Rushaga Gorilla Groups & Gorilla Permits

Rushaga Gorilla Groups are families of gorillas that find their home in Bwindi’s Rushaga region that is systematically located in the southern region of Bwind Impenetrable National Park. This section of Bwindi was established in 2009 for Gorilla trekking and is known to have the largest number of habituated mountain gorilla families or groups.

In Rushaga there are five mountain Gorilla families namely Nshongi, Kahungye, Mishaya, Busingye and Bweza. There are 40 individuals in this region and it is the most focused gorilla trekking site for tourists who want to track mountain gorilla at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The Rushaga region is one of the most selected Bwindi tourist destination simply because it is a short distance from Kigali Airport to the region for trackers who choose to fly to Rwanda because of the tedious journey from Entebbe Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Rushaga Gorilla Permits

Another notable factor is that, the Rushaga region is the best place for gorilla habituation for trackers who want to spend more time with the Gorillas. Rushaga is the leading destination for Gorilla tracking at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Gorilla habituation at Bwindi is 1,500 USD ( 4 hours) while gorilla trekking is 600 USD (1 hour) with the Mountain Gorillas.

Rushaga Gorilla Groups

Nshongi Group

Named after River Nshongi, this used to be the biggest gorilla group ever habituated (until Oruzogo took on the mantle) and contains the largest silverback in the park (who is also one of the younger silverback within the group).

Mishaya Group

This family was originally a splinter group from Nshongi group and is led by the silverback called Mishaya. There are currently no male blackbacks in this group, so Mishaya currently faces no challenges when it comes to his harem of females.

 Kahungye Group

One of the most strong and lively families in southern Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Kahungye were introduced as a newly habituated gorilla family in 2011. They have rapidly gained a reputation for being one of the most fun groups to track with their acrobatic antics and wide range of ages within the group entertaining visitors.

Busingye Group

Busingye was established at Bwindi Impentrable National Park in 2012 when the group cleaved from Kahungye, formed a new group of habituated gorillas in the Rushaga sector. This group consists of seven individuals with one silverback.

Bwesa Group

Bwesa is another recent cleaved group, this time from Nshongi family, and is therefore often reached by leaving the Rushaga ranger post on foot. As with Busingye, the permits are issued locally to the park, this group consists of seven individuals and one silverback.

Where to stay in Rushaga region

At Rushaga there are many options of lodging with a variety of lodging facility namely; Gorilla Safari Lodge (luxury),  Moderate lodges include Rushaga Gorilla Camp and Gorilla Valley Lodge.

Book with us so we can plan for you  a remarkable encounter with the Mountain Gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda.