Mountain Gorillas can only survive in their natural habitat. Therefore, you cannot see them at the Zoo or any other confined space except the only 3 places in Africa – that is Bwindi Impenetrable Forest & Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Virunga National Park in Dr Congo where trekking is currently suspended because of the fighting and instabilities in the Eastern Park of the country.
Gorilla trekking is the name of the activity – the real trek/walk to see the mountain Gorillas, which are a huge, but gracious species, and share up to 98% human DNA. That is why there is a strict set of guidelines for everyone planning to be part of Gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, or Congo;
- First, you need to obtain a Gorilla permit, which is the official document that allows you to be part of a group to see gorillas in the wild. This permit currently costs $1,500 in Rwanda, $800 in Uganda, and $400 in Congo.
- All visitors must be 15 years of age or older
- Only 8 visitors are allowed to visit a particular Gorilla per day alongside the park ranger and porters. So, you need to purchase your permit at least 3 months in advance to be guaranteed space.
- Everyone is required to put on a face mask while in the vicinity of these apes to avoid spreading human diseases.
- All visitors are required to maintain a 6-meter distance from the gorillas, but this is often breached by the Gorillas as they don’t play by any rules!
- Any individual with a respiratory illness or feeling unwell on the day of the trek is advised to sit out the trek to avoid compromising our big cousins’ health and wellbeing in the jungle.
The above and other guidelines, as may be communicated during your briefing session by the park warden or ranger guide, are strictly implemented in all destinations as part of the conservation efforts because the Mountain gorillas are still among the highly endangered primate species in the world.
Now, you could be wondering where to go trekking or seeing Gorillas in the Wild?
There are certainly many factors that come into play when deciding on where to see these gorillas in Africa: these include time, budget, travel style, and safety.
Bwindi Forest in Uganda maintains its grip to being home to the highest number of Gorillas in the world and the leading destination for those doing the trek in Uganda, followed by Mgahinga.
Rwanda, on the other hand, continues to position itself as a high-end destination for Gorilla trekking in Africa with a range of high-end safari lodges and hotels. Rwanda Safaris Tours are known to be pricy compared to trips in Uganda because of the big difference in the permit prices and accommodation facilities.
Trekking in Congo is currently off until further notice!
Both Uganda and Rwanda are very safe destinations for tourists and other visitors. The distance between the airport and the park is relatively shorter in Rwanda compared to Uganda, but daily, scheduled domestic flights in Uganda come in handy.
Trekking to see Gorillas in the Wild is an incredible and life-changing experience, one that stays in your memories for the longest time, whether you do it in Uganda or Rwanda. I implore you to include it on your bucket list.
