Where are mountain gorillas in Uganda Africa?

Where are mountain gorillas in Uganda Africa? – Bwindi impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga gorilla National Park

Where are mountain gorillas in Uganda Africa? – Uganda’s Mountain Gorillas can be seen in two places in south-western Uganda which are Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park supports almost half of the world’s remaining population of Mountain Gorillas and is the most popular place for Gorilla tracking in Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and has an altitude of between 1,160 and 2,607 metres above sea level.

Buhoma on the northern side of the Forest is the most popular place for tourists who want to participate in Gorilla tracking. On the southern side of Bwindi, Nkuringo and Rushaga also give you access to several gorilla families as well as Ruhija sector in the east of Bwindi forest.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is Uganda’s smallest National Park, measuring just 34 kilometres squared. This compact National Park is home to one habituated Gorilla family. Mgahinga is part of the larger Virunga Conservation Area which incorporates a total of 434 kilometres squared of volcanic mountains that link Uganda with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

How many Gorilla families are there to track in Uganda?

There are many Gorilla families in Uganda but only a small number have been habituated for Gorilla tracking experience. Habituation means the animals have got used to the presence of humans.  This is a process that takes between 2-3 years.

Uganda has a dozen habituated Gorilla families meaning Uganda has more tracking permits available every day than Rwanda has.

There are five habituated Gorilla families in Buhoma the northern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with the sixth one which is still under the process of habituation. The Mubare, Habinyanja, Katwe, Muyambi and Rushagura Gorilla families live in thick tropical rainforest ready for tracking every day.

The Oruzogo, Mukiza, Kyaguliro and Bitukura Gorilla families are in the Ruhija the eastern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

In southern sector of Bwindi forest in Nkuringo you will find the Nkuringo family (adjacent to the place of the same name), Christmas and Bushaho Gorilla families ready to trek on a daily basis.  In Rushaga another sector in the south of Bwindi forest you will find the Nshongi, Kahunje, Mishaya, Bweza and Businge Gorilla families ready to visit.

It’s now possible to track the Nyakagezi habituated Gorilla family, the one Gorilla family in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Since November 2018 the Mgahinga Gorillas have been resident in Uganda for the last four years.  The Uganda Wildlife Authority tells us that the Nyakagezi Gorilla family is one of the most entertaining Gorilla families to track. It has a higher than average number of Silverbacks in the family.Contact Great Adventure Safaris for detailed information about where are mountain gorillas in Uganda Africa and booking gorilla trekking safaris.