Uganda is among the few gifted nations in the world to house the endangered mountain gorillas. Uganda is a land-locked country located in East Africa and has no sea port, it’s sometimes referred to as the pearl of Africa due to the many incredible features it houses and one of them is the endangered mountain gorillas. Uganda has become famous in terms of tourist attractions as very many people all over the world leave their beautiful homes and office to come to this small country to spend at least one or two days in the wild with these incredible features that share almost 95% of human DNA make-up.
Uganda hosts almost half of the world’s population, over 480 species live in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorillas forest national park both parks are located in the southwestern part of Uganda. Mountain gorillas are listed as endangered by the IUCN, and not like other wildlife species that can be seen in zoos mountain gorillas are only found in their natural habitat very deep in the forest. Over 60% of travelers who visit Uganda go gorilla tracking and this has generated a lot of revenue to the government and it has improved the well-being of the people in the country, particularly those living near the park.
Many trackers in Uganda prefer gorilla tracking in Bwindi impenetrable national park; sighting in this park stands on a very high chance of over 96% and above, the park houses over 11 gorilla families and two gorilla groups for research purposes only. All these gorilla families are habituated to human standards and are ready to receive visitors every day. This means that 88 members can track in Bwindi national park every day and only eight members are allowed to track in each gorilla family guided by a ranger guide. Besides gorillas, the park is also gifted with other primates such as the golden monkey, black and white colobus, wild animals and birds.
Mgahinga gorilla forest national park has only one gorilla family called Nyakagezi and the leader of the group likes traveling, they normally cross borders to DRC and Rwanda in search of new adventures so before booking tracking in this area it’s better to first confirm the gorilla availability before booking to avoid missing sighting.
No one is permitted to track without a gorilla permit which costs a fee of US$600 per person per tracking during the high seasons and in the law season mountain gorilla permits cost US$450 during the months of April, May, and September, you are also advised to book in advance at least 2-3 months prior to your tracking dates to avoid disappointments, Uganda gorilla permits are issued on first come first served basis the earlier the better. And it’s very better to book your permit through a tour operator or travel company organizing your safari as they have easy access to these permits than an individual.
Tracking gorillas begins very early in the morning and it can go for a half or full day since meeting them depends on where they spent their last night, a reasonable degree of fitness is needed as well as tracking gears like sturdy pair of tracking gears and shoes, long-sleeved shirts or blouses among others. The one hour you are allowed to stay with these apes is a memorable one. On a Uganda gorilla safari, you can still see gorillas and wildlife at a very affordable rate together with transportation and accommodation wrapping up your experience in Africa.