How Many Gorilla Families Are Available For Gorilla Trekking In Kahuzi Biega National Park?

How Many Gorilla Families Are Available For Gorilla Trekking In Kahuzi Biega National Park? At the moment about 9 gorilla families are noted as living in Kahuzi Biega National Park but about 5 are fully habituated and opened to the public. Kahuzi Biega National Park is located in the eastern area of D.R.Congo and is home to the eastern lowland gorillas. Scientifically, eastern lowland gorillas are called Gorilla Beringei Graueri with larger body structure larger than the rest of the gorilla species.

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To do gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park, you must book a gorilla permit. The gorilla permit is a document that allows you to have at least an hour with a fully habituated gorilla family. To book gorilla permits for Kahuzi Biega National Park, the Virunga Tourism Authority has the responsibility to sell and regulate permits.

Although the maximum number of gorilla permits open to the public per day is a maximum of 8, at the moment about 5 gorilla trekking families are fully open for this adventure. Some of the gorilla families in Kahuzi Biega National Park include Nganwa, chimanuka, Mpungwe, Bonniani, and Mugahuka.

The situation around Kahuzi Biega National Park is quite unstable due to unstable political instability in Eastern D.R.Congo. There are several rebel groups in eastern D.R.Congo, illegal lumbering, mining, poaching, and many more activities. These hinder the conservation of the eastern lowland gorillas and so even the number of gorilla families habituated is still low.

To make the gorilla families in Kahuzi Biega National Park, some gorilla families are habituated. Gorilla habituation is a process by which a wild gorilla family is helped to get used to human presence without altering their nature. The process of gorilla habituation is done by a team of researchers and ranger guides for an unknown period until when they are proven ready for other human visits.

What are the Gorilla Trekking Families For Kahuzi Biega National Park?

At the moment 5 gorilla families are confirmed as residents of Kahuzi Biega National Park. Some of the gorilla families in this national Park include Chimanuka, Mpungwe, Bonniani, Mugahuka

Mugahuka Gorilla Trekking family

This gorilla trekking family gets its name from its dominant silverback Mugahuka. This gorilla family was roughly attacked by the Chimanuka family and lost its members leaving this gorilla family with few members.

The Mugahuka gorilla family may be quicker to locate although they also migrate in case the need arises.

Chimanuka Gorilla trekking family

The Chimanuka gorilla family gets its name from the Chimanuka dominant silverback. It is a charming gorilla family to visit with more than 19 gorilla families trekking. You need to book in advance the gorilla permits for this family because they sell out fast.

 This gorilla family amongst all Eastern lowland gorilla trekking families is the second largest. It has accumulated its family members by raiding other gorilla groups and conquering their members.

 Bonnani gorilla trekking family

Amongst the gorilla trekking families of Kahuzi Biega National Park is one of the newly opened families. This gorilla family is still keenly monitored but very interesting eastern lowland gorilla family.

Mpungwe Gorilla Family

The Mpungwe gorilla family with over 21 members is one of the oldest Eastern lowland gorilla families of Kahuzi Biega National Park. This is so far the largest eastern lowland gorilla family and is very interesting to visit for most tourists who visit this park.

Nganwa Gorilla Trekking family

The Nganwa gorilla family is interesting to visit although it is still newly opened to the public. You need to be ready to walk through the thick jungle and do some hiking to get to this gorilla family.

When Can I Book a Gorilla Trekking Safari for Kahuzi Biega National Park?

The dry season gives a favorable time for the gorilla trekking experience in Kahuzi Biega National Park. Kahuzi Biega National Park is open all year for any safari activity even though June to September and December to early February is a favourable time to do gorilla trekking.

This is the peak tourism season too with high demand for gorilla permits yet they are limited in supply for conservation reasons. The gorillas are intimidated by a large crowd of people in case they are bombarded. This is why the number of people is minimized to a maximum of 8 per visit per gorilla family.

To avoid last-minute disappointment when the lowland gorilla permits sell out, it is best to secure one in advance. Most people book their gorilla permits at least 90 days before the gorilla trek.

Logistics that support gorilla safaris in Kahuzi Biega must be booked in advance because options run low as the season unfolds.

The wet seasons that is March, April, May, and November attract less gorilla permit demand but favor those wishing to have fewer interruptions while with the Eastern lowland gorillas. Fewer people are looking to do gorilla safaris this season but provides time for those with a limited budget to see the eastern lowland gorillas.

How Much Is The Cost Of Gorilla Trekking Permit For Kahuzi Biega National Park?

The cost of a gorilla trekking permit for Kahuzi Biega National Park is currently $450 per person per trek, $250 for international residents, and $25 for Local Congolese. The cost of a gorilla permit includes one hour with the gorillas, park entrance fees, ranger guide fees, gorilla conservation support, and others.

Exclusions in the cost of a gorilla permit are accommodation, transport, tips, and other personal expenses.

How sure can I be to see the Eastern Lowland Gorilla in Kahuzi Biega National Park?

With a stable environment in Eastern D.R.Congo, be sure to see the lowland gorillas. The gorillas live in cohesive families that conquer a particular location for some time until food is proved insufficient. The dominant silverback and other elders of the gorilla family choose to relocate when find new feeding grounds.

