Where to go for Gorilla Trekking in Africa.

Where to go for Gorilla Trekking in Africa: Gorilla Trekking is a unique experience where a group of travellers get to hike up and trek through the thick forests to have a glimpse of what the magical gorillas look like, and also explore their natural habitats. Africa is blessed with four destinations in 3 countries where gorilla trekking takes place, which include Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park, Uganda in both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gorilla trekking in Uganda can be done at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, situated on the southwestern edge of the Rift Valley. Tourists can choose between Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking experiences in a single itinerary, starting from Rwanda, which is about a 4–5-hour drive from Kigali. Mountain Gorillas inhabit Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with several national parks including Mgahinga National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and Virunga National Park. These parks are part of the Albertine Rift in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Uganda Gorilla trekking

Uganda’s gorilla trekking experience takes place in the lush jungles of both Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Park. Mgahinga National Park is part of the Virunga Conservation Area, where it shares the same border with Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mgahinga National Park has only one gorilla family called “Nyakagezi”, other gorilla groups occupy Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with a total population of over 459 individuals. These mountain gorillas are divided into several families or groups, about 23 of which are in Bwindi and visited daily for gorilla trekking, and 1 group is reserved for research and habituation experience.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to four gorilla sectors, including Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo, all with unique and excellent gorilla trekking experiences. A gorilla permit in Uganda costs $800, where 8 people are allocated to each group and are allowed to spend a maximum of 1 hour with the gorillas. More still, Bwindi’s Rushaga sector is the only destination with gorilla habituation experience, which comes at a cost of $1500 for non-foreign residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and UGX 750,000 for citizens of East Africa. Getting to the park from Kampala City, the capital city of Uganda, takes about 9 to 10 hours to reach the park by road, while by flight it takes 1:15 minutes to reach Kihihi Airstrip in the northern part of the park or 1:45minutes to Kisoro Airstrip in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Rwanda Gorilla trekking

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda takes place in the Volcanoes National Park located in the northwestern part of the country, which is 3 hours from Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, at the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The park is home to over 150 habituated mountain gorillas, which are divided into 12 Groups, with over 96 permits sold daily to trekkers.

Rwanda has the oldest habituated mountain gorilla group.  Rwanda is best known for high-end, low-impact tourism, which doubles the cost of Gorilla trekking in Uganda and is four times the cost in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to Rwanda’s government, its tourism strategy tends to attract the most exclusive resorts and promise higher income, including the local communities at the edge of the Volcanoes National Park, home to mountain gorillas.

DRC Gorilla trekking

Following the insurgency in the Democratic Republic of Congo, gorilla trekking was put at a standstill in May 2018. This was justified by the two British travellers who were kidnapped and their guide killed; however, the government was working tirelessly to resume gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park. On the other hand, Congo as a country is still under political instability due to political unrest and wars, especially in the southeastern part of the country in Goma, where Virunga National Park is located. Virunga National Park is the largest and oldest national park in Africa, with the richest biodiversity globally, where visitors can combine gorilla trekking and hiking Mount Nyiragongo to see the boiling lava, mild lava spews, and smoking cone, making it the largest lava lake in the world.

Conclusion

Travellers who are planning gorilla trekking safaris in Africa should always know that the continent offers an exceptional gorilla trekking experience that you will never see anywhere else. Africa as a continent is blessed with unique gorilla trekking destinations, including Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, and the DRC Congo’s Virunga National Park. However, Uganda and Rwanda offer excellent gorilla trekking opportunities due to their political stability and unique destinations, which boast the highest population densities of mountain gorillas.