Combined Gorilla Tours

Gorilla trekking is a process of encountering gorilla primates on a combined gorilla tour after traversing through their dense destinations and spending an hour in their presence after locating them. Before the actual trekking, a short briefing is organized at the offices of the different gorilla destinations and a guide ranger takes visitors through the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. This briefing session also involves highlighting the expected code of conduct of the visitors while in the presence of the gorillas.

Gorilla trekking is without a doubt the major tourist activity in the country. Rwanda’s growth in gorilla trekking dates back to 1967 when it hosted Dian Fossey a popular primatologist and conservationist. Dian Fossey had arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park to study mountain gorillas and fled to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park a year after from civil war in the country. She set her base in Volcanoes National Park between Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke and named it Karisoke Research Center. At this center, she focused on the conservation of mountain gorillas which were under threat from poachers. Unfortunately, she was killed in the park on 26^th December 1985 but her legacy and works live on for years. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is a product of her endless struggles of conservation and is now a highly sought-after activity in the country. Visitors can traverse the vast tropical and bamboo forests of Volcanoes National Park and encounter the mountain gorillas in the park for an hour.

Uganda has vast tourist attractions scattered across its different destinations and gorilla trekking is one of the major activities in the country. The country hosts over half of the remaining mountain gorilla population. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is done in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks. These combined gorilla destinations host over 559 mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking is the best to encounter these incredible primates. Uganda is notably the best mountain gorilla destination given its large numbers and habituated families. Uganda has approximately 51 gorilla families with only 25 habituated and ready for trekking. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has over 24 habituated families and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has only one family. Uganda offers an unmatched gorilla trekking experience that visitors from far and wide can engage in.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is often left behind on the gorilla trekking experience since it has been disturbed by insecurity for years. Regardless of this factor, Congo has a gorilla trekking adventure like no other. The country offers both mountain gorilla and lowland gorilla trekking adventures in Virunga National Park and Kahuzi-Biega National Park respectively. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the only place on earth that harbors both the lowland and mountain gorillas the two gigantic primate species. Gorilla trekking in the Democratic Republic of Congo ensures visitors encounter these primate species in these vast destinations.

Gorilla trekking is done across different destinations such as the Virunga conservation area which is the remaining habitat for mountain gorillas and other habitats as unveiled below.

Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park is part of the Virunga conservation area built to host endangered mountain gorillas. This is the oldest gorilla destination in the world after it was established in 1925 during colonial rule. It stretches across 160 square kilometers of vast mountainous landscape. The park is the only gorilla trekking destination in Rwanda hosting about 12 habituated gorilla families. Trekking mountain gorillas in this park costs USD 1500 for foreign non-residents, USD 500 for residents, and USD 200 for Rwandans and East Africans.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is possibly the best mountain gorilla destination for gorilla trekking. The park is located in the southwestern region of Uganda covering an area of about 321 square kilometers. With over 50 gorilla families and 24 of these are habituated and ready for trekking, gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park hits differently. The gorilla trekking takes place across the four gorilla sectors in the park. These sectors include the Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo, and Ruhija gorilla sectors. Bwindi harbors the largest population of mountain gorillas in all the gorilla trekking destinations with over 459 individuals.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Still in Uganda, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park as the name suggests is a gorilla destination popular for gorilla trekking adventures. A counterpart to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, it was gazetted in 1991 after mountain gorillas were sighted on this premises. It covers a mass land area of about 33.7 square kilometers making it the smallest national park in the country. What Mgahinga does not have in size, matches it up with an incredible gorilla trekking safari experience.

Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Kahuzi-Biega National Park is one of the biggest protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is located in Bukavu town close to the border with Uganda, it stretches over 6,000 square kilometers. Kahuzi-Biega National Park lies on the banks of Lake Kivu on the western side of the lake. Kahuzi-Biega National Park is the one place in this region of East Africa where visitors can encounter the eastern lowland gorillas also known as Grauer's gorilla. Cousins to the mountain gorillas, the Grauer’s gorillas dwell in the lowland areas of Kahuzi-Biega thus their name lowland gorillas. Gorilla trekking in this park is not any different from the rest of the destinations in the Virunga conservation area, however, here trekking takes place at a much lower altitude. Visitors can encounter these eastern lowland gorillas on a gorilla trekking experience in their natural environments.

Virunga National Park
This park is the start of the Virunga conservation area that harbors mountain gorillas. The park's mountain ranges stretch across the different gorilla destinations in this conservation area. Virunga National Park is located in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo stretching for over 7,769 square kilometers making it one of the largest protected areas in Africa. Its biodiversity is not limited to the flora species but also to the fauna species and most notably the endangered mountain gorillas. Virunga National Park also doubles as the oldest protected area in Africa with its counterpart of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda having been established in 1925.