Gorilla Parks in Uganda – Mountain Gorilla Habitats in Uganda
There are 2 Mountain Gorilla Parks in Uganda which include Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. These parks are found in south western side of Uganda and are famous for gorilla trekking safaris especially Bwindi forest. Bwindi, the one with the highest number of gorilla families out of the four gorilla national parks in the region is among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Uganda. Bwindi and Mgahinga are two of the four mountain gorilla national parks in the region. The other 2 include the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gorillas in these parks are organized into habituated groups or families that are available for tracking by gorilla visitors. To enter the parks, one must have a gorilla permit booked through a tour operator well in advance. The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is in charge of managing all the national parks in Uganda is responsible with issuing the permits to trek gorillas. The mountain gorilla habitats are also among the major tourist attractions in Uganda because of their gorilla trekking safaris that take place at these destinations every day throughout the year.
Access to the Gorilla Parks
Majority of Gorilla safaris in Uganda have three starting points. One can book a gorilla trip, fly into Kigali in Rwanda and trek gorillas in Uganda going through either Gatuna or Cyanika border points. Such safaris are under Uganda gorilla trekking from Kigali and are common. Alternatively, visitors may fly into Uganda and take scheduled flights from Entebbe to Bwindi Forest by land at Kihihi Airstrip or Mgahinga via Kisoro town. One can also charter a plane from Entebbe to any of the two parks, visit gorillas in the jungle and fly back. And the third is by road from Kampala or Entebbe to the gorilla dwelling places. These trips from Kampala to Bwindi last a minimum of 3 days since the distance is longer and takes the biggest portion of the day compared to those safaris that start from Kigali to Uganda.
MOUNTAIN GORILLA PARKS IN UGANDA
BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas is found southwestern Uganda on the Rift Valley edge. With several gorilla families available for tracking, gorilla trekking is the major tourist activity in the park. Widely known as an “impenetrable forest” the park protects approximately 500 mountain gorillas which is loosely half of the world’s number of the engendered primates.
To trek gorilla in Bwindi or any park, you have to to know what to pack for the safari. Reading the proper gorilla trekking rules and regulations is also very vital for visitors and the primates themselves. The park also several mammal, plant and bird species as well as pygmies and wonderful communities that facilitate nature, community and cultural tourism among others. Read More about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
MGAHINGA GORILLA NATIONAL PARK
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park found in southern western Uganda in Kisoro District is a habitat to Mountain Gorillas in Uganda. The 33.7 square kilometers park features 3 extinct volcanoes (Mount Gahinga, Sabyinyo and Muhabura), mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. The extinct volcanoes are Mgahinga’s most striking features.
Mgahinga is a portion of the enormous Virunga Range which lies along the border area of Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo. Mgahinga forms a fragment of the considerably bigger Virunga Conservation Area which comprises of neighboring parks in the three countries. Gorilla Trekking with the Nyakagezi group, the only gorilla family in Mgahinga plus golden monkey tracking and mountain hiking are the tourist activities in the park. Read More for Mgahinga Gorilla National Park details.