Mountain Gorilla Trekking in East Africa | Gorilla Trekking Tour
Mountain gorilla trekking in East Africa is an interesting safari activity that is not offered by most of the tourist destinations in Uganda; this wonderful activity is only offered by mountainous, thick, forested areas hosting the endangered mountain gorillas.
Tourist destinations offering amazing mountain gorilla trekking are few in number, which makes the four areas offering the activity exceptional compared to other tourist destinations in the world. Mountain gorilla trekking is offered in Uganda, Rwanda and democratic republic of Congo, specifically in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park of Uganda and the Great Virunga Conservation Area.
The Virunga Conservation Area is a very mountainous area with 8 volcanoes: Mount Karisimbi, Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Bisoke, Mount Nyiragongo, Mount Nyamuragira, Mount Muhabura, Mount mikeno and Mount Gahinga. Three national parks, Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Rwanda’s volcano national park and Congo’s Virunga National Park do stretch over these volcanoes and on the higher forested altitudes is where the precious endangered mountain gorillas live.
Mountain gorillas are critically endangered animals that can only be found in densely forested areas at higher altitudes. Mountain gorillas are fur-covered animals, which helps them live in the cold conditions on mountaintops.
Because of activities of man like wars, poaching, kidnapping of young gorillas and clearing forests that are home to these gorillas, mountain gorillas are only left in a few numbers, with an estimated population of 900 individuals in the world. Mountain gorillas are huge animals, with male gorillas standing 1.4 to 1.8 m and weighing 36 to 195 kg, adult females weigh 68–113 kg and standing at a height of 1.25 to 1.5 m.
East Africa as a region consists of five countries: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and South Sudan, which are wonderful tourist destinations, but mountain gorilla trekking in East Africa takes place in two countries: Uganda and Rwanda. In these two countries the activity takes place in only three national parks: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park of Uganda and Volcano National Park of Rwanda.
MOUNTAIN GORILLA TREKKING IN UGANDA
The breathtaking mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda is offered in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Mountain gorillas in Uganda first went through a habituation process before they were open for trekking. The habituation process involves training wild mountain gorillas to get used to human presence.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO heritage site located in southwestern Uganda, in Kanungu District. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, stretching through an area of 321 square kilometers, lies at the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley in the western arm of the Eastern African Rift Valley. The park, lying at an altitude range of 1160 m – 2607 m above sea level, is filled with montane rainforests where the mountain gorillas live.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park takes the tourist through the four gorilla sectors of the park where mountain gorilla families can be found on the trek. Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park is open to tourists in possession of a gorilla trekking permit costing US$ 700. This gorilla trekking permit entitles a tourist to trek only one gorilla family and when you locate them you stay only one hour with them.
Habituated mountain gorilla families open for trekking in Bwindi impenetrable are found in the following sector:
Buhoma sector
The Buhoma sector is currently the most loved sector for trekking by the tourists. The Buhoma sector opened in 1991 for trekking and consists of 4 habituated gorilla families that are trekked.
- Katwe gorilla family
The Katwe gorilla family is the newly habituated gorilla family consisting of 10 members; this group is headed by a dominant silverback Katwe and consists of 4 adult females, 2 infants and 3 blackbacks.
- Mubare gorilla family
The Mubare gorilla family is the first gorilla family to be habituated in Bwindi. The family, led by Kanyonyi a dominant silverback, consists of 11 members: 6 adult females, 1 subadult, 3 infants and one silverback.
- Habinyanja gorilla group
The Habinyanja gorilla group is also one of the earlier habituated groups and one of the largest groups in Bwindi. The group led by a dominant silverback, Makara, consists of 17 members: 5 adult females, 1 subadult, 3 juveniles, 6 infants, 1 blackback, and 1 silverback.
- Rushegura gorilla family
Rushegura is also one of the larger groups in the park, consisting of 16 family individuals. The park is led by kabukojo a dominant silverback. It has 1 silverback, 4 blackbucks, 4 adult females, 3 juveniles, and 4 infants.
Ruhija sector
The Ruhija sector consist of 3 habituated gorilla families, which are trekked
- Oruzogo family group
The Oruzogo family group is a group of 17 individuals led by Bakwate a dominant silverback. The group has 2 silverbacks, 2 blackbacks, 5 adult females, 2 sub-adults, 1 juvenile and 5 infants.
- Bitukura family group
The Bitukura family group is a group of 13 family members led by a dominant silverback, Ndahura. The group consists of 4 silverbacks, 4 adult females, 2 juveniles and 3 infants.
- Kyaguliro family group
The Kyaguliro family group is the largest group of 20 family members; this group is divided into two groups: group A-Rukara and group B-Mukiza. Group A-Rukara is made up of 10 individuals: 1 silverback, 2 black backs, 3 adult females, 2 juveniles and 2 infants, and Group B-Mukiza is also made up of 10 individuals: 1 silverback, 4 adult females, 1 subadult, and 4 infants.
Rushanga sector
The Rushanga gorilla sector consists of 5 habituated families, which are open for trekking
- Kahungye Gorilla Group
The Kahungye gorilla group is a family of 17 members consisting of 3 silverbacks, 3 blackbacks, 3 adult females, 3 sub-adults, 3 juveniles and two infants. This family is led by Rumanzi, a dominant silverback.
