Top places to see African Mountain Gorillas in the wild – Where can I see gorillas in the wild?
Top places to see African mountain Gorillas in the wild – Mountain gorillas are one of the most visited and protected species of gorillas in the whole world, in Africa, there are four species of gorillas covering eastern and west African highland and lowland forest the other species alongside mountain gorillas include eastern lowland gorillas, western lowland gorillas and cross river gorillas, due to the massive human activities mountain gorillas have been characterized as endangered species and you can only see the mountain gorillas in two east African countries and one west African country
Uganda currently has the largest population of mountain gorillas living in the wild Southwest of the main capital Kampala.
Where to see the African Mountain gorillas in the Wild?
Mountain gorillas are only found in two geographical locations in the whole world and the two geographical regions include Bwindi impenetrable national park found in Uganda and the Virunga massif which is consisting of 3 countries and 3 national parks in the Ugandan side in Mgahinga gorilla national park and on the Rwandan side is the volcanoes national park and on the Democratic Republic of Congo side in Virunga national park which are the only places to see the mountain gorillas
Comparing gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo
Mountain gorillas may look alike physically in the three countries but there are quite a lot of differences in terms of gorilla families, altitude and the geographical location of the three national parks below is the comparison between the 3 countries
Geographical location
Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable national park is located about 480 km from the main capital Kampala, Volcanoes national park is located about 130 km’s from the main capital Kigali and Virunga national park is located 0ver 3000 km from the main capital Kinshasa
This means that Rwanda’s volcanoes national park are the most easily accessible gorilla national park in East Africa followed by Bwindi and Mgahinga a gorilla national park in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga can easily be accessed through Rwanda or connecting a flight between Kinshasa and the Goma city
Gorilla permit prices
When it comes to Gorilla permits the Democratic Republic of Congo has the cheapest gorilla permits at USD 400 permit through the park had been hit by constant rebel attacks followed by Uganda at USD 700 per gorilla permit and Rwanda has the most expensive gorilla permits in East Africa at USD 1500 per gorilla permit
Budget gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda and Rwanda Africa
Difficulty in Trekking
Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have the easiest gorilla treks compared to Uganda and this is because both volcanoes and Virunga national parks are located at the base of the 8 volcanoes of Muhavura, Gahinga, sabinyo, bisoke , Karisimbi, Mikeno, Nyiragongo, and Nyamuragira making it hard for mountain gorillas to go feeding at the heath and moorland areas hence keeping them at the lower forest slopes of the volcanoes unlike Uganda’s Bwindi forest which is entirely dominated by steep hills and deep valleys making the trekking more tedious but adventurous
Gorilla trekking age limit
All the 3 countries have the same age-limited which is set at 15 years and above and those who are below the age of 15 may not be able to acquire Gorilla permits
Accommodation in the gorilla trekking areas
In terms of accommodation facilities in the gorilla trekking areas, Uganda and Rwanda have the most reliable accommodation facilities in the gorilla trekking areas and DR Congo only has two lodges in Virunga national park
Minimum and Maximum number of visitors per group
In all the 3 countries the minimum number is 1 and the maximum number per gorilla family is 8 people and this is due to the fact the mountain gorillas are wild and overcrowding can affect their social life
Gorilla tour package prices
When it comes to how much a gorilla safari will cost in this countries the most affordable gorilla safaris followed by DRC and Rwanda is still the most expensive destination for gorilla trekking
Top things to know before booking a gorilla trekking safari to Africa
Gorilla permits are limited and a booking required for those planning a gorilla trekking safari to Africa and you must also know that gorilla permits are guaranteed after payments are made to the national park
Gorilla trekking may require a physical fitness level as the mountain gorillas live the mountainous rain forests and clients during gorilla trekking may expect to go up or down
No company sells gorilla permits but companies only help client’s book gorilla permits with the national park bodies that are responsible for selling and allocating gorilla permits like Uganda wildlife Authority, Rwanda development board
Cancellation of gorilla permits is very complicated and clients must contact Great adventure safaris for updated information about canceling a gorilla permit in Uganda, Rwanda, or the Democratic Republic of Congo
Best time to see the African mountain gorillas in the Wild
The best time to see Mountain gorillas in Africa is usually during the dry season when there is less or no rainfall and the trails are drier making the trekking in the forest easier and the best months would be from June to September and from December to February. Contact Great Adventure safaris now if you have any questions about the top places to see African mountain Gorillas in the wild and we can help you organize a tailor-made safari in Uganda and Rwanda.
