Which nations are home to gorillas? Africa’s top gorilla viewing locations The Democratic Republic of the Congo · 4. Congo Brazzaville · 5. Central African Republic · 1. Rwanda · 2. Uganda · 3. Locations to visit and hike Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Volcanoes National Park, Virunga National Park, Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Mountain Gorillas, and Eastern Lowland Gorillas

Have you heard of trekking, gorillas, and where to view them? I challenge you to read this post and learn about all the places in Africa where you may observe gorillas in the wild. The only great apes seeing population growth are gorillas, particularly mountain gorillas, who are the biggest primates still alive. Gorillas are herbivorous apes who live on the ground and are found in the forests of Central Sub-Saharan Africa.

The genus Gorilla has two species: the Eastern and Western Gorillas. Regrettably, both of these species are endangered. There are four subspecies from the two species.

The mountain gorilla (Gorilla Beringei Beringei) and the eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla Beringei Graueri) are the two subspecies of the Eastern Gorilla (Gorilla Beringei). The gorilla population in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, commonly known as the Bwindi Gorilla, is a suggested sub-species of the Gorilla Beringei that has not yet been given a trinomen. Nonetheless, it is widely believed that the mountain gorillas reside in the Bwindi forest.

The Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is divided into two subspecies: the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) and the Western Lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), which is the smallest of the four subspecies.

Gorillas have piqued people’s interest and sparked a desire to visit them and protect the dwindling populations in recent decades.

One must go to the central African jungles, where these secretive gentle giants wander, in order to learn about and comprehend gorilla behavior and ecology.

These are the top locations to observe gorillas in the wild if you want to have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with these giants;

 

Africa’s Top Gorilla Viewing Locations

A subspecies of the eastern gorilla is the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei). The fact that mountain gorillas have more fur than other gorillas may be due to the fact that they inhabit high-altitude forests that are 2,200–4,300 meters above sea level.

Following the most recent census, mountain gorillas were downgraded from critically endangered to endangered on the IUCN Red List, marking a significant accomplishment in conservation.

Only in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) do mountain gorillas inhabit their native habitats.  Here are the locations in these three nations where you may observe mountain gorillas, which are rare creatures that only exist in certain places;

 

Top Gorilla Viewing Locations in Uganda

Uganda’s top gorilla viewing locations. Two national parks, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, are home to mountain gorillas.

 

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Although the Bwindi population has not yet been given designation, it is suggested that the mountain gorilla population there is a distinct subspecies of the Gorilla beringei beringei, or Mgahinga.

Craig Stanford’s study revealed that the Bwindi gorillas’ diet is much richer in fruit than that of the Virunga population, which is why the Bwindi group is thought to be distinct.

Situated on the border of the Albertine Rift in southwest Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is made up of lowland and montane forests. There are over 600 mountain gorillas in the park, which accounts for almost half of all mountain gorillas worldwide.

During a gorilla safari in Uganda, the only way to view the mountain gorillas of Bwindi forest is to go on a gorilla trekking safari inside the park. One must be at least 15 years old and have a gorilla trekking or habituation permit in order to be eligible for a gorilla trek in Bwindi, where they may meet one of the habituated gorilla families in the park.

 

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

The Nyakagezi Gorilla Family is the only habituated gorilla family found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. One of the areas where you will capture a picture of the mountain gorilla and post it on social media years later is Mgahinga Park, which was named the third-best must-photograph vacation destination in 2019.

Mgahinga is part of the Virunga Massif, a group of eight extinct volcanoes that Rwanda, Congo, and Uganda all share. The park is located in the southwest Kisoro area of Uganda and may be reached by air from Rwanda or Uganda, or more often by road in a 4×4 safari vehicle.

The only nation in the world where the mountain gorilla species has two habitats is Uganda.

 

Where in Rwanda Can I See Gorillas?

Where to See Gorillas in Rwanda: Mountain gorillas may be found at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, a stunning country known as the “land of a thousand hills.” This is the nearest mountain gorilla park to the capital of Rwanda and the only trekking location for gorilla safaris there. The travel to Volcanoes National Park from Kigali city takes about two hours.

It is safe to hike among all of the habituated mountain gorillas in the park. Compared to the Bwindi Gorillas, the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park and the Virunga massif are known to walk shorter distances, making them simpler to encounter.

 

Democratic Republic of Congo

Gorillas may be seen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on a Congo gorilla safari in the eastern region of the country, at Virunga National Park.  Africa’s oldest national park, Virunga National Park, was established in 1925 and is located in the Albertine Rift Valley. It has been on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 1994.

The Eastern gorilla subspecies of the mountain gorilla is found exclusively in Virunga National Park in Central Africa. Unfortunately, the park’s mountain gorilla population is at risk since it is located in an area that has been severely affected by war and armed conflict.

With the exception of Amahoro, a female eastern lowland gorilla in the zoo in Antwerp, Belgium, and a few mountain gorillas held in captivity within their natural habitat in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to protect them from rebel groups, mountain gorillas exist in their native habitats.

 

Where to walk and view gorillas in the Eastern lowlands

Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), another name for the Eastern lowland gorilla, is a subspecies of the Eastern gorilla. The Eastern Lowland Gorillas are endemic, or found solely in the hilly woods of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in contrast to their cousins, the Mountain Gorillas, who are distributed in three different nations.

 

These parks and reserves are home to the biggest of the four gorilla subspecies, which may be seen and hiked;

 

Kahuzi -Biega National Park

Eastern lowland gorillas may be found at Kahuzi-Biega National Park, a protected region close to Bukavu town on Lake Kivu’s western shore.  The park has the names of two dormant volcanoes, Biega and Kahuzi, respectively. In the park, the eastern lowland gorilla population is found in both lowland and highland regions.

Maiko National Park

One of the most isolated forest regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to Maiko National Park. The park, which spans the states of Maniema, Province Orientale, and Nord Kivu, is separated into three parts. However, the nation’s rebel factions have had a significant impact on the park, impeding conservation efforts.

 

Where in Africa Can I See the Western Gorilla Specie?

The most common species in the genus Gorilla is the western gorilla, sometimes known as Gorilla gorilla. The Ebola virus has severely decreased the population of the western gorilla, making it a critically endangered species. The Western lowland gorilla and the Cross River gorilla are the two subspecies of the western gorilla.

Gorilla in the Western Lowlands

The montane, primary and secondary forests, and lowland marshes of central Africa are home to the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). The smallest gorilla subspecies, Western lowland gorillas, are found in the following nations:

 

Angola

Cameroon

The Republic of Central Africa

Congo’s Republic

The Congo’s Democratic Republic

Guinea in the Equatoria

Gabon

The western lowland gorilla is often housed in zoos, in contrast to mountain gorillas, who cannot thrive there.

 

The Cross River Gorilla

The most northern and western gorilla species is the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli). Only the wooded hills and slopes of the Cameroon-Nigeria border area, around the headwaters of the Cross River in Nigeria, are home to this gorilla subspecies.

Being a rare species, gorillas are fascinating to see up close because of their intelligence. All of the aforementioned locations in Africa provide the opportunity to see gorillas, but only Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo offer the opportunity to trek or track gorillas.