From Anouk Zijlma,
Your Guide to Africa Travel.
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With only about 650 mountain gorillas left in the world, seeing them in the wild is something only a few people will ever have the chance to experience. This section will tell you where you can see mountain gorillas, where to stay, how much it costs, and help you choose the best safari company to go with. (See page 3 for lowland gorilla safari information).

Where Can You See Mountain Gorillas?

About 300 mountain gorillas inhabit an extinct volcanic region called the Virunga Range along the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in East Africa. The other 350 or so mountain gorillas inhabit a nearby area of Bwindi in Uganda, a thick rainforest.

Uganda

There are two parks in Uganda, the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where you are able to go gorilla tracking. Click here to see a map of where the parks are located.

Mgahinga is situated on the extreme southwest corner of Uganda on the slopes of the Virunga Mountains. It borders the DRC and Rwanda. The park only covers 28 square miles so it's quite small, but besides gorillas you can also see leopard, buffalo, bushbuck and golden monkeys.

Bwindi is in south-western Uganda and is home to about half of all mountain gorillas. The park covers about 200 square miles of extremely dense rainforest and is a proclaimed World Heritage site. Part of the fun of tracking gorillas here is trying to follow them through the dense foliage. You can also get to see chimpanzees as well as some spectacular bird life.

Rwanda

Rwanda has one park in the North of the country encompassing its share of the mountain gorilla population: the Virunga National Park or Parc National des Volcans (PNV). The park covers an area of about 46 square miles and encompasses six volcanoes. Despite the terrible genocide in the early 1990's the country is fairly stable and the park permit system is running smoothly. The PNV was where Dian Fossey set up her base and research center. Tracking gorillas in the PNV is slightly less strenuous than at Bwindi since the gorillas move around a little less. The more open terrain also allows more light for better photo opportunities than in Bwindi.

Democratic Republic of Congo

The DRC also has a section of the Virunga Mountains park called the Parc National des Virunga. The DRC gorilla population has been in the news recently (2007) because several gorillas were brutally hacked to death. If you would like to help conservation efforts please click here. To find out how the game rangers are handling the situation and the difficulties they face, read their blogs.

Note:
Gorillas move around the Virunga National Park. In March 2005 it was reported that the gorilla group that is usually resident on the Ugandan side of the park had moved to Rwanda (tastier bamboo shoots perhaps). When this happens gorilla tracking on the Ugandan side is suspended. Volcanoes Safaris keeps good track of gorilla movements.

Tracking Mountain Gorillas

Getting to see gorillas is not easy, nor are you guaranteed to see them. The trek to where the gorilla groups live takes you through very dense vegetation, up steep slopes and can last several hours. Gorillas move around so they aren't all that easy to track. The gorillas you'll be meeting are habituated to humans which is why you are able to get quite close to them. Some basic rules of tracking gorillas include:

• You have to be over 15 years of age
• You can not be sick or have any infectious disease
• Only one hour is allowed with the gorillas and you have to keep a distance of at least 5 metres
• Maximum number of visitors per day is 6-12 people per group
• No flash photography is allowed
• Trekkers must be fit and well equipped, which includes warm clothing for the wet cool climate high in the mountains.
• No eating or drinking in the vicinity of the gorillas
• No touching the gorillas (although they may decide to touch you)

Gorilla Permits

You need an official permit handled by each of the national parks to see the gorillas. Usually you have to obtain these several months in advance. If you are going with a tour it will be arranged for you.

In Uganda it costs USD 500 per day per person for a gorilla permit. You can get the permits in Kampala (the capital of Uganda) at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) headquarters. It is possible to make an international booking for permits using email direct with UWA but they do not accept credit cards so it gets a bit complicated. See their web site for more details.

In Rwanda you can get permits through the Rwanda Tourism Board offices (ORTPN) in Kigali or Ruhengeri (near the PNV). You can call (250) 576514 or 573396 or email at reservation@rwandatourism.com. The permits cost USD 500 per person per day (as of Summer 2007). For more information see the ORPTN web site.

Gorilla Safari Guide

Page Two: When to go, how to get to the parks, where to stay and sample gorilla safari tours.

Page Three: A guide to lowland gorillas in DRC, Gabon and Cameroon.