Gorilla Tracking Safari Information
The mountain gorilla is the rarest of all the apes, and there are only about 600 left in the mountainous region that straddles Uganda, Rwanda and the D.R.C in East Africa. This is the last fragile environment in which they are able to survive; they've never been reared successfully in captivity and there are none in zoos. There's only one mountain gorilla for every ten million people on earth. Only a few have been habituated for humans to visit, which makes tracking these elusive apes both a privilege and an exhilarating adventure. Be prepared to hike through some rugged country: steep hills, thorny trees, and tangled vines. Discovering that you are sitting only five metres from a gorilla in the undergrowth is a spine tingling experience.

Your first glimpse of a gorilla might be a baby up a tree, a female quietly munching on a branch, even a silverback pounding his chest. You can go gorilla tracking in two of Uganda 's national parks, Mgahinga on the Ugandan side of the Virunga Volcanoes, and Bwindi, a nearby tract of impenetrable forest or in the Virunga Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Permits to view gorillas must be obtained in advance. These allow a one hour audience with these gentle apes.

Gorilla in Bwindi

Looking into the soft brown eyes of a gorilla in its natural habitat is without doubt one of Africa's greatest wildlife encounters

o Bwindi

o Mgahinga

o Virunga Volcanoes

Please note: a gorilla permit does not guarantee a sighting of the gorillas, and once found you are only permitted to spend one hour with them as overexposure to human contact is harmful for the apes. If the gorillas become agitated or nervous the guide will end the visit early. Remember, no one forces the gorillas to stay there for the allotted hour - they can fade into the forest whenever they want.

Gorilla safaris & holidays