Encountering Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family

Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family is as of today the only family fully habituated and open mountain gorilla group for tourism Mgahinga national park. This implies that tourists can spend time with this mountain gorilla family because it was trained and now is used to human presence. Mgahinga national park is situated in the southwestern part of Uganda covering a total of 33.7 sq. km. The park Mgahinga protects a few of the mountain gorillas left surviving in the world and the only habituated mountain gorilla family is in this park.

Nyakagezi mountain gorillas used to move to areas of Virunga national park and Volcanoes national park but as we speak today the family only lives in Mgahinga national park of Uganda. Nyakagezi mountain gorilla group is the best family to trek if you hate overcrowding in the park because it’s the only family in the park and it’s trekked by only 8 people.

Members of Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family

Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family comprises 10 members and it’s on record that it has the highest number of silverbacks. Nyakagezi family has 4 silverbacks, 2 adult females, 2 black backs, 1 infant, and 2 juveniles. When the family was just habituated, Bugingo the eldest silverback was the leader but as of today, Mark is the dominant silverback.

Booking gorilla permits for Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family

Africa adventure vacations Limited is licensed to carry out tourism-related activities in Uganda so if you are out there planning to trek mountain gorillas in Mgahinga just contact us. All we expect from you are the travel dates that you are likely to be in the park and we shall use these dates to check for the availability of the permits.

Once we find the Nyakagezi permits available, we shall send you an email containing different ways of how you can send permit money and after receiving it, we shall go ahead and book the permit for you. there are only 8 mountain gorilla trekking permits in Mgahinga and to be on the safe side, we advise you to book the permit in advance of 3-4 months to avoid inconveniences.

Trekking Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family

On the day of trekking, all those expected to trek the Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family will be expected to be at the briefing center very early in the morning to get a briefing from the rangers at 8 am. After the briefing, the trekkers which won’t be exceeding 8 will be led by the ranger guide through different park trails to look for Nyakagezi.

While searching, these trekkers have chances of meeting different animals of Mgahinga such as golden monkeys, elephants, hyenas, bushbucks, baboons, giant forest hogs, birds, and different bird species. On meeting Nyakagezi, one hour will be given to trekkers to be around this gorilla family, and during this period, they are able to see members couple, breastfeed, hunt, patrol, nest as they take photos and learn more about their habits.

How much is a permit for Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family?

Tourists need to know that to trek Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family, you need to possess a valid mountain gorilla trekking permit from a trusted local tour operator such as Africa Adventure Vacations limited. The gorilla permits are issued and printed out by Uganda Wildlife Revenue at a fee of $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents and for East Africans it’s ugshs250,000.

The trekking permits allow a trekker to be around mountain gorillas for 1 hour and come with a park entrance fee and ranger guide fee paid. If you are intending to visit Nyakagezi mountain gorilla group, know that only 8 permits are available for sale every day and so you need to book in advance of 3-4 months to be part of the trekkers on the day you want to watch them in their natural habitats.

The most appropriate time to visit Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family

Nyakagezi gorilla family is open for trekking at any time of the year but there are some days better than the rest that you need to visit this peaceful habituated family. The drier months are the best to visit Nyakagezi mountain gorilla group and these occur in June to October and December to February. During these months there is little and sometimes no rainfall in Mgahinga national park, with little or no rainfall at all, the trekking trails are dry and less muddy, the vegetation is thin giving clear views of the mountain gorillas and the roads leading to the park are passable.

Tourists can also visit Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family in the rainy season and this happens from March to May and October to November. What makes these months not the best for trekking Nyakagezi is the too much rainfall during these months, the vegetation is always thick hence unclear views of the animals and the roads to the park are in bad conditions.

When to stay before or after trekking Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family?

After booking and securing yourself a gorilla trekking permit for Nyakagezi mountain gorilla group, I know you ask yourself about where you will spend a night or nights. Well, Mgahinga national park has several accommodation facilities ranging from budget to mid-range to luxury options where travelers can stay during the safari to the park.

Some of the accommodations in Mgahinga national park include Gorilla Heights Lodge, Lake Chahafi Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Gahinga Lodge, Travellers Rest Hotel, Air Land Hotel, Muhabura Motel, Lake Chahafi Resort, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Lake Mulehe Lodge, Mondi Lodge Kisoro, Muhabura Climbers Rest Camp, Virunga Campsite and Backpackers, Sabyinyo Guest House, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, and Gorilla Hills Eco-Lodge among others.

Accessing Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family

Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family is found in Mgahinga national park and this can be accessed by road transport or air transport. Travelers can access Nyakagezi mountain gorilla group in Mgahinga from Kampala/Entebbe via Masaka – Mbarara – Kabale to Kisoro with the journey taking 8-9 hours of beautiful views of the surroundings, smiling people, rolling hills to mention but a few.

Tourists can also trek Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family in Mgahinga from Kigali city of Rwanda using Cyanika border in Kisoro which takes only 4-5 hours. luxury travelers can book with Africa Adventure vacations limited flights to Mgahinga national park and trek Nyakagezi mountain gorilla group. The flights to see Nyakagezi family begin from Kajjasni airstrip or Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airstrip where our driver guide will be ready to pick you and take you to the lodge.

What to pack for Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family?

Tourists coming to trek mountain gorillas of Nyakagezi group with their permits and safari booked already must know that to have a memorable safari with mountain gorillas in Mgahinga you will need to come fully prepared. There are certain things you need to include on your packing list and these include a good quality camera and accompanying equipment, waterproof hiking shoes, a pair of gaiters, a pair of binoculars, long-sleeved clothes, insect repellents, a pair of gaiters, gardening gloves, a hat, a rain jacket, face mask, sanitizer, sunscreen, enough drinking water, and energy-giving snacks.