WHY IS MUBARE GORILLA FAMILY MOST LOVED BY TRAVELERS?

WHY IS MUBARE GORILLA FAMILY MOST LOVED BY TRAVELERS?

Gorilla trekking is one of the most exclusive tourism activities that most travelers never want to miss. One can easily leave out anything else except gorilla trekking in Uganda. But it’s not about trekking any gorilla family, some families simply offer exceptional experiences.

Trekking the gorillas in Uganda is majorly done in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, though some few tourists also trek the gorillas in Mgahinga national park.

Being the prime home for mountain gorillas in Uganda, Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has thirteen habituated gorilla families, all furnishing awesome experiences that no trekker can ever regret. However, some few special ones like Mubare and Rushegura gorilla families offer extreme thrilling encounters that cannot easily be forgotten.

Basing on the reports from the previous trekkers, gorilla monitoring team plus the guides and park rangers, Mubare gorilla family is one of the most interesting families that a trekker can ever trek. Named after the beautiful Mubare hills where the group resides in Buhoma gorilla region, it was the first gorilla family to be habituated in Uganda back in 1998.

The group was first sighted by trackers around Mubare hills. By then it was led by the late Ruhondeza who passed on in 2013 after a fight with a black back that wanted to take over the leadership. Ruhondeza surrendered and quit the family and found dead later on.

Ruhondeza was a jealousy silverback that would kill any suspected black back that wanted to take over. He didn’t groom any successor even when he was aging. The Mubare family group had over 18 gorillas, the family continuously shrunk in number to only five members as Ruhondeza had grown really too old to protect the group very well.

The hardest year for the family was 2009 when it lost three members. One adult female died early that year leaving behind a wee infant of just six months. The group tried to take care of the baby but was also found dead one morning in Ruhondeza’s bed.

In 2012, the group was attacked by a wild un habituated gorilla that defeated Ruhondeza and took away some females from the group. This really frustrated Ruhondeza and surrendered the leadership of the group. He took refuge in the nearby community forest. Being so much loved in the local community, he was not chased away which made it easy for the Uganda Wildlife Authority to monitor till his death.

Ruhondeza died in sleep and was buried in a very descent way near the Uganda Wildlife Authority headquarters. Visitors trekking gorillas in Buhoma sector can always ask the guide to kindly show them the mighty grave of Ruhondeza the great silverback.

The black back immediately took on and became the dominant silverback, he did several raiding and expanded the group from five to nine members. He has continuously worked very hard to restore back their glory, and perhaps he will expand more the family.

With such a beautiful story behind Mubare gorilla family, a group that nearly collapsed to zero didn’t give up, it is still strong, it is still hospitable, and it is still happy and amazing. This is what makes it different from all other gorilla families. It is one pleasurable group that offers thrilling encounters that create life long memories. It is simply worth visiting.

Some of Mubare’s members are Kanyonyi a black back, an adult female called Kashundwe, a sub adult male; Muyambi, Malaika who is a sub adult female and Kashundwe the infant one.

If In Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, with a chance of choosing which gorilla family to trek, Mubare family is the best way to go for a once in a lifetime encounter with the gorillas.