Karisimbi Gorilla Group

Karisimbi gorilla group also known as Susa B gorilla group was habituated in 2008 after breaking away from Susa A gorilla family in 2009 and it’s the hardest group to trek in volcanoes national park Rwanda, this gorilla family can be trekked around the slopes of mountain Karisimbi which is the highest peak of the Virunga volcanoes. Susa A was the biggest mountain gorilla family in volcanoes national park with around 42 members and after a bitter split, the group stayed with 26 members inclusive of their silverback.

The group was first named Susa B but later changed its name to Karisimbi in 2010. Karisimbi gorilla family is dominated by Nyagakangaga a very ambitious silverback famous for protecting his family at all times and even leads the group to a higher mountain range if he senses danger, trekking this mountain gorilla family needs open to be physically fit.

Karisimbi mountain gorilla family previously had 15 members but unfortunately, some of the members left the group and joined other members. As of today, this group has 11 members including 4 silverbacks, 1 adult female, 1 black back, and 2 infants.

Karisimbi gorilla family is one of the gorilla groups that are hard to trek. This group leaves near a caldera in mount Karisimbi and some days it can take you up o 7 hours to locate them and on rare occasions when they move to a much higher altitude, it becomes almost impossible to find them. However, you shouldn’t be worried because the park rangers are skilled enough to locate this gorilla family within a short period of time and communicate the exact location to fellow rangers so as to keep them away from trekking long distances.

Susa A gorilla group

Susa A gorilla family initially had 42 members before separating to form Karisimbi Mountain, the gorilla family. Susa gorilla family is one of the gorilla families that Dian Fossey studied during her time in Rwanda, the family is one of the lucky gorilla families with twins Impano and Bwishimo.

Susa mountain gorilla family gets its name from the River Susa that flows near their home range. Susa mountain gorilla family is made up of 33 members with two silverbacks. This one of the hardest mountain gorilla families to trek in volcanoes national park Rwanda, they live on the mountain slopes of Mount Karisimbi.

There are also other 8 mountain gorilla families habituated in volcanoes national park from the above-mentioned families. Tourists can also include other activities such as mountain climbing, cultural encounters, bird watching and so much more in their itinerary while in volcanoes national park.

What to carry for gorilla trekking?

Gorilla trekking is not just any other ordinary activity such as wildlife viewing in savanna national parks while in a car, mountain gorillas live on high elevations which will require physical fitness as you will need to hike to find a gorilla family. You will need to come along with good waterproof hiking shoes as the weather in the rainforests is unpredictable so it can rain at any time of the day, a hat, garden gloves, insect repellents, sunscreen. Enough drinking water, energy-giving snacks, long-sleeved clothes, and much more.

Gorilla permits for Karisimbi gorilla group

You can only be allowed to trek mountain gorillas in volcanoes national park only when you have a valid gorilla permit, gorilla permits cost $1500 per person per trek. As soon as you allocate a gorilla family you are given an hour to observe the gorillas, learn about their habits and take pictures.