Gorillas are the largest of all primates and top on the African safari wish list. Gorillas are categorized into four subspecies the mountain gorilla, Eastern lowland gorilla, cross river gorilla and the western lowland gorilla.
Mountain gorillas are the widely trekked gorillas and only live in their natural habitats. To see the mountain gorillas, an individual has to visit the wild or their natural habitats where they are conserved and protected.
Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is a subspecies of the eastern gorilla found in the tropical forests of East Africa. Mountain gorillas only live in the forests of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Therefore, for a chance to trek and see the gorillas a trip should be planned to either Uganda, Rwanda or Congo.
Be ready to be fit for the trek and above the age of 15 to be allowed to have the amazingly unique gorilla trekking experience. Vacanza Adventure Safaris will be a great partner to help you customize a perfect gorilla trekking safari in Africa, customized just to suit your interests.
Where to go gorilla trekking in Uganda
Uganda is one of the top gorilla trekking destinations because of the stability in the country and relatively low cost permit in comparison to Congo and Rwanda respectively. It is also only in Uganda where 2 habitats are home to the mountain gorillas, these are Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park located in southwestern Uganda is one single gorilla habitat with about half of the world’s living mountain gorillas. The Bwindi forest covers 331 square kilometers and contains both montane and lowland forest.
Bwindi Forest National Park is home to almost 480 mountain gorillas that is almost half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. About 20 gorilla families are fully habituated and can be trekked on Uganda gorilla safaris.
Bwindi forest is also luckily the only habitat with mountain gorillas that are not fully habituated and can be visited by tourists who would wish to undertake a gorilla habituation experience. With the gorilla habituation, you take about 4 hours in the presence of this gorilla family.
- Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is Uganda’s smallest national park and home to one large mountain gorilla family known as the Nyakagezi gorilla group. A mountain gorilla tracking experience with the Nyakagezi gorilla group is a mazing with the fact that this group is big and social compared to many other gorilla groups.
Mgahinga is also located in the south western part of Uganda and shares the same habitat with the Rwanda’s Volcanoes and Congo’s Virunga National Park. It is a continuum forest on the Virunga mountain ranges.
Where to see Mountain gorillas in Rwanda
- Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park also known as Parc National des Volcans is located on the north-western province of Rwanda in a small town known as Musanze. The park harbors the endangered Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda that are always available for tourists who would love to carry out gorilla trekking tours in Rwanda. Volcanoes National Park borders with Congo’s Virunga National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in south-western Uganda.
Volcanoes National Park has several habituated mountain gorillas and are known to be easier to be trekked than the Bwindi gorilla population. Mountain gorillas of Rwanda are known to move for shorter distances and therefore this makes them easier to trek than those of Bwindi that move for longer distances and make trekking difficult.
Where to see gorillas in Congo
- Virunga National Park
Virunga National Park is the only habitat for mountain gorilla trekking in Congo. Located on the eastern edge of the Congo Basin, this is the world’s second largest tropical rainforest. This is a UNESCO world heritage site and a lot of conservation works are ongoing to ensure the well-being of the mountain gorillas.
This is Africa’s most bio diverse protected area and therefore worth visiting. The park spans about 3,000 square miles. Due to the situation in the country, the park has customized itineraries that you can join in and have a safe gorilla safari in Congo.
Congo’s Virunga National Park has always been affected by instability from guerilla groups as well as eruptions from the Virunga active volcano. Therefore, before planning a trip to the park it is advisable to always contact and know of the status before you visit. Vacanza Adventure Safaris will always ensure you only visit the park when it is safe for you.
