Gorilla Trekking in Uganda – A Guide to see Mountain Gorillas in Uganda Are you planning and interested in visiting Uganda for Gorilla Trekking?  This Valverde Safaris guide on Gorilla trekking in Uganda will help you plan well your trip for a great experience during your gorilla trek tour to Uganda. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is only done in two national parks Bwindi Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park both found in southwestern Uganda, Gorilla trekking is one of the major activities that attract many tourists to Uganda and many include this activity in their itineraries when visiting Uganda. What is Gorilla Trekking? Defined Gorilla Trekking in Uganda involves walking and hiking through the forest to search for gorillas in their natural habitat once you find the gorillas you spend one hour encountering them, learning more about their daily lifestyle, taking pictures and videos. About Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is one of the only 4 national parks home to endangered mountain gorillas in the world, other national parks include Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes national park in Rwanda, and Virunga National Park in DR Congo. Bwindi Forest National Park is one of Africa’s oldest forests with diverse biodiversity with various species which include 350 birds, 310 butterflies, 200 trees, 51 reptiles, 88 months, and 120 mammals, the park is also home to several primates including chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkey and the major one the Mountain Gorillas. The global population of mountain gorillas is 1064 individuals and half of these can be found in Bwindi impenetrable forest, the park has over 15 habituated gorilla family groups open for gorilla tracking with 8 gorilla permits allocated to each group per day. About Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the other only national park in Uganda where gorilla trekking is done the other is Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national Park. Mgahinga National Park is home to one gorilla family called Nyakagezi open for gorilla trekking. The park is also home to 3 volcanoes Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhavura volcanoes of the 6 extinct volcanoes found in the Virunga ranges sharing borders with Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in DR Congo also home to mountain gorillas. Mgahinga National Park is the smallest National Park in Uganda covering just 38 kmsq it is also best known for golden monkey trekking making it the only national park in Uganda where to see gorillas and golden monkeys. Mgahinga gorilla National park is also home to 76 mammal species including the endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. Other large mammals include elephants, buffaloes, leopard, giant forest hogs however these are very rare to see. It is also great for bird watching with over 115 bird species present in the park including various Albertine Rift endemics. Gorillas Where is Gorilla Trekking done in Bwindi Forest? Where is Gorilla Trekking done in Bwindi Forest? Gorilla trekking in Bwindi forest is done in 4 sectors which include Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga. Buhoma sector is located in the northern part of Bwindi and Ruhija sector in the North Eastern part of Bwindi both sectors are located close to Queen Elizabeth National Park making it easy to combine gorilla trekking with game viewing if you are trekking at these sectors. In the southern Part of Bwindi it is where Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors are located close to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for gorilla trekking and Golden monkey tracking. Each sector has different habituated mountain gorilla families open for gorilla trekking with Rushaga sector having many families compared to other sectors. How much is Gorilla Trekking in Uganda A Gorilla Permit in Uganda costs USD700 per person per trek for Foreign Non-Residents, USD600 for East African Residents, and USD70 for East African Citizens. This Gorilla permit gives you an opportunity to spend one-hour encountering mountain gorillas in the Bwindi forest or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park once you find them on your trek. How to purchase a Gorilla trekking permit in Uganda Gorilla trekking permits in Uganda are purchased from Uganda Wildlife Authority, this can be done at their headquarters in Kampala or Kisoro for tourists arriving in Uganda through Entebbe it is recommended to purchase their gorilla permits from Kampala and for tourists arriving in Uganda through Kigali, they can purchase their permits at the branch headquarter of Uganda Wildlife Authority in Kisoro town which is 1-2 hours drive to Bwindi. About Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is one of the only 4 national parks home to endangered mountain gorillas in the world, other national parks include Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes national park in Rwanda, and Virunga National Park in DR Congo. Bwindi Forest National Park is one of Africa’s oldest forests with diverse biodiversity with various species which include 350 birds, 310 butterflies, 200 trees, 51 reptiles, 88 months, and 120 mammals, the park is also home to several primates including chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkey and the major one the Mountain Gorillas. The global population of mountain gorillas is 1064 individuals and half of these can be found in Bwindi forest, the park has over 15 habituated gorilla family groups open for gorilla tracking with 8 gorillas permits allocated to each group per day. About Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the other only national park in Uganda where gorilla trekking is done the other is Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national Park. Mgahinga National Park is home to one gorilla family called Nyakagezi open for gorilla trekking. The park is also home to 3 volcanoes Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhavura volcanoes of the 6 extinct volcanoes found in the Virunga ranges sharing borders with Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in DR Congo also home to mountain gorillas. Mgahinga National Park is the smallest National Park in Uganda covering just 38 kmsq it is also best known for golden monkey trekking making it the only national park in Uganda where to see gorillas and golden monkeys. Mgahinga gorilla