- Busingye gorilla group
The Busingye gorilla group is a family of 9 members that broke away from the Kahungye gorilla group.
- Bweza gorilla family
The Bweza gorilla family is a big group of 12 members under the leadership of silverback Kakono; this group consists of 2 silverbacks, 4 blackbacks, 3 adult females, 1 sub-adult and 2 infants.
- Nshongi gorilla family
The Nshongi gorilla family is a group of 7 members under the leadership of a dominant silverback, Bweza. The family consists of 1 silverback, 3 adult females, 1 sub-adult, 1 infant and 1 juvenile.
- Mishaya gorilla family
Mishaya’s gorilla family is relatively a big family of 12 members; this family is under the leadership of Mishaya the fighter.
Nkuringo sector
Nkuringo gorilla sector is one of the toughest sectors to trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park; the sector only has two habituated gorilla families in the names of
- • The Nkuringo gorilla family with 12 gorilla individuals. The group is led by a silverback Rafiki and has 2 silverbacks, 1 blackback, 2 adult females, 2 sub-adults, 3 juveniles and two infants.
- Christmas gorilla family
This is a newly habituated gorilla family in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Together with Katwe, this family, led by a dominant silverback named Christmas, consists of 9 family members but only 6 are regularly seen. Family members that are often seen are 1 blackback, 3 females and 1 baby.
Mountain gorilla trekking in mgahinga gorilla national park
Mgahinga National Park, located in southwestern Uganda, is another amazing home of mountain gorillas in Uganda. This park, stretching over an area of 33.7 square kilometers, is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda and one of the parks situated at high altitudes. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park lies in the altitude range of 2,227 m and 4,127 m. The park belongs to the Virunga Conservation Area, lying on Mount Gahinga, mount sabyinyo and Mount Muhabura, where the precious mountain gorillas live.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park takes you to only one habituated gorilla family, which lives in the deep forested areas of this park.
- Nyakagezi gorilla group.
The Nyakagezi gorilla group is a group of 10 individuals under the leadership of a dominant silverback mark with 5 silverbacks, 2 adult females, 2 juveniles, and 1 infant. This group has tendencies of migrating to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park requires you to be in possession of a mountain gorilla trekking permit purchased at the offices of the Uganda Wildlife Authority; it costs US $700.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda
The mountain gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills, takes place only in Volcanoes National Park. Volcano national park located in the northwestern region of Rwanda, also lies in the Virunga Conservation Area as it stretches through five volcanoes: Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga and Mount Sabyinyo, covering an area of 160 square kilometers. Volcanoes National Park, also known as Parc National des Volcans in French and Pariki y’Igihugu y’Ibirunga in native Kinyarwanda is a home to 10 habituated gorilla families which are open to trekking; these families include
- Susa family
The Susa family is a group of 28 gorillas, including 3 silverbacks.
- Sabyinyo family
The Sabyinyo family, named after the Sabyinyo volcano, is a group of 12 members with 2 silverbacks.
- Amahoro family
The Amahoro family, named from a Kinyarwanda word meaning “peace,” is a group of 17 gorilla individuals with 2 silverbacks.
- Agashya family
Agashya family is a large group of 25 members with 2 silverbacks
- Umubano family
The Umubano family, named from a Kinyarwanda word meaning “live together,” is a family of 11 members with only one silverback.
- Kwitonda family
The Kwitonda family, meaning “humble one,” is a family of 18 members with 2 silverbacks.
- Hirwa family
The Hirwa family, named after a Kinyarwanda word meaning “the lucky one,” is a group of 12 members with only 1 silverback.
- Karisimbi family
The Karisimbi family is a group of 15 members with 3 silverbacks.
- Ugenda family
The Ugenda family, named after a Kinyarwanda word meaning “departure,” is a group of 11 members with 1 silverback.
- Bwenge family
The Bwenge family, named after the Kinyarwanda word meaning “wisdom,” is a group of 11 members led by a dominant silverback, Bwenge.
- Titus family
Titus’s family was named after a silverback, Titus, who was born during the period when Dian Fossey was doing her research at the Karisimbi Research Center. The group consists of 28 members led by
To participate in the mountain gorilla trekking experience, you need a mountain gorilla trekking permit, which costs US $1400.
While going for a mountain gorilla trekking experience, there is a set of rules and regulations that are followed by tourists while in the presence of mountain gorillas. These include
- A gorilla trekking permit gives you a chance to visit only one gorilla family only for one hour with the gorillas
- When going for trekking, 8 people are allowed in each group
- Stay 7 meters away from mountain gorillas when you are in there presence
- Follow the orders of the guide
- While taking pictures do not use a camera with flash on
- Do not make unnecessary noise while in presence of the gorillas
- Do not touch the gorillas or mimic their actions, as you do not know what they mean.
- Ill tourists are not allowed to participate in the trekking and many more
When planning to go for a mountain gorilla trek, it is better to know that though the experience is offered throughout the year, the best experience is had in the dry months of December to March and June to October, as the routes are dry and passable.