Each day a team of ranger guides follow the gorilla families to establish where they may have spent the night and possible hangout spot for the day. These clues are what ranger guides with tourists use to trace the eastern lowland gorillas. 

The ranger guides tourists also follow the trails leading to where the gorilla family was last seen the previous day. They also use the clues left behind by the gorilla family with the help of the tourists. This helps trace the way about the gorilla family.

Is Gorilla Trekking in Kahuzi Biega Challenging?

The topography of the Kahuzi Biega forest has highlands where you have to at times hike before finding these lowland gorillas. This is quite tiring for tourists without fitness.

As fewer people may visit Kahuzi Biega National Park at times, the trails are overgrown and covered by vegetation making the walk through the jungle a challenge. The ranger guide with a machete sometimes has to trim the foliage to create a way.

The ground is often waterlogged from the rains that regularly fall with less sunray penetration to the ground. This is quite challenging to go through, especially for those without safari boots. In case it rains, the ground is boggy and slippery from the decomposing matter.

When the eastern lowland gorillas move in the wilderness, finding them gets challenging especially when they are agitated so you need to bear some level of patience to complete the trek.

 Due to limited sunray penetration, taking photos and filming the gorillas becomes challenging especially when the sun doesn’t shine.

When is the return time from Gorilla Trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park?

From the starting time of the gorilla trek, finding the eastern lowland gorillas may take about 2 hours to more depending on the location of these primates. Finding the gorillas in the wilderness depends on factors like the location of their feeding area, the mood in the forest, weather conditions of the day, the death of a family member, the presence of fellow tourists, and much more. 

You need to bear some level of patience before finding the lowland gorillas but you can also open your mind to seeing other forest inhabitants. Kahuzi Biega forest is a biosphere reserve hosting animals like blue monkeys, black and white colobus, olive baboons, grey-cheeked mangabey, and others. Keen birders have plenty to see including Albertine rift endemics. These keep your mind busy instead of focusing on the gorillas.

Gorillas may get to see you before you trace them so you need to keep in practice all the rules of gorilla trekking. Keep your voice low and wait for the ranger guide to check out the mood of the forest before taking photos. Only one hour is allowed with the eastern lowland gorillas for conservation reasons.

The amount of time with the gorillas during gorilla trekking is minimized to one hour because human presence disrupts the daily life of the gorillas. The gorillas have to breed, groom, play, discipline, feed, and many more activities which may be cut short by the presence of visitors. Even the number of people allowed to do gorilla trekking is minised to 8 tourists to reduce the effects of mass tourism.

After the hour with the gorillas, get away slowly in order not to appear suspicious before the gorilla family.

Is Gorilla Trekking in Kahuzi Biega Safe?

Kahuzi Biega National Park is located in Eastern D.R.Congo in Bukavu with rebel activities. This is a politically unstable area although peace prevails. Each group of tourists is led by ranger guides and other D.R.Congo security bodies that provide peace in this area. 

Every tourist must attend a briefing before the gorilla trek as one of the ways to pass the rules and regulations of this adventure. The gorillas may be serene and calm primates but can charge when agitated. This is why every person must abide by the guidelines of this adventure.

Wear the right safari gear during the gorilla trek in order not to get hurt while you search for the lowland gorillas. Garden gloves protect your palms from the rough surfaces in the jungle like stinging nettles, and sharp surfaces, in case you trip and fall, and much more.

Keep closer to the people trekking gorillas so that you are not lost in the dense jungle. In case you notice something odd in the jungle, do not scream as you may escalate the situation or attract the wrong company. Never enter Kahuzi Biega National Park without an escorting ranger guide.

What Are The Guidelines For Gorilla Trekking In Kahuzi Biega National Park?

• Dumping waste on the way to see the gorillas is forbidden as this alters the nature of the forest where these primates thrive.
• When you locate the lowland gorillas, do not surround them. This makes them feel ambushed.
• Ask the ranger guide to dig a hole of about 30 cm deep in case you wish to do a long call. You need to ever everything beyond recognition.
• The age limit for gorilla trekking in D.R.Congo is 15 years and over because the nature of the topography of Kahuzi Biega National Park is rugged and rough which is quite tiring especially when the gorillas are feeding far away. 
• Volunteer to stay behind in case you catch any communicable infection like coronavirus, flu, cough, or cholera. This is because the mountain gorillas can catch human infections easily. They have a DNA of about 96% to that of humans.
• When you locate the lowland gorillas keep a distance of about 8 meters from them. To reduce the chances of passing a communicable infection to them.
• Never spit on the vegetation because it's food for the eastern lowland gorillas. It is unhealthy and disgusting too.
• Wear a mask and hand sanitize as an after-coronavirus period precaution. You must change into a clean mask as you approach the eastern lowland gorillas.
• When with the gorillas, do not make noise or sudden movement because it may scare them. The gorillas are often scared of unfamiliar noise in their presence.
• Mimicking the lowland gorillas is forbidden as you may not know what you are communicating. These gorillas may be agitated by what you try to imitate.

For any more inquiries, Kindly do not hesitate to contact our team and we will be readily available to assist you.