Habinyanja Gorilla Family
Family size: 18 members including 2 silverbacks
Location: Buhoma
Summary:
The Habinyanja group was first visited by tourists in 1999. The name comes from “Nyanja” which is the local word for ‘body of water’. It refers to the swamp in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where the group was first sighted.
The Habinyanja family features about 18 individuals. This family was habituated around 1997 and by 1999, trekkers had begun to track through it. This was during Mugurusi silverback that was later succeeded by Rwansigazi and then Makara. This group was named after Nyanja a local word that denotes a pool of water as the family was first sighted around the swamp. This area is undeniably one of the endowed tracking sites that you consider visiting while on your mountain gorilla safari in Uganda.
The Habinyanja is a fascinating family with a lot of drama and commotion. This is caused by the power struggles between the dominant silverbacks and fights for the family leadership. The adult females are led by the shrewd alpha female called Kisho.
This word is derived its name from the local word “Nyanja” meaning “body of water.” It was habituated for tourism and visited by trekkers in 1999. Habinyanja denotes to the swamp in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where the family was first sighted.
It is composed of 18 individuals including the two silverbacks. It is an interesting group with a lot of drama and commotion. This is due to the power struggles between the dominant silverback gorillas and fights for the group leadership.
It is not news for such big groups to break, the split makes a new gorilla group and some times can be joined by other individuals rejected by other groups or other solitary gorillas and even when they do, these primates maintain the brotherhood and don’t fight against former group individuals if they meet each other. Tourists trekking this group may take about three to eight hours and it is better if they spent a night at a lodge around Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The adult females are headed by the shred alpha female known Kisho.