3 top places to see Mountain Gorillas in Africa.
Kisoro Tours Uganda is one of the responsible local travel operators in Africa. It is located in Uganda. It provides the most budget-sustainable excursions, environmentally friendly gorilla trekking safaris, and wildlife tours to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and DR Congo. Our wildlife safaris will allow you to explore Africa’s unique wildlife, including primates and gorilla tracking safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, as well as Big 5 safaris in Kenya and Tanzania and desert expeditions in Namibia and Zanzibar.
On our wildlife safaris, you can customize your safari to only gorilla trekking or combine gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda with viewing all of the Big 5 species and wildebeest in Kenya or Tanzania. Kisoro Tours Uganda has been a local operator for sixteen years, and with that experience, we will handle all of the details of arranging your dream vacation to Africa. Feel free to contact us for any questions or inquiries about booking Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking permits, reserving accommodation, paying park entrance fees, planning an economical safari, or even organizing transfers. The following are some of the top areas for mountain gorilla trekking in Africa.
Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
Number one on the list of the 3 top places to see Mountain Gorillas in Africa is Volcanoes National Park Africa’s most well-known gorilla trekking destination due to its relationship with Dian Fossey of ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ fame. It safeguards the Rwandan portion of the Virunga Mountains, a range of breathtakingly gorgeous volcanoes whose steep slopes are fringed with rainforest and towering stands of bamboo. There are twelve gorilla families accessible for tracking here. The most well-known is the Susa group, who reside high on Mt Karisimbi and were researched by Fossey while she was in the area. Other groups roam further down the slopes and are simpler to trace, albeit like wild animals, they are continually on the move.
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The drawback of Rwanda is that gorilla permits are expensive, costing US$1,500 for foreign nonresidents. (The charge is reduced to $200 for Rwandan and other East African citizens, or $500 for holders of other African passports and foreign residents.) With a large choice of super-luxury hotels now available near Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda has become the ‘Botswana’ of gorilla trekking, delivering an unrivalled experience at a high cost. This makes Rwanda consistently visited as the best quick gorilla trekking destination on luxury safaris in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
On arrival at Volcanoes National Park, plan for extra activities. Consider golden monkey trekking, one of the difficult forests walk to Dian Fossey’s tomb at the abandoned Karisoke Research Center, and also consider hiking Mt. Bisoke to the stunning crater lake on top of the mountain. If you plan your trip in September, you may be able to witness the annual Kwita Izina baby gorilla naming ceremony, which draws thousands of tourists to the park headquarters in Kinigi.
Volcanoes National Park protects the Rwandan section of the Virungas, a magnificent chain of volcanoes that rises from the Rift Valley bottom to a maximum elevation of 4,507m/14,787ft. The Virungas are home to more than half of the world’s mountain gorillas, with the majority of them living in Rwanda. Daily gorilla trekking expeditions allow wildlife enthusiasts to get up close and personal with these magnificent gentle giants, which can weigh 200kg, share more than 95% of their DNA with humans and spend the majority of their time resting on the forest floor nibbling contentedly on bamboo shoots.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda
The second on the list of 3 top places to see Mountain Gorillas in Africa is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda’s largest gorilla safari destination, which is home to 460 individuals and more than 25 family groupings that have become accustomed to visitor visits. Similarly to Rwanda, gorilla trekking in Uganda is a well-organized enterprise with excellent rangers, trackers and local communities all benefiting from the fees. The hiking in Bwindi can be more difficult than in Rwanda – there’s a reason the park is nicknamed Impenetrable – although some groups are easier to reach than others.
Most people prefer Bwindi over Volcanoes National Park since permits are significantly less expensive. Other significant advantages of Uganda over Rwanda include a wider range of inexpensive lodging options and enough other attractions to fill a two-week itinerary.
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Bwindi also provides a gorilla habituation experience, in which you may spend up to four hours with a semi-habituated group. These will be less predictable and docile than habituated animals, but the excursion provides an intriguing, personal look at how gorillas progressively become accustomed to humans. The encounter costs $1,500 (equivalent to one hour with Rwanda’s mountain gorillas).
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Uganda’s most popular gorilla trekking site. Most visitors visit Uganda to view mountain gorillas, and this vast and pristine jungle is the most accessible location for this pastime. Bwindi is home to around 25 habituated gorilla groups, each assigned to one of four distinct trekking hubs: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. Also consider engaging in other activities that include outdoor birding and excursions, and visiting the Batwa communities. The Batwa people were considered the true forest’s original residents who lived in Bwindi for many years, but they were evacuated by the government when the national park was established.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda.
The third one on the list of 3 top places to see Mountain Gorillas in Africa is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is part of the Virunga massif like Volcanoes National Park, it is strategically located high in the Mountains of Virunga and near the border with Rwanda and the DR Congo. There is just one habituated group here, thus permits are in high demand. But if you can acquire one, it’s an excellent place for gorilla trekking. Hiking conditions are relatively easy (emphasis on the word ‘relatively’), and the scenery beneath the volcanic Virunga peaks is breathtaking. The habituated group is one of the few to have a trio of gorgeous male silverbacks.
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The gorilla hiking permits for Mgahinga cost the same as for Bwindi. The Batwa were the original occupants of the forest and were expelled from their surroundings when the national park was established. The fact that Mgahinga has fewer gorilla families open to trekking, there are fewer visitors which provides an ambient and more relaxed atmosphere than Bwindi or Volcanoes, at least in terms of tourist traffic. Other activities include but are not limited to; guided bird watching and golden monkey trekking and also difficult day climbings to the mountain peaks.
Is an African safari on your bucket list? It should! Africa has a lot to offer, from breathtaking scenery, friendly people, and cultural riches to relaxing beaches. Above all else, the wildlife and safari lifestyle will keep you coming back. This well-known phrase by Richard Mullin is so true: ‘The only man I envy is the one who has not yet seen Africa because he has so much to look forward to’. When you embark on your first safari, Africa enters into your bloodstream. You acquire a strong desire to return to this wonderful continent and begin organizing your next African safari adventure.
