Where to see gorillas in Africa

Below are the destinations where you can see the gorillas in Africa. Many of the people who think of gorilla trekking mostly think of Rwanda and Uganda, however, there are many different places where these mountain gorillas can be trekked. Below are some of the 10 famous places for trekking the mountain gorillas in Africa.

Uganda

Uganda is on top of the destinations in Africa where you can see the gorillas. You visit Bwindi forest national park for the final mountain gorilla trekking. The other national park for gorilla safaris is Mgahinga National park which is also part of the Virunga Conservation Area and the Habituated gorillas that usually cross into DRC. There is also hiking on top of Mt sabinyo where Rwanda, Uganda and DRC meet. This is an exceptional way of seeing the gorillas in their kingdom and it’s an island of forest that is enclosed by the sea of the densely populated farmland. In the north where the roads end, you will view Bwindi impenetrable Forest National park full of bio diversity at a lower altitude. This has got four (4) gorilla groups that are well habituated for tourism and there are two more that are habituated to handle the demand. Some of the taxonomists refer to Bwindi gorillas as a separate sub species of the eastern gorillas and the lack of hair on their brow and can easily differentiate them from their shaggier Virunga cousins.

The pearl of Africa has got many other activities that can be combined with gorilla trekking and these include; Mountain hiking on the Rwenzori, white water rafting on the source of the Nile, chimpanzee trekking, bird watching, bungee jumping, and many more.

Rwanda

Rwanda is just a size of the wales, with good roads and it’s well developed with the substructure. It’s known that it’s the work of Dian Fossey that factionalised in the film gorillas in the mist, and this has made Rwanda’s volcanoes National park people’s choice for mountain trekking. There are the relaxed gorillas and the open habitat, montane vegetation with the stunning views that improve the many chances of good gorilla watching experience. The kindness and the professionalism of the guides will help you cope with the steep slopes, the stinging nettles as well as the nerves that make every gasping and muddy step a bit easier. During the sunny season, the gorillas are only a short while from the park boundary and here people tend to think what the worry is about.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

There are 3 of 4 sub species of mountain gorillas are also found in DR Congo. Gorilla safaris with the habituated groups started in the 1970s. Within Kahuzi Biega National park, it’s a stronghold of the eastern lowland gorillas, and the park will give you one of the best gorilla viewing safaris. Bakavu is also the nearest town and has got some good beautiful hotels, however, you need to check the security conditions in case you are to enter DRC from Rwanda.

Mountain gorilla tours in Virunga National park is so fantastic and if security allows the things have also improved since 2009 arrest of the rebel leader Nkunda, even though the area is still unsettled. Many people visited the mountain gorillas at Djombo on day safaris from Kisoro, Uganda since the permits are available in DRC and are usually sold out in Uganda. There are also the low land gorillas liv in the far west of DRC in the beautiful Madiakoko mountains, the Bas- Congo and crossing back from Cabinda.

Nigeria

Nigria is for the cross River Gorillas, these are found in the cross River state, and here the government has invested heavily in the tourism infrastructure like the fantastic cable car up the Obudu cattle Ranch Hotel. Even though the chances of viewing these mountain gorillas are so low and their total population consists of over 200 individuals and these spread over an area of over 12,000km and these include; Afi mountain, the Okwangwo division and Mbe Mountain of the cross river National park. For this reason, the scientists are so vigilant about habituating them.  Visiting their habitant will help to conserve it as well as the two remaining primate sanctuaries and the restoration projects, the pandrillus for the  tool monkeys and the chimpanzees as well as the Corcoran for the many monkey species that are based in Calabar.

Equatorial Guinea

Here in Monte Alen National Park, there is a fantastic forested park and its rough terrain helps in protecting it from the commercial organization. There are some low land gorillas and the tourism organisation which is so low and in the early stages of development and the locals that are trained have just started conducting guided day treks.

Gabon

Gabon has expanded its economy by generating 13 national parks in 2002 and most of these have got gorilla habitants. The WLG habituation programme at the Mikongo conservation centre with in Lope National park that was ended in 2010. Even though the visitors are not taken on the gorilla spotting treks, the clients can see them as they are looking at the wildlife. The Moukalaba Doudon National park has got a high density of gorillas and an eco-tourism project that started with the help from the gorilla organisation.

The Loango National park offers the erratic combination of Atlantic beach and the rain forest where the hippos can be seen surfing, the whales and the dolphins shallow off shores as well as the forests are the homes to the gorillas, chimpanzees and the forest elephants.

Angola

The wild lowland gorillas can be found in the Cabinda enclave which is part of Angola north of the mouth of river Congo. This is mainly in the form of tourism infrastructure and it’s a great adventure you will really want.

Congo

Outstanding to the loss of the habituated lossi gorillas to Ebola in 2002, the Odzala National park that is nearby shows and of the best options for viewing the wild lowland gorillas. The park is currently home to two habituated family groups that can be viewed by the guests. These can also be seen from the hides as they visit the bias or the open clearing of the forest. The most common Bai is the Mbeli Bai in th Nouabale Ndoki national park, where you can see over 100 gorillas that have been monitored by Wildlife Conservation society for many years; The gorilla groups can be viewed paddling into the forest in the marsh to forage for the water plants near the forest elephants, antelopes like the sitatunga as well as the buffaloes. The wild lowland gorillas are being reformed back into the forest in the Lefini reserve where the guests can see the silverback on the forested island from the boat.

Central African Republic

This is one of the best places to track the mountain gorillas which are the wild lowland gorillas and its Bai Hokou with in Dzanga Ndoki National Park. The WWF project has succeeded in Habituation of the group. You can as well expect to have a calm contact through the dense forest and the low light under the canopy that makes photographing more challenging.

There are also no gorillas in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The mountain gorillas are only found in Rwanda, Uganda as well as DRC.