Which country in Africa has more mountain gorillas?
Which country in Africa has more mountain gorillas?
The current population of mountain gorillas in Africa is over 1000 mountain gorillas, according to the recent census. The mountain gorillas live in Uganda, Rwanda, and D.R.Congo, but Uganda has almost half the population.
The mountain gorillas in Uganda live in Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga National Park. Currently, only 19 gorilla families are fully habituated and open for tourism. Bwindi forest also has two gorilla families in the southern sector so far opened for habituation experience.
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Rwanda mountain gorillas live in Volcanoes National Park and have 12 gorilla families open for tourism. D.R. Congo mountain gorillas are Virunga National Park residents, and six gorilla families have been fully habituated and opened for tourism.
The history of gorilla trekking in Africa states that by the 1980s, the population of mountain gorillas was at the rim of extinction, with a population of 250 mountain gorillas, according to a census. The American Primatologist Dian Fossey and her team conducted this mountain gorilla census and came up with this conclusion.
The mountain gorillas were then put on the international list of highly endangered primates, and conservation took precedence. This conservation plan, however, was disturbed by the then unending civil unrest in the Virunga area, including the Rwanda Genocide of 1994
The Uganda gorilla tracking adventure started in the early 1990s with the gorilla habituation process until 1993, when the Mubare gorilla family was first opened for tourism. The other three gorilla families, Rushegura, Habinyanja, and Nkuringo, were fully habituated and opened for tourism later. The Uganda gorilla families open for trekking are currently 19 gorilla families open for tourism.
How Many Gorilla Families Are In Uganda?
Uganda has about half the total number of mountain gorillas in the world, with Bwindi Impenetrable National Park being the largest habitat.
These mountain gorillas are distributed in the Buhoma area in the north, the Ruhijah area in the east, the Rushaga area, and the Nkuringo area in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Some of the mountain gorillas families in Uganda include the Rushegura family, the Mubare family, the Oruzogo family, the Bitukura family, the Nshongi family, the Bweza family, the Chrismas family, and others. The Mgahinga National Park is home to only one gorilla family called Nyakagezi.
According to a recent mountain gorilla population census, Uganda is believed to be hosting over 459 mountain gorillas from approximately 400 per the census 2011. This number is still expanding as newborns are coming forth and deaths are being registered too
Some mountain gorilla families have been habituated fully and released for the public to do gorilla trekking. So far, 19 gorilla families have opened for tourism in Uganda.
In Uganda, two gorilla families are also open for gorilla habituation safari. Gorilla habituation safari is an adventure where tourists can follow a family of semi-habituated mountain gorillas. They are in the company of trackers, researchers, and veterinaries.
How Many Gorilla Families Are in Virunga National Park
The Virunga area also comprises Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in D.R.Congo.
During the recent mountain gorilla census, about 605 mountain gorillas were registered to live in the Virunga area. This population is expanding because of new births and deaths of mountain gorillas registered.
Rwanda has about 12 gorilla families open for tourism, and you can book a permit for any of them.
Some of the Rwanda gorilla families include the Muhoza, Agasha, Amahoro, Susa, Sabyinyo, and much more.
How Can I Book Gorilla Permits For Uganda, Rwanda, And D.R Congo
Procedure
Choose a date when you wish to go gorilla trekking, plus the number of partners you hope to share with this safari.
Send an inquiry to Uganda Wildlife Authority/ Rwanda Development Board or choose a professional Tour operator like Encounter Africa Safaris. We lift off your shoulders the burden of checking availability and assembling other components of a gorilla trekking safari package.
Our safari consultant checks the availability of gorilla permits in Uganda or Rwanda according to your date of preference.
If the status of the gorilla permits availability is positive, we advise clients to purchase theirs as soon as possible to make sure they get all the benefits. Mountain gorillas get more scarce as time goes by because of high demand worldwide, yet their supply is limited to only 8 per gorilla family per day.
Provide some personal details later like nationality, date of birth, Names as indicated on the passport, passport expiry date, and others. This information is used for record purposes; some of it is included on the certificate after completing the gorilla trekking.
How Much Can I Buy A Gorilla Trekking Permit In Africa?
The Uganda gorilla permits cost $700 per person per trek, $1500 per person per trek in Rwanda, and $450 per trek in D.R. Congo.
What is included in the cost of Gorilla permits
Park fees, ranger guide fees, gorilla conservation fund support, local community support, and one hour with the mountain gorillas.
Excludes
Transport, tipping, drinks, packed lunch, and any other items of personal nature.
Where To Go For Gorilla Trekking In Africa
In Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the home of the mountain gorillas in Uganda. This forested National park hosts almost the largest population of mountain gorillas in the world. The park lies in the southwestern part of Uganda.
Bwindi Forest is subdivided into areas, that is to say, the Ruhija area, the Rushaga area, the Nkuringo area, and the Buhoma area.
Before securing accommodation for gorilla trekking time in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you must know where the permit is booked. This is because of the difficulty in connecting from one area to another to catch up with the early morning briefing.
This park is a rich primate habitat with olive baboons, chimpanzees, blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, L’Hoests, red-tailed monkeys, and other residents.
Even keen birders have double the opportunity to do gorilla trekking and birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Over 350 bird species are residents of this park. The Ruhijah area is the prime birding area of the Bwindi forest, especially when you take the trail to the Mubwindi swamp.
