Best Places to See Gorillas in Africa

Places to See Gorillas in Africa

Gorilla trekking is among the many activities to do during a safari in Africa and the three countries where the gorillas can be seen include Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Apart from gorilla trekking another activity which tourists take part in to interact with the gorillas during a tour is gorilla habituation. Gorilla habituation is a process through which the gorillas are introduced to the human presence in their natural habitat.

Gorillas in Uganda

The best place to see gorillas in Uganda is Bwindi national park and they can also be seen in Mgahinga national park.

Both destinations are located in the south western part of Uganda and a gorilla permit in Uganda costs 700 USD for foreign nonresidents, 600 USD for foreign residents and 250,000 Uganda shillings for East Africans. These gorilla permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

In Bwindi national park, there are 4 sectors where gorillas can be seen during tours in Uganda and they include Rushaga sector, Buhoma sector, Ruhija sector and Nkuringo sector. While in Mgahinga national park has only one gorilla family which is Nyakagezi family.

When visiting Mgahinga national park, the Virunga volcanoes such as Mount Muhabura, Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Gahinga can also be seen. Mgahinga national park is also home to golden monkeys in Uganda.

It is also said that Uganda has half the population of gorillas in the world. Visiting Bwindi national park and Mgahinga national park can be done at anytime of the year and the best time to visit is during the dry season from June to October.

Bwindi national park can be accessed by road and also by flight. The drive from Kampala to Bwindi national park takes about 8 hours. The flight to the national park can be got from Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airstrip and Kihihi airstrip.

The route which is used to access Mgahinga national park during gorilla trekking in Uganda is the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Kabale-Kisoro route. The drive from Kampala to the national park takes about 9 to 10 hours.

Gorillas in Rwanda

Gorillas in Rwanda can be seen during tours to Volcanoes national park located in the north western part of the country.

A gorilla permit in Rwanda costs 1500 USD which is costlier as compared to a gorilla permit in Uganda and also in Congo. the gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda involves searching for the gorillas around the bamboo covered slopes in their natural habitat.

There are 12 gorilla families which can be seen in Volcanoes national park and they include Susa, Igisha, Karisimbi, Sabyinyo, Amahoro, Agashya, Kwitonda, Umubano, Hirwa, Bwenge, Ugyenda and Muhoza. Each of these gorilla families is led by a dominant silverback which takes care of the members of the group.

The briefing point for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park is the kinigi park headquarters. Briefing is done before tourists engage in gorilla trekking with their ranger guides to search for the gorillas.

Gorilla trekking is done in groups of 8 and each group treks a specific gorilla family in a day. However, individuals below the age of 15 years are not allowed to engage in gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park.

Apart from gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park, other activities to do include volcano hiking, golden monkey trekking, cultural tours, the Dian Fossey experience and also visiting the twin lakes which are Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo.

Volcanoes national park is located about 2 hours drive from Kigali which makes it a convenient destination during tours to Rwanda.

Gorillas in Congo

Another location where gorillas in Africa can be seen is in Virunga national park located in eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo.

A gorilla permit in Congo costs 400 USD per person and Virunga national park is considered the cheapest location for gorilla trekking as compared to Rwanda gorilla trekking and Uganda gorilla trekking.

There are 10 gorilla families in Virunga national park and they include Bageni gorilla group, Kabirizi group, Nyakamwe group, Munyaga group, Rugendo group, Lulengo group, Mapuwa group, Baraka group and Wilungula group. Eight of these gorilla families are habituated for tourism purposes while Baraka gorilla family and Wilungula gorilla family are still in the final stages of habituation.

Other activities apart from gorilla trekking which can be done during tours to Virunga national park in Democratic Republic of Congo include chimpanzee trekking, guided nature walks, climbing Mount Nyiragongo.

What all the gorilla trekking destinations in Africa have in common include that 1 hour is spent with the gorillas, 8 people are allowed to trek the gorillas, the minimum age of gorilla trekking is 15 years.

The best time for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park, Bwindi national park, Mgahinga national park and Virunga national park is during the dry season from June to October and also from December to February. However, tourists can see gorillas during other times of the month including the rainy season in March, April and May and also in November.

There are some differences between the seasons of travel including that in the dry season more tourists travel and it is considered a high season while the rainy season is a low season with fewer tourists taking part in gorilla trekking in the different destinations.

Visit Uganda, Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of Congo for an exciting gorilla trekking experience throughout the year.

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