Where to See Gorillas in Africa?

Places where to see gorillas in Africa include Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo, Gabon and Central Africa Republic. The reason why all above countries are mentioned is because these are destinations where we find all types of gorillas on the continent. Depending on the types of gorillas in Africa that you wish to visit or trek. For instance mountain gorillas in Africa are endemic to Uganda, Rwanda and Congo only and you will not find them anywhere else on the continent. And whoever to want to go gorilla trekking, he should book a permit to access them in their natural habitats in the mentioned countries.

Gorilla National Parks and Reserves in Africa

The gorilla trekking destinations in Africa include Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. These are the only two game reserves in Uganda where the endangered mountain gorillas live are are open to gorilla trekking safaris. Other places where one should find mountain gorillas include Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and the Virunga National Park in Congo. Both Volcanoes and Virunga National Park are part of the massive Virunga Massif stretching between Rwanda and Congo.

In eastern Congo, Kahuzi Biega National Park is the home for Eastern lowland gorillas which are estimated to be around 250 in number and organised in 9 gorilla families for trekking purposes.

Another gorilla destination in Africa is the Odzala-Kokoua National Park Congo which is a habitat for critically endangered western lowland gorillas. The park which covers a massive 13,546 square kilometers and located in the heart of the Congo Basin is the second largest rain forest in the world after the Amazon Rain forest in South America.

Another place for gorillas in Africa is Tayna Gorilla Reserve or Tayna Nature Reserve in Congo is a habitat to the critically endangered eastern lowland gorilla, or Grauer’s gorilla which are subspecies of the eastern gorilla and the other being its cousin is the mountain gorilla.

Maiko National Park is a national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo lying in one of the most remote forest areas of the country and covers 10,885 square kilometers. The park which is divided into three sectors, straddling the states of Nord Kivu, Province Orientale and Maniema is where eastern lowland gorillas live and available for trekking.

Also on the list of gorilla destinations in Africa is the Itombwe Nature Reserve is located within the Itombwe Mountains which also makes up part of the Mitumba range in the Eastern Congo. The reserve that covers 6,009.10 square kilometers or 2,320.13 square miles is part of a Lion Conservation Unit and a home to the critically endangered eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri).

In the vast Congo, Eastern lowland gorillas are also found in the Usala forest. The forest is also a vital home to the endangered Okapi, critically African white elephants, endangered eastern chimpanzees and many more animals. The Usala forest sits at the heart of the 30,000 square kilometers Maiko Tayna region of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and it is one of the most intact, remote, road-less and inaccessible expanses of tropical rain forest surviving in Africa today.

The western lowland gorillas are found in Loango National Park on the Atlantic coast of Gabon in Central Africa. The park conserves wilderness areas of beach, forest, savanna and wetlands around the Iguela Lagoon. Other mammals in the park include forest elephants, buffaloes, leopards, hippos and others. Large pods of humpback whales, orcas and dolphins swim offshore. There are also rare bird species that include the Loango weaver and African river martin.