In Africa there are only three countries where one can carry out gorilla trekking safaris and these include Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), making them best gorilla trekking destinations in Africa.
Gorilla Trekking in Uganda.
Uganda is a landlocked country which gained independence in 1962 from the British rule. It is located in the Eastern part of the continent of Africa between 1⁰N and 4⁰N latitude and between 30⁰ E and 35⁰E longitude. It is bordered by Kenya in the East, Tanzania in the south and DRC in the west and South Sudan in the North.
Mountain gorillas in Uganda found their home in only two national parks including Bwindi impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga gorilla National Park. These two national parks are closely neighboring each other, both located in the southwestern part of Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was the first gazetted gorilla destination in Uganda in 1991 and declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1994. Gorilla trekking can be done with in its four regions – Ruhija, Buhoma, Nkuringo and Rushaga gorilla sectors.
Mgahinga Gorilla National park, on the other hand is one of the smallest national parks, covering about 33.9km² of area. It was also gazetted in 1991 but not yet declared a world heritage site.
Mgahinga is home to only the Nyakagezi gorilla family which has been habituated to receive daily visitors for gorilla trekking tours, but there are approximately more 100 mountain gorilla individuals living in the jungles of Mgahinga but have not been habituated.
Best time to visit Uganda for gorilla trekking.
The best time to visit these gorilla national parks in Uganda is during the dry season which is between December – February and between June-September in order to trek easily and avoid disturbances that can occur during the wet season, characterized by muddy tracks and difficult navigation while searching for allocated gorilla families in the jungle.
There are two means of transport that one can use to access these gorilla national parks; including road and air transport.
By road – the journey from Entebbe to Kisoro district takes about 7-8 hours’ drive, while by air a flight takes only 1.5 hours from Entebbe to Kihiihi or Kisoro airstrips.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda.
Rwanda is a landlocked country in the Great lakes region of Africa which received its independence on 1st July 1962 from Belgium. It is located in east-central Africa, a few degrees south of the equator. It is bordered by Uganda in the north, D.R. Congo in the west and Tanzania in the East. Gorilla tours in Rwanda happen in only one national park – Volcanoes National Park.
This park was established in 1925 to protect the endangered mountain gorillas and they are estimated to be around 300 in number. The national park is located in the northwestern part of Rwanda surrounding five volcanoes which include Bisoke, Sabyinyo, Gahinga, Muhabura and Karisimbi.
There are different ways of accessing Volcanoes National Park and these include road transport and air transport. The national park is located about 105km away from Kigali airport which and 2 hours’ drive to the headquarters.
The national park is open throughout the year but the best time to visit is during the dry season where by it is between June-September and December to February in order to carry out the activities easily without any destruction and also movement made easy.
Gorilla Trekking in Democratic Republic of Congo.
D.R. Congo is a land locked country that gained its independence from Belgium on 30th June 1960. It is located in the Central-western part of sub-Saharan Africa along the equator lying between altitudes 4⁰ N and 5⁰ S and Longitudes 11⁰ and 19⁰ E.
D.R. Congo has two parks where gorilla trekking can be carried out – Virunga National Park and Kahuzi – Biega National Park which were established in 1925 and 1970 respectively. Kahuzi-Biega was however open in 2015 by a Belgian photographer and conservationist who also practiced habituation on these gorillas. These are located in the Eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo. The ones in the mountains are bigger compared to their lowland counterparts and also differ in the weight.
When to visit D.R. Congo for gorilla trekking?
The best time to visit Virunga National park is during the dry season in order to ease movement and also for easy accessibility to the forest. This season is between December-February and July-September though one is also allowed to visit ant time of the year since it is open throughout the whole year.
