part of Bwindi is best for you. Most gorilla families in Rushaga and Nkuringo are slightly challenging compared to those in Ruhija and Buhoma.
If you hold a gorilla permit for Ruhija and Buhoma and you prefer a more challenging gorilla family, don’t worry, UWA officials will assign you a gorilla family for your course, depending on where these gorillas will be at the time of briefing.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CHOOSING A GORILLA FAMILY TO TREK IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
In this paragraph, we try to answer some of the questions about how one can select a gorilla family of his or her choice in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
What is a habituated gorilla family?
A habituated gorilla family is a group of gorillas that have been trained to accept the presence of human beings. The habituation process to train gorillas to get used to the presence of human beings can take from 2 to 3 years, and it is done by a specialized team of rangers and researchers.
Before a family is opened to the public, a mock exercise is conducted to make sure that charging by some individuals is eliminated. Once the mock exercise is completed, the family will be declared fully habituated and opened up for visiting.
Is it possible to choose a gorilla family of my choice?
Yes, it is very possible to choose a gorilla family of your choice if you hold a valid gorilla permit on the day of gorilla trekking. This is done during a briefing where you are free to inform the park authorities briefing you.
Please ask for a gorilla family of your choice and it will be assigned to you. You may request for a gorilla family with young ones, more silverbacks, many members or one that is easy to reach.
When do I request for a gorilla family of my choice?
Requesting or choosing a gorilla family of your choice is mainly done during the briefing. Any gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park starts with a briefing about the dos and don’ts when with gorillas. It's at this point that you can request for a gorilla group of your choice.
Once this is approved, you will be paired with individuals who have similar interests like yours and an assigned guide who will then lead you to the forest to search for it.
Can I request for a gorilla family of my choice at the time of booking?
Yes, you can choose a gorilla family of your choice at the time of booking, especially if you tell us your interest. For example is you want to trek the first gorilla family to be habituated, then we can book you the Mubare gorilla group in Buhoma. So this means that we can book gorilla permits in Buhoma.
If you want gorilla families for research, then we can book you gorilla permits for ruhija, if you are interested in Gorilla habituation experience, then we can book a gorilla habituation permit for Nkuringo and Rushaga.
All in all, any person holding a valid gorilla permit can request a gorilla family of his or her choice on booking or on the day of gorilla trekking in any sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Please contact Encounter Africa safaris for all your gorilla permit booking inquiries and we will make sure that we make arrangements to have your requests sorted.
Encounter Africa safaris operates gorilla and wildlife safaris in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. We have been in operation for more than 15 years, so book with confidence by sending us a WhatsApp message or email, and one of our safari consultants will attend to you.
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