Where to see mountain gorillas in Uganda

Where to see mountain gorillas in Uganda

Uganda is one of Africa’s best destinations for mountain gorilla trekking, the country’s western mountain ranges with tropical rainforests are where the mountain gorillas live in the wild. Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park bordering Rwanda’s volcanoes national park and DR Congo’s Virunga national park are the only places in Uganda where you can trek the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, covering 32,092 ha, is one of the largest areas in East Africa which still has Afro-montane lowland forest extending well within the montane forest belt. Located on the eastern edge of the Albertine Rift Valley and believed to be a Pleistocene refugium, the property is a biodiversity hotspot with possibly the greatest number of tree species for its altitude in East Africa. It is also host to a rich fauna including a number of endemic butterflies and one of the richest mammalian assemblages in Africa. Home to almost half of the world’s mountain gorilla population

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park sits high in the clouds, at an altitude of between 2,227m and 4,127m. As its name suggests, it was created to protect the rare mountain gorillas that inhabit its dense forests, and it is also an important habitat for the endangered Golden Monkeys.

As well as being important for wildlife, the park also has a huge cultural significance, in particular for the indigenous Batwa pygmies. This tribe of hunter-gatherers was the forest’s “first people”, and their ancient knowledge of its secrets remains unrivaled.

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