Mgahinga National park
This is one of the smallest homes of the mountain gorillas covering an area of about 33.7 square kilometers of land. The distinctive volcanic mountains that form a backdrop for this park create wonderful scenery. These mountains include Mountain Muhabura, Mountain Sabyinyo, and Mountain Gahinga.
Only one gorilla family, the Nyakagezi family, is the only one open for tourist viewing in this park. In the past, this family of mountain gorillas used to wander into Rwanda, but it has been steadily living in the Mgahinga National Park.
Besides gorilla trekking, you can also participate in mountaineering, birding, and scenic viewing in Mgahinga National Park because of its undisturbed vegetation.
In Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park is the only habitat for mountain gorillas in Rwanda. The park lies in the northwestern part of Rwanda. Its topography is composed of Volcanic highlands, with some of the most outstanding being the mountains. Five of the six Virunga ranges are in Volcanoes National Park, including Karisinbi, Bisoke Mountain Sabyinyo, Mountain Muhabura, and Mountain Gahinga.
About 12 gorilla families are currently open for gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Some of them include the Amahoro family, the Agashu family, the Umubano family, the Karisimbi family, the Her family, and others.
This Rwandan National Park is a habitat for over 200 bird species, including Albertine rift endemics. An ornithologist can also enjoy the gorilla trekking experience and birding tours in this park.
Volcanoes National Park is home to other primates like golden, blue, red-tailed, olive baboons, black and white colobus, and others.
In D.R.Congo
Virunga National Park is also one of the only four mountain gorillas habitat in the world. This National Park currently hosts about six gorilla families open for tourism.
The insecurity in this area has dragged the gorilla habituation process in Virunga National Park. This explains its low population of gorilla families opened for tourism.
Some of the gorilla families in Virunga National Park include the Mapuwa gorilla family, Lulengo gorilla family, Rugendo gorilla family, Munyaga gorilla family, Kabirizi gorilla family, and the Humba gorilla family.
Which Is The Best Country To Do Gorilla Trekking in Africa?
No matter where you go, gorilla trekking, whether in Uganda, Rwanda, or D.R.Congo, the feeling you get when standing before the only leftover mountain gorillas is unmatched. This one hour makes you forget for a while the hassle you may have gone through while trying to locate the mountain gorillas.
Some of the factors that create a difference between the three mountain gorilla habitats during gorilla trekking include;
The gorilla permit cost
Currently, the Rwanda gorilla permit costs $1500 per person per trek, while the Uganda gorilla permit currently costs $700 per person per trek, and the D.R.Congo gorilla permit costs $450 per person per trek.
Time is taken to get to the mountain gorilla habitats
The drive from Kigali airport in Rwanda is about 3 hours through scenic winding roads. The drive from Entebbe Airport in Uganda to Bwindi impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park is about 8 to 9 hours. The drive from any of D.R.Congo airport to Virunga National Park may take days unless you pass via Kigali airport in Rwanda.
Security in the gorilla trekking destinations
Virunga National Park in D.R.Congo has insecurity problems because of civil unrest. This is retarding the gorilla trekking adventures in this area. However, Uganda and Rwanda’s political atmosphere has long been excellent, and the gorilla trekking safari is safe.
Number of Gorilla Families open for tourism.
Uganda has 19 gorilla families open for tourism, Rwanda has about 12 gorilla families, and D.R.Congo has six gorilla families. Therefore, the chances of obtaining a gorilla permit in the peak season are in Uganda because of the increased number of gorilla families.
Additional Safari Activities to Combine with Gorilla Trekking
Uganda has a variety of other optional activities you can combine with gorilla trekking, including chimpanzee trekking, game drives, birding, mountaineering, and others. Rwanda and D.R. Congo are limited to additional Africa Safari activities.
What Are the Don’ts Of gorilla Trekking Safari In Africa
- No, entering the forest without an escorting ranger guide as the forest has other dwellers not habituated to human presence that may harm you, like forest elephants.
- Spitting on vegetation is forbidden because this is food for the mountain gorillas. They are generally vegetarian, with bamboo as their delicacy but can feed on soft stems, leaves, tubers, and others.
- Making noise during gorilla trekking is forbidden because you may scare the mountain gorillas that are sacred of new occurrences in their vicinity.
- Littering the forest with garbage is forbidden because you alter the nature of the forest where mountain gorillas collect their food. Try not to dump plastic wraps in the woods too.
- Keep a space of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas when you locate them, and retreat slowly if they approach you. This reduces the chances of passing an infection to the gorillas that are highly susceptible to human infections.
- Flash photography is forbidden as this may scare the mountain gorillas that can be agitated by such occurrences.
- Wearing a clean mask in front of the mountain gorillas is one of the ways to protect them from catching human infectious germs like Covid-19.
- If you have a communicable infection, volunteer to stay behind so you do not pass it to the mountain gorillas. They have a DNA of about 96% of that of humans, making they highly susceptible to diseases like cough, flu, covid-19, and others.
- When eating or smoking, do it at least 200 meters from the mountain gorillas because they are wild animals searching for food.
- Staying with the mountain gorillas is restricted to only one hour so they are left to go about daily activities like feeding, grooming, conception, and others.
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