Bageni gorilla family is situated in the Virunga national park of DR Congo. Virunga national park is the only park in DR Congo where you can trek remaining population of mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. The park is situated in the north-eastern province at the border of Uganda and Rwanda.
The park has faced a lot of challenges like poaching, illegal mining, human-wildlife conflicts among others due to its diversity and richness but conservation efforts from the government and non-government organizations have enforced laws and regulations to protest its fame and popularity. This has promoted conservation and uniqueness of this UNESCO designated site.
Virunga Park has different gorilla families and Bageni is the most visited and trekked in the park due to its calmness and location near the park headquarters. Other gorilla families here are Rugendo, Mapuwa, Lulengo, Munyaga, Nyakamwe, Humba and Kabirizi. The gorilla family is well known for having the largest members in a family with 26 individuals headed by Bageni the silverback where group’s name originates. This is the most trekked gorilla family and can be found in Bukima and Gatovu areas.
This gorilla family broke off from the famous Kabirizi gorilla family around 2013 and lead silverback Bageni came with 20 members including Mapendo the mother of Bageni, who later gave birth to twins but unfortunately passed away. The head of the group Bageni has different roles to play on a daily basis and among others include searching for food, offering protection and in charge of all movements every day.
The group has more chances to split into other families and this is because of the presence of many silverbacks in the family that normally cause wrangles. Trekking this family starts with purchasing a gorilla permit in advance which will be followed by a briefing at the park headquarters by the warden or senior guide ranger.
Thereafter alerting you about the security of the park and the dos and don’ts to follow while in the forest, the ranger guide well-armed leads you to the forest. On locating the area where these gorillas spent a night, you will have only an hour in their presence as you take photos and record videos for memories. The whole adventure can take about 2-4 hours while in the forest and this depends on where these gentle giants spent their last night.
Best time to visit Bageni
Are you willing to take a gorilla trekking tour in DR Congo and you are worried about the best time to carry out this safari, never worry at all because DR Congo can be visited all year in and out. Although you are advised to carry your raincoat since no one can predict the weather, insect repellent protect you from insect bites since Congo is a tropical forested area. But the best time to visit the Bageni gorilla family is in the long dry season of May-September and the shorter dry season from December to February. During these months, park roads are easily passable, and the trails are a bit drier than in the wet seasons.
A gorilla safari to D.R. Congo normally begins and ends in Kigali Rwanda with the help of the guide driver crosses Le Grand Barrier in Goma town which is the shortest distance. And there are a lot of accommodation sites in Virunga national park which range from budget, midrange or luxury. Among others are Mikeno lodge, Bukima tented camp, Nyiragongo summit cabins and Kibumba tented camp.
