Did you know that the Kwitonda gorilla family is one of the 12 habituated gorilla families in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park?
This gorilla family is located in Volcanoes National Park, northern Rwanda and it got its name from the silverback which formed the group called Kwitonda meaning the humble one. This family migrated from Virunga national park – Congo to volcanoes national park in Rwanda. Volcanoes national park is one of the conservation areas which are located in the Virunga massif and they harbour the endangered mountain gorillas. The park covers an area of 160 square kilometres of rain forest and comprised of five of eight Virunga volcanoes that are [Bisoke, Muhabura, Karisimbi, Gahinga and Sabyinyo].
This means that as the name suggests mountain gorillas, you can find this family between mount. Sabyinyo and Mount. Gahinga. Therefore, the mountain gorillas can be found and live in areas with an altitude of 2300m-4500m.
The group was originally comprised of 18 members with 2 silverbacks when it split from another group in D.R. Congo and now it’s headed by a dominant silverback called Akarevuro. This came after Kwitonda’s death in 2012 at the age of 40 years.
In other gorilla families, the dominant silverback cannot allow the other silverbacks to mate but during the Kwitonda regime, he allowed other silverbacks to mate which created a strong bond in the family. Research says Kwitonda is the gorilla family with the highest number of gorillas comprised of 28 members in Volcanoes National Park.
Therefore, as you plan your gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda, choose the Kwitonda gorilla family where the experience will begin from the lodge immediately after breakfast with a drive to the park offices.
Attend briefing session where several instructions will be given such as trekking rules and regulations – do not feed wild animals, do not dump rubbish in the park, keep a distance of 8 meters from the gorillas, keep on track with the steps and instructions of the guide among others, then later be assigned to the group with other 8 visitors to trek Kwitonda gorilla family, checking the gorilla trekking permits among others.
Thereafter, enter the jungle and start searching for these endangered species in their natural habitat. Remember that they stay in the mountains and this means that you have to hike a bit to locate them and on setting your eyes for them, an hour will be allocated to you in front of these beautiful apes as you watch them play, feed, move, communicate and much more while taking memorable photos.
Best time to track Kwitonda gorilla family.
Most tourists wonder when to track this gorilla family and the answer is any day of the year depending on your schedule. Rwanda has two dry and wet seasons, that is to say the dry season starts from June to August and December to mid-March. This is when the roads seem to be passable and the trails in the forest are drier but gorillas tend to move for long distances which makes it more adventurous.
In the wet season of March to May and August to October. The roads and trails become muddy and impassable hence gorillas don’t move to distant places.
Therefore, trekking the Kwitonda gorilla family can be done any time of the year depending on the adventure you would wish to have as long as you book your gorilla trekking permit in advance to avoid disappointments.
Are you a humble tourist and you would like to get connection with Kwitonda gorilla family which is also humble? Book with us a gorilla safari to Rwanda and we shall take you to meet human’s closest cousins?
