Nkuringo Sector is one of the regions in southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where mountain gorillas can be trekked. Nkuringo sector is the most exciting adventurous sector for gorilla trekking in Uganda as it also provides visitors with magnificent views of the Virunga volcanoes.
It should be noted that Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is habitat to almost half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas which are regarded endangered and can be found in only three countries all over the world. The other park that inhabits mountain gorillas in Uganda is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
The park has a total of four sectors other than Nkuringo; which include Buhoma sector in the North, Rushaga sector in the South east and Ruhija sector in the East.
The first family in Nkuringo sector was habituated in 2004 after gorillas in this family were found destroying people’s crops in the neighboring communities. The sector was named after “round hills” which are translated to mean “Nkuringo” where the first gorilla family in this sector was first sighted in the round hills deep in the thick parts of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
GORILLA FAMILIES IN NKURINGO SECTOR
1. Nkuringo family
This is the most exciting family to visit and which many visitors prefer to track. This was the first family to be habituated within the sector and it was headed by Nkuringo who was the dominant silverback with 20 members who included three silver backs. Nkuringo died in 2008 hence turning leadership of the family to Safari however he also mysteriously disappeared.
Rafiki then took over leadership of Nkuringo family but due to the many visits to this group, Rafiki became popular too amongst tourists and to the entire world. Unfortunately, Rafiki was killed by poachers in June 2020. Following the death of Rafiki, a new leader had to emerge and that’s how Rwamutwe took over leadership of Nkuringo family which prompted some gorillas to move to nearby families as they never trusted Rwamutwe’s leadership.
The name “Rwamutwe” is a local word which can be translated as “stubborn or bullheaded”. Nkuringo family is now constituted of 12 members including 4 male blackbacks; Rwamutwe who is the leader, Tabu who is his second in command, Muhoozi and then Kamara, 4 adult females i.e. Nderema, Kwitonda, Furaha and Kuhiirwa together with 4 infants.
Nkuringo family is one of the hardest families to track, so if you’re a seasoned gorilla trekker then this could be the best family to track.
2. Posho
This gorilla family is the newest within Nkuringo sector and until recently it was visited primarily for habituation experience. Posho family has 14 members including silverbacks, adult females and infants all under the leadership of Magara who is the dominant silverback. This family was part of the Nkuringo family but decided to break away.
3. Christmas gorilla family
This is the other gorilla family located in Nkuringo sector, its formation was after its break away from Nkuringo family. This family is headed by the dominant silverback Christmas.
The name Christmas is derived from the day this gorilla was born – on Christmas day while it was part of Nkuringo family. The family was then named after this dominant silver back. Most of the members in this family were initially part of the Nkuringo family with only a few that joined from elsewhere. Currently, Christmas family has 8 members inclusive of a silverback, 2 adult females, a sub adult female, 2 juveniles and 2 infants.
4. Bushaho gorilla family
Bushaho is a local word which is translated to mean “there’s nothing” which was a reference to where this gorilla family was first found. Bushaho was formed by Bahati the dominant silver back who broke away from Nkuringo family after the death of Nkuringo.
The family was then habituated as it had some members who were not habituated before as they weren’t part of the Nkuringo family. This is one of the most exciting families to trek since a dominant silver back enjoys thumping its hands to its chest as a way of showing power and authority.
Bahati does this every time he has an audience as it also hoots and roars threatening noise. The family has up to 12 members including a silver back Bahati, a blackback Kaheru, 5 adult females i.e., Kaitesi, Nyankumu, Buzuru and others, a sub adult female, 2 juveniles and 2 infants.