Gorillas are only located and trekked in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are the two parks in Uganda where the endangered Mountain gorillas can be found. Volcanoes National Park is their home in Rwanda and Virunga National Park hosts them in D.R. Congo. Over 1,000 mountain gorillas are spread across the four national parks.
Democratic Republic of Congo stands out as a home to both the mountain and lowland gorilla species. Lowland gorillas which are more in number compared to the mountain gorilla species are found in Kahuzi-Biega National Park in D.R. Congo.
Gorilla Trekking in Uganda.
Experienced in only Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks with nearly half of all mountain gorillas in the world living in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is the most visited and popular. It has over 19 gorilla groups that are fully habituated and hence can be visited. Nyakagezi family, which is the only habituated family in Mgahinga receives the least number of visitors with only 8 tourists per day.
Gorilla trekking is inexpensive in Uganda and only goes for $700 for non-resident foreigners, $600 for resident foreigners and UGX 250,000 for East African Citizens. The permits can be obtained from the Uganda Wildlife Authority in Kampala or from a reputable tour company. With the ease technology brings, they can be purchased from the Uganda Wildlife Authority website.
Most tourists prefer gorilla trekking in Uganda because it is more affordable compared to Rwanda, which is more expensive, and Congo is discouraged because of its consistent insecurity.
It’s a 9-hour drive to these parks from the City Center, however it is only a one-hour flight from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to Kisoro or Kihiihi Airstrip, where you will then be driven to the appropriate location.
Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda.
Carried out in Volcanoes National Park found in Virunga Mountain ranges shared among three nations which include Rwanda, D.R. Congo and Uganda, Mgahinga in Uganda is actually part of the Virunga ranges. Trekking is carried out on the slopes Mount. Karisimbi and Bisoke all close to the Volcanoes National Park.
Trekkers may come across over 150 gorillas who are members of 12 gorilla habituated families during their hike. The oldest habituated gorilla family Karisimbi, one of the first to be released as a result of primatologist Dian Fossey’s work, can be found in Rwanda.
Due of Rwanda’s thorough approach to promoting tourism, gorilla trekking has become a luxurious activity, with permits costing $1500. This amount is intentional because it contributes to the improvement of the lives of locals since luxury hotels built around the park employ them and some of them work as rangers in the park.
The money collected is also used to continue the country’s conservation efforts and activities like buying medicine to treat sick gorillas.
Gorilla Trekking in D.R. Congo.
Experienced in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This park only has a few families that have completed the habituation process, summing up to 8 gorilla families. These are found on Mount Nyiragongo, a well-known active volcano harboring the world’s biggest lava lake. Tourist numbers are low compared to those in Uganda and Rwanda due to security issues. Congo’s tourism industry has been severely impacted by insecurity, despite the fact that incredible tourist attractions like Kahuzi-Biega National Park remain undiscovered. The only difference between the three countries’ gorilla trekking experiences is price. The permits cost $400 in Congo hence they are the least expensive.
700 armed rangers have been deployed within the park to ensure that both tourists and gorillas are protected from rebels. We can say it is the most protected gorilla region among the three nations.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is privileged to also have lowland gorillas, which can be found in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Because lowland gorillas prefer low-altitude habitats, trekking them is less challenging compared to mountain gorillas. The permits cost the same for these species too.
Rules and Regulations guiding gorilla trekkers.
- Only those aged above 15 are allowed to trek gorillas this is so because young kids are irresponsible and usually have flu, colds, chickenpox and mumps that could be easily transmitted to the gorillas.
- An individual should be perfectly healthy since our DNA composition stands at 98% this makes gorillas vulnerable to human diseases therefore one should have transmittable diseases since during treks you get to be close to them.
- Only 8 people are allowed to visit each gorilla group each day
- You need to be physically fit when trekking mountain gorilla because they tend to live at high altitude areas.
- Avoid leaving trash behind while hiking; keep everything and dispose it once you are out of the mountains. This will enable you contribute to the conservation goal.
- Don’t be so loud when approaching the gorillas, this is a sign of attack to them hence it triggers their defense emotions and during the process they might either go further or attack individuals.
- Do not touch the mountain gorillas even though they come closer to you just stay calm or else any sudden movement might be mistaken for aggressiveness.
- Do not take picture with flash light, they may trigger gorillas and make them hostile.
