Best place to go for gorilla trekking in East Africa : Gorillas are animals that are both primates and apes. They live in the wild in Africa. They are rare and threatened animals that are hard to find, even in zoos and other places where animals are kept in captivity. Gorilla trekking safari is one of the great, unique things to do in Africa that a lot of people from all over the world want to do when they go there. Gorilla trekking safari is a very interesting thing to do in the African jungle, and it offers amazing once-in-a-lifetime experiences. In fact, almost everyone in the world would like to make their once-in-a-lifetime dream come true by going on an awesome gorilla trekking safari.
Where to go gorilla trekking?
Mountain gorillas only live in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda, which are all in Africa. There are only about 880 mountain gorillas left in the world, and they live in three countries in Africa where Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is a home to the half of the mountain gorillas. All of these countries have national parks where mountain gorillas live and offer gorilla trekking safari as an activity.
Gorilla trekking in Uganda.
Uganda has the most mountain gorillas and the best prices for gorilla trekking in Africa. Mountain gorillas only live in two national parks in Uganda. These are Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Forest National Park, which is in the south-western part of Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda is known as the best place to go gorilla hiking because it is home to almost half of the world’s mountain gorillas. About 486 mountain gorillas live in the park, and about 80 mountain gorillas live in Mgahinga Forest National Park.
Bwindi Forest is home to 23 gorilla families that are used to people, while Mgahinga has less mountain gorilla family that is used to people. About four places in the Bwindi forest are used for gorilla trekking safaris. For example, the Buhoma, Nkuringo, Rushaga, and Ruhija sectors. Buhoma is the best and most popular place to go gorilla trekking safari because it has four mountain gorilla families that are used to people.
Uganda is the best place in Africa to go on a safe and cheap gorilla trekking safari. This is because a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda costs only $700 per person, while a similar permit in Rwanda costs $1,500 per person. Gorilla trekking is one of Uganda’s most popular activities, and it brings in a lot of money for the country. To make sure that all tourists who come to Uganda for gorilla trekking are safe, the government has sent in both the military and the tourism police. The tourism police move up and down the park day and night looking for rebels inside and outside the park. They also make sure that all tourists who come to Uganda for a safari are safe while gorilla trekking.
Even though gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi forest involves hiking and climbing wet, muddy, and slick rolling hills and it might require physical fitness to trek a gorilla family because gorillas live in high altitude areas, the adventure activity turns out to be so interesting and gives travelers great memories in the real African forest jungle.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda.
One of Rwanda’s national parks, called Volcanoes National Park, is home to the last mountain gorillas. Rwanda is one of a few African countries that still has mountain gorillas. Volcanoes National Park is part of the volcano massif protection area, which also includes Virunga National Park in Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The Volcanoes National Park is in the northern part of Rwanda, in the town of Musanza. The capital city of Kigali is about two hours away by car.
Rwanda was known and ranked for having the best gorilla trekking safaris in the past, before it raised the price of gorilla trekking permits for all foreign nonresidents from 750 USD to 1500 USD per person per day. The country’s gorilla trekking permits are more expensive than those in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so the country can give more expensive gorilla trekking safaris. Uganda is home to 23 habituated gorillas, while Rwanda is home to about 15 groups of habituated gorillas that are open to tourists all year. Some of the mountain gorilla groups that have become used to humans are the Umubano, Amahoro, Agashya, Sabinyo, Karisimbi, Bwenge, Isimbi family, Titus, and others.
Even though the cost of a gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda is high, Rwanda is the best place to go if you only have a short amount of time in Africa and want to go gorilla trekking. This is because it takes about 2 hours to drive from the airport in Kigali to the national park in mountains can. Rwanda is the best place for travelers who want to go on gorilla trekking safaris. Travellers can do the trekking and then get back on their way home in just one day.
Gorilla trekking Congo.
Democratic republic of Congo is another place in Africa where you can go on a gorilla trekking safaris. Mountain gorillas live in one national parks in Congo, such as Virunga national park and Kahuzi Biega national park is a home to lowland eastern gorillas, which are open all year for gorilla tourists. Travellers can only walk with both lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas in Virunga national park in Congo. The mountain gorillas live in the highlands of the park.
Virunga national park is in the eastern part of Congo. It is part of the volcano massif protection area and is home to about 8 habituated gorilla families that can always be visited on a gorilla trekking trip. Some of the gorilla groups that are used to humans are the Lulengo, Humba, Rugendo, Bageni, Kabirizi, and others.
Lowland gorillas can only be seen in Kahuzi Biega national park, which is the only place in Africa where tourists can see them. About 5 mountain gorilla families, like the Mpungwe, Mugaruka, Chimanuka, Nganwa, and Bonnani families, live in the park and are used to people.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the only place where you can get the cheapest gorilla trekking permits and the cheapest off-season gorilla safaris. A gorilla trekking pass for Congo costs $400 per person, per day. During the low season, the price drops to $200 per person. A lot of travelers on a budget like to go gorilla trekking in Congo because it has the cheapest gorilla trekking ticket compared to Uganda and Rwanda. This means that you can go gorilla trekking in all seasons.
It is important to know that in all three countries, the gorilla trekking permits allow travelers to spend one hour with the gorillas from the time they meet the gorilla family. Only 8 people are allowed to go on the trek, because gorillas are a critically endangered species.
In all three countries, gorilla trekking permits can be bought at the main offices of the government agencies in charge of tourism, except in Rwanda, where they can be bought online. For all permission bookings and questions, we recommend that travelers book with a safari expert in any of the above countries. They can help you set up your gorilla trekking safari in any of the above countries. We advises people to book their trips at least 6 months in advance because gorilla trekking permits are limited and sell out quickly, especially during the high season when a lot of people come to Africa to go gorilla trekking safari.
What is the best time for gorilla trekking?
For all three countries’ national parks, the best time for gorilla trekking is during the dry season, which is usually called the “peak season.” This is from December to February and from June to October, when it doesn’t rain much and the trails aren’t muddy or slippery. This makes it easy to walk through the natural forest and up and down hills while looking for a gorilla family.
