In the pearl of Africa, gorilla trekking is arguably the most popular tourism activity. There are only 1063 mountain gorillas remaining in the wild globally and Uganda is endowed enough to shelter almost half of the number in its two gorilla trekking destinations. Mgahinga national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park are the only gorilla trekking destinations in the country both situated in the south west of Uganda in districts of Kisoro, Rubanda and Kanungu.

Gorilla trekking in Uganda brings out the ultimate experience of African safaris as these human-like primates are only sheltered in three countries including Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Mountain gorillas are part of two gorilla subspecies and cannot be found elsewhere apart from these three country hosts.

While on a Uganda gorilla safari, visitors should anticipate to experience a once in a timeless adventure as many of those who engage in this tremendous activity describe it.

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park. 

Bwindi impenetrable national park covers about 331 square kilometers, dominated by montane and lowland forests and borders Rwanda and Congo’s Virunga national park.

Bwindi impenetrable national park is the first gorilla trekking destination in Uganda sheltering over 450 gorillas. It is the largest host of these rare primate species in the whole world. This has seen the park registering nothing but progress hence boosting gorilla tourism in the country

Almost all visitors who book a Uganda tour come to witness and spend their quality time with these human-like primate species that share almost 98% of human genes. Bwindi impenetrable national park is home to 24 habituated gorilla families. Some gorilla families are still under habituation process that takes nearly three full years where they are trained to tolerate human presence.

Gorilla families in Bwindi impenetrable national park are something any trekker wouldn’t want to miss out as they are characterized by charisma, playfulness especially the adolescent ones and the way the adult gorillas care for their young ones makes it a beautiful experience to watch.

Habituated gorilla families in Bwindi impenetrable national park are sheltered in four gorilla tracking regions scattered in different parts of the park and they include Buhoma gorilla sector in the North, Rushaga, Nkuringo in the southern part of the park and Ruhija in the Eastern part.

Among all the four, Buhoma gorilla sector is the most visited gorilla sector and can easily be accessed especially from the famous Queen Elizabeth national park making it a favorite and popular spot for gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park.

For visitors yearning to have an ultimate full experience of gorilla trekking, then Buhoma is the right spot to be. The sector also carries rich history as the first gorilla trekking spot in Uganda and the first tourists to carry out this life time activity did it from here. It also shelters some of the oldest and the first habituated gorilla family groups in the country – Mubare, Rushegura and Habinyanja.

To trek gorilla in Buhoma sector, visitors need to ensure they book their gorilla trekking permits in advance to avoid missing out as most trekkers who come first tend to prefer Buhoma to other gorilla sectors.

There are only five habituated gorilla families in Buhoma gorilla region including Mubare, Habinyanja, Katwe, Rushegura and Muyambi gorilla family. Mubare group was the first to be habituated in 1992 and has 9 gorillas. Habinyanja was initially one family with Rushegura family, but later split to start up their own families. Rushegura gorilla family now harbors 19 members and was habituated in the year 2000 while Habinyanja is made up of 17 gorilla members and was fully habituated in 1997.

Rushaga gorilla sector is yet another gorilla tracking region in the park and shelters 8 habituated gorilla families. The region is famously known as one of the best spots for gorilla habituation process and shelters the largest number of gorilla families in Bwindi.

Gorilla habituation experience is another exciting and informative activity that visitors don’t want to miss. This is what makes Uganda a unique gorilla trekking destination as it allows visitors to engage in gorilla habituation experience which allows passionate travelers to learn broadly about these primate species. 

You shouldn’t also miss the Nkuringo gorilla sector where the famed Nkuringo family is sheltered. The family is absolutely charming and is the only family in the park to have given birth to twins in the year 2004. Trekking this gorilla family is somehow challenging as it tends to move for longer distances or sometimes high in the mountains forcing visitors to hike through the rugged terrain.

There are over 19 gorilla individuals in Nkuringo sector and was the very first family to be habituated in this sector.

Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the second gorilla trekking destination in Uganda and shelters only one habituated gorilla family known as “Nyakagezi” making it one of the popular spots for gorilla trekking in the country. Even though Mgahinga is the smallest national park in Uganda, it is one of the most visited safari destinations and primate trekking activities have entirely made it famous.

How is gorilla trekking in Uganda done?

Gorilla trekking in Uganda start at 7:30am in the morning with a briefing in the company of tour guides and park rangers for safety. The adventure can take between 30 minutes and 6 hours depending on the location of tracked gorilla family.

Visitors are only limited to one hour once they locate a specific family while maintaining a short distance of about 7 meters in their presence and are advised not to get very close with these primate species.