Do you want to know where to go for gorilla trekking in Africa? Quite a number of African countries have gorillas but apparently only three countries have mountain gorillas and these include Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. You can go to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda or Virunga National Park in Congo for mountain gorilla trekking in Africa. If you need a blend of a lowland gorilla trekking experience, you can visit Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Bukavu, Congo. These three countries are apparently the best destinations for gorilla tracking in the whole world and account for the biggest number of trekking clients.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda is apparently the best destination for mountain gorilla tours in the world. This gorilla park accounts for half the remaining population of mountain gorillas in the world and has 4 different sectors where clients can trek gorillas from. Bwindi is one of Uganda’s world heritage sites and attracts millions of tourists every year. It is apparently the most preferable Ugandan gorilla park to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Mgahinga has only one gorilla family known as the Nyakagezi Gorilla Group. This group sometimes crosses over to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, which brings a bit of uncertainty with trekking gorillas from there.

Next to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. A gorilla permit for Volcanoes National Park normally costs $1500 each and $1050 when visiting all the other Rwanda national parks. So many travelers prefer Volcanoes National Park to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park mainly because of the short distance from Kigali International Airport, a common place where so many clients arrive from to Rwanda. The distance from Kigali to Musanze, a town where Volcanoes National Park is found is only 2 hours; which could have been shorter if the Rwandan speed limitations where above 60 kilometers per hour. Virunga is rarely visited because of the insecurity in Goma BUT it would have definitely been second to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

What do you need for gorilla trekking

The most important requirement for gorilla tracking is a gorilla permit. Each permit entitles you to one gorilla encounter. Clients who wish to trek gorillas multiple times should require additional gorilla permits depending on the total number of encounters they’d wish to have. Gorilla permits are bought from respective country bodies that govern/manage gorilla trekking and these include Uganda Wildlife Authority for Uganda, Rwandan Development Board (RDB) for Rwanda and ICCN and Virunga Foundation for Virunga National Park in Congo. Gorilla permits are sold on a first-come-first-serve basis hence, clients are advised to make their bookings several months in advance to avoid missing out on permits.

Another thing you need is a sound and healthy body. Considering their closeness to humans, mountain gorillas are likely to get infectious diseases and their immunity is not strong enough to fight diseases. This can lead to the demise of many members of a gorilla family. Clients with infectious diseases like cough, influenza or any other airborne diseases will not be permitted to other travelers in the trek so as to cut out the risk of gorilla infection. Taking flu shots and ensuring your health is very vital to your gorilla trekking preparation process and you should take this seriously to avoid any disappointments.

To make your trek even easier and much more comfortable, you need the necessary trekking gears and the right clothing before you make your entourage into the forest or mountains to search for mountain gorillas. Some of the gears you need are cameras for recordings, a walking stick, sun shades, insect repellants, energy snacks and many more. Most important of all is a small first aid kit since there is no hospital in the jungle. Moving with one keeps you safe in case of any minor injuries during your trek. As for clothing, things trousers, long sleeved tops, rain jackets, hats and long hiking boots are highly recommended.