Gorilla Trekking

Gorilla Safaris in Africa whether it be Ugandan Gorilla Safaris, Rwandan Gorilla Safaris or Congo Gorilla Safaris, are one of the highlights of African travel.

Uganda as a destination in Africa is still very much up and coming, it does however approach tourism in a slightly different manner to other African countries such as Kenya and Tanzania. Tourism and travel in Uganda is a key part of the economoy however it does not dominate it. Ugandan yourism is still relatively young and this is refreshing when you visit the country, meet its people and enjoy their hospitality.

Ugandas main attraction however is undoubtedly the mountain gorillas. With only 740 mountain gorillas left in the world today - ranging between Uganda, Rwanda and DRC - they are a hidden gem and have only really become a "wildlife must" in the last 10-15 years or so.

In this section, we provide information on the parks of Uganda where you can track gorillas, the gorilla population in each region as well as the gorilla group names, altitudes that you will be tracking at and the level of difficulty that can be expected when gorilla tracking.

Gorilla Tracking Safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

At an altitude of between 1,100 - 2,600 metres above sea-level, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is one of the oldest forests in Africa at approximately 25,000 years old! With an average rainfall of 1,500mm this is a traditional rainforest with high ridges and peaks and provides the ultimate habitat for the endangered mountain gorillas.

Gorilla Safaris in Bwindi, Uganda, nowadays concentrate on two main regions, one of these is known as Buhoma and the other Nkuringo. These two locations share half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas at a population of roughly 320 gorillas living in 15 groups. Aside from gorillas, Bwindi also has healthy populations of other mammals including chimpanzees, red-tailed and blue monkeys, black and white colobus and a small herd of elephants to name a few. Bwindi is also one of the best birding regions of Uganda with 350 different species.

Habituated Gorilla Tracking Groups

Three gorilla groups are habituated to the visits of tourists in the Buhoma region of Bwindi Forest. The names of these gorilla groups are Mubare, Habinyanja A and Habinyanja B. Eight gorilla tracking permits are available for each group making a total of 24 gorilla tracking permits being available each day. At the time of writing, each gorilla tracking permit costs USD$500 per permit per tracking. At World Primate Safaris we recommend a minimum of two gorilla tracking permits per person in order to fully appreciate this once in a lifetime experience; these two permits can either both be in Bwindi or alternatively combined with tracking the gorillas in Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda. In Buhoma the best places to stay include Gorilla Forest Camp, Buhoma Lodge and Bwindi Lodge.

Nkuringo Gorilla Group - this is a recently habituated group of gorillas which has been opened to tourism in the last few years in the southern sector of Bwindi. Chances of seeing the gorillas are just as high as anywhere else however the terrain is steeper and harder work; for this reason, we recommend Nkuringo gorilla tracking for very fit clients only. The gorilla group at Nkuringo that has been habituated consists of 18 individuals with two silverbacks, four adult females, five juveniles, three infants, one sub-adult female and three black-backed males. This gorilla group is located in the Kashasha River Valley and they roam approximately a 10km patch of land that borders the river.

Uganda Gorilla Safari Rules and Safety

Gorilla Tracking has a minimum age of 15 in order that illnesses are not passed from humans to gorilla groups which can potentially destroy an entire gorilla family. Gorilla Tracking can also take from between 2 - 8 hrs depending on where the gorillas are when you track them; they are wild animals so they do roam a large area. Clients wishing to track mountain gorillas should be of a reasonable fitness as it is a strenuous excercise and if you are in good health you will benefit far more from the entire experience.

Proximity to the gorillas is limited to 7 metres at any one time. This is for both the safety of clients and also the gorillas themselves.

Please note that gorilla tracking permits are booked from between 6 - 12 months in advance and therefore clients should book through a reputable tour operator (we obviously recommend World Primate Safaris) at the earliest possible convenience in order to avoid disappointment.