How many people go for the Gorillas every day? – Gorilla tracking experience – Who is allowed to see Gorillas in Bwindi?
How many people go for the gorillas every day? – Uganda the Pearl of Africa and one of the best tourism destinations in Africa is a home to almost half of the World’s total population of endangered Mountain Gorillas. Uganda is a prime destination for Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Located in the extreme south western corner of the country, at the tip of Albertine Rift, these National Parks form one huge conservation area, known as Bwindi-Mgahinga Conservation Area.
Among the two National Parks, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is the largest with a total area of about 331 square kilometres and divided into 4 major Gorilla tracking regions, that is Buhoma sector in the north, Ruhija sector in the East, Rushaga and Nkuringo in the South. Each sector presents a profusion of vibrant Gorilla families which are well habituated and open for tracking every day.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smallest in Uganda, and part of the massive Virunga Conservation Area. This National Park is one of the 3 National Parks that make up Virunga Conservation Area; others are Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Due to its small size, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a home to only one habituated Gorilla family, known as Nyakagezi, which is made up of 10 members open for trekking daily. Mountain Gorilla tracking activity remains a highly restricted venture with visits controlled to only 8 individuals per Gorilla family per day.
Gorilla tracking permits are issued for travellers on a first come first serve and without which one cannot access any Gorilla family for tracking. Gorilla permits in Uganda are only issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority, a government body that is in charge of conservation and preservation of all protected areas in Uganda. Alternatively, Great Adventure Safaris can help book Gorilla trekking permits on behalf of our clients.
Each Gorilla permit is valid for a day of Gorilla tracking between 1-9 hours depending on the time taken to find a particular Gorilla family allocated to you. A Gorilla permit allows one to access one Gorilla family and spends with it a maximum of 1 hour of photography and observing. Uganda Gorilla permits are highly demanded and therefore advance booking is crucial especially in high season months of June – October and December to February.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is home to over 550 Mountain Gorillas, more than any other Gorilla destination in the world. There are19 habituated Gorilla families that can be visited on a daily basis. This implies that 144 people go for Gorilla tracking per day throughout the 4 Gorilla tracking sectors in Bwindi Forest. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park on the other hand is home to only one Gorilla family, and therefore 8 people visit the Nyakagezi habituated Gorilla family every day which makes a total of 152 people who go for Gorilla tracking in Uganda daily.