Led by the gigantic Silverback Guhonda, the Sabyinyo gorilla group is found on the foothills of Mount Sabyinyo in Volcanoes National Park. This epic national park is one of the few areas that inhabit the rare and endangered mountain gorillas. It is located in the northwestern corner of Rwanda in the Musanze province and is home to over a quarter of the world’s total population of mountain gorillas.
Volcanoes National Park has a total of 12 mountain gorilla families, and Sabyinyo is one of the first groups to be habituated in this park. The history of the Sabyinyo gorilla family is fascinating and begins all the way back to 1992, following the separation of Group Thirteen and the death of its lead silverback.
When Group Thirteen’s silverback perished, a few adult females (Ijisho, Gukunda, and Kampanga) left with two silverbacks to form a separate group and later joined other females from Group Eleven. These gorillas went on to settle on the slopes of Mount Sabyinyo, thus the name.
The group was originally called Amavubi, a Kinyarwanda word that means “wasps,” because of the difficulty in habituating the family. The group was then composed of three silverbacks, namely Guhonda, Ryango, and Ruhenyi.
The Sabyinyo gorilla family is currently made up of 18 members, including three silverbacks, with Guhonda being the biggest of all silverbacks in the Virunga region, along with several other young and female gorillas.
Trekking the Sabyinyo Family in Volcanoes National Park
The Sabyinyo gorilla group is considered to be the easiest family to track, located only 15 minutes from the park headquarters, though the trek is highly unpredictable and sometimes can take even longer depending on the movement of the family.
The trek to the Sabyinyo family begins with a brief drive from the briefing point, followed by a 10-minute walk on a flat area, and then a hike on the slopes of Mount Sabyinyo in search of the mighty apes.
The group is tracked by a maximum of eight visitors per day, who are accompanied by ranger guides and trackers who are always in the field to monitor the movements of gorillas. Porters are also available for those trekkers who may need help carrying heavy luggage.
An encounter with the Sabyinyo gorilla family in Volcanoes National Park is purely breathtaking and worth all the effort and high costs of a Rwanda gorilla permit. The group is made up of many juveniles and infants who keep rolling up and down as the mighty silverbacks look on for maximum protection.
