Seeing mountain gorillas in the wild tropical rain forests of Western Uganda is the most popular activity that brings tourists to this East African nation. For the past 20 years Uganda has become a popular destination for gorilla tracking and thousands of travelers have visited these great apes. Gorilla is one of the most thrilling sights in nature and these beautiful creatures inspire adventurers young and old.
Today Uganda is ranked number one in the world as a destination to experience the thrill of a gorilla safari combined with unrivaled game viewing in non crowded national parks. The magical hour spent with the gorillas in the Ugandan forests doesn’t come cheaply. The gorilla permits currently cost USD 600 per person and per trek. There are also other financial considerations including transportation and accommodation.
Uganda is blessed to host nearly half of the total remaining population of the mountain gorillas within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National and Mgahinga National Park. There are 14 habituated gorilla families open to tourists looking to see the endangered mountain gorillas. Each gorilla group is allocated 8 gorilla permits and therefore Uganda can now offer up to 112 gorilla permits to tourists.
Where to Go Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
There are two national parks in Uganda that have habituated gorilla groups that are open to tourists interested in watching the mountain gorillas in the wild;
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda has thirteen habituated families and the gorillas there live in he thicker tropical forest. Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is more challenging as the hillsides are steeper. You can also go for nature walks to see birds, monkeys and orchids.
Gorilla Safaris and Tours
Many of the visitors to Uganda visit the country mainly to enjoy gorilla trekking in one of the gorilla parks. There are several fully inclusive tour packages that are offered by tour operators. Given the far locations of the gorilla parks, gorilla watching excursions are not possible except short gorilla tours of 3-7 Days focusing on gorilla tracking in Uganda. For those interested in an amazing wildlife safaris, you can combine your mountain gorilla watching tour are exciting optional trips that include chimpanzee tracking, golden monkey tracking, game viewing in savanna national parks and more.
Although mountain gorilla’s sightings can never be guaranteed the one thing you can be sure of is that the local operators we use adhere to our strict guidelines on viewing wildlife in its natural habitat. This way you can have a positive experience watching these majestic creatures. An example of this is in the Bwindi impenetrable national park and Volcanoes National Park where all clients who go on a gorilla watching tour from Bwindi and Volcanoes partake in photos that seek to track known gorillas so we can learn more about their behavior and monitor numbers.