WHERE CAN YOU FIND & SEE GORILLAS IN UGANDA AFRICA?

Uganda has only two national parks where one can see gorillas i.e Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and this is where gorilla trekking in Uganda is done to search and find  the rear endangered Mountain Gorillas. With about 1063 mountain gorillas that still exist on earth today, Uganda is home to more than half of all these endangered Great Apes making it one of the only 3 countries in the world where mountain gorillas live and Uganda gorilla tours are only done in there two national parks.

Uganda has 20 gorilla families that have been habituated and already set for tourism purposes, 19 of which are tracked/found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and only 1 is found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one  of the places where you can see Gorillas in Uganda Africa.

The appropriately named Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (also called “The Place of Darkness”) is the world’s premier gorilla trekking destination, hosting nearly half (459) of mountain gorillas on earth. This ancient rainforest is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Uganda.

Situated in the southwest of Uganda in the Albertine Rift, the park covers an area of 321 km² between an altitude of 1,160m and 2,607m above sea level. Bwindi Impenetrable was gazette as a National Park in 1991. Considering the incredible biodiversity found in this park, it is no wonder it has been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site of global importance since 1994.

By IUCN rating, Bwindi National Park is the richest and most diverse fauna community in East Africa with over 120 species of mammals including 11 species of primates, 360 bird species, 27 species of reptiles, 220 species of butterflies, and 1,000 species of flowering plants, including 163 species of trees, and 104 species of ferns.

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi starts from any one of its four main gorilla trekking sectors;

• Buhoma sector is located in the northwest and consists of gorilla groups like Mubare, Habinyanja, Rushegura, Katwe, and Muyambi Gorilla Family;
• Ruhija Region in the east comprises of gorilla families such as Kyaguriro, Bitukura, and Oruzogo Gorilla Family;
• Rushaga Region in the south has habituated families such as Mishaya, Nshongi, Bweza, Kahungye, Bushingye, Kutu, Bikyingi, Rwigi, and Mucunguzi Gorilla Family;
• Nkuringo area in the southern part has groups such as Nkuringo, Christmas, and Bushaho Gorilla Family.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is another  destination where you can find Gorillas in Uganda Africa.

Mgahinga National Park is located about 8-10 hours’ drive from Entebbe or Kampala in the extreme southwest side of Uganda. Mgahinga encompasses the northern slopes of the 3 northernmost Virunga National Park & Volcanoes National Park : Mt. Muhabura (4,127 m), Mt. Gahinga (3,474 m), and Mt. Sabyinyo (3,645 m).

The park is roughly 10 km south of Kisoro and is bordered to the south by Rwanda and to the west by DR Congo. In Mgahinga Park, the Nyakagezi Gorilla Family is the only habituated gorilla group set for visitors to trek.  In addition to gorilla trekking, visitors to Mgahinga have the opportunity to track beautiful and rare golden monkeys.