Mountain Gorillas in Uganda are one of the commonest and most famous Uganda Safari Tour attractions . they re found in two of the ten National Parks in Uganda. Among them is Bwindi, located in South Western Uganda and is 331 square kilometers, on the edge of the western rift valley, shared by Kabale, Rukungiri and Kisoro Districts. The Mountain Gorillas are unquestionably Bwindi’s key tourist attraction, where they’ve been habituated since April 1993. There are four sectors where gorillas can be trekked in Bwindi and these include, Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo and Ruhija.

Permits are sold for each of these mountain gorilla groups at Uganda Wildlife Head Quarters in Kampala. It’s advisable to book 3months in advance to be sure the requested dates are available. 8 persons only can visit a given gorilla family per day. The Mubare gorilla group was the first to become available for tourism in Uganda in April 1993. Nine groups are now habituated for tourism, and one group for research. Gorilla treks begin at 8 AM every day starting with a briefing. The trek can last anywhere from 1 hour to 8 hours depending on where the gorillas will be that particular day. Gorilla Tracking can be actually challenging, so go prepared.

A few facts about Mountain Gorillas in Uganda

You might be interested to know that:

  • The scientific name for the mountain gorilla is gorilla beringei beringei.
  • Mountain gorillas live in high mountain forests.
  • They’re a species distinct from other gorillas like the lowland gorilla (Gorillas World explains the different gorilla types nicely).
  • Mountain gorillas are social creatures, and live in family groups known as troops or bands.
  • Mountain gorilla babies are called infants, and they ride on their mother’s backs for two to three years.
  • Older adult males are called silverbacks because they develop silver fur on their back and hips at around age 12.
  • The average mountain gorilla lives for about 35 years in the wild.
  • When fully grown, a mountain gorilla stands about four to six feet high.
  • Mountain gorillas are vegetarians, eating shoots, bark, roots, fruit, wild celery and pulp.