Half of all the world’s 1063 endangered mountain gorillas survive in Uganda making it a preferred gorilla trekking destination. Immersing yourself in the African jungles of Uganda is a lifetime opportunity to explore in depth the behaviours of these large apes while in their natural habitat. Uganda protects mainly the Eastern gorilla species –mountain gorillas which thrive in the country’s 2 spectacular parks- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Where can I watch gorillas in Uganda?
Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks are the only 2 places where you can watch mountain gorillas while in their natural habitat. The two protected areas shelter up to 21 habituated gorilla families –these are all open for normal gorilla trekking experiences, and each is trekked by a maximum of 8 (eight) visitors per day.
A population of about 459 mountain gorillas survives within Bwindi National Park, Southwestern Uganda and consists of 20 fully habituated families. At Bwindi, there are 4 key sectors where all gorilla treks are conducted daily including Buhoma to the North, Ruhija to the East and two Southern regions; Rushaga and Nkuringo.
Bwindi is a typical African tropical rainforest park and encompasses the lush Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The park lies along the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) border and is situated at the edge of the Albertine Rift. Bwindi National Park was officially gazetted as Ugandan Park in 1991 and covers up to 331 sq. km of land area.
Within Bwindi alone, there are 120 mammal species which include the endangered mountain gorillas. Bwindi Impenetrable NP also protects more than 350 bird species, 27 frog species, 310 butterfly species, and 1000 flowering plant species. The different primates that also survive within this park include chimpanzees, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, honest monkeys, and colobus monkeys.
Birds –the check-list of Bwindi National Park bird species includes the Doherty’s bush shrikes, Black bee-eaters, Red-faced woodland warblers, red-headed bluebill, common bulbul, white-tailed blue flycatchers, African green pigeon, cinnamon-chested bee-eaters, giant kingfisher, Black-faced rufous warblers, African broadbill, Grauer’s broadbill, regal sunbird, Neumann’s warblers, olive breasted greenbul, Archer’s robin chat, Tit Hylia, Montane oriole, Rwenzori batis, yellow-streaked greenbul, purple-breasted sunbird, handsome francolins, Chapin’s flycatchers, Kivu ground thrush, red-throated alethe, Shelley’s greenbul, mountain masked apalis, western green tinker bird, and more.
Bwindi is best to visit for birding excursion from March and September, June and July, then May and May. The majority of the birds nest around May and June, and most migratory birds flock into the park around November and April.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park –offers not only exceptional gorilla experiences but also golden monkey tracking. The park lies in Kisoro, Southwestern Uganda and the primary reason for its establishment was to protect the endangered mountain gorillas in the wild. Over 76 mammal species survive in this 33.7 sq. km park and they include the rare mountain gorillas. Other mammals include buffaloes, bush pigs, bush bucks, forest hogs, elephants, leopards, and a total of 180 species of birds.
Birds of Mgahinga National Park include the Double-collared sunbird, Archer’s robin chat, Black kite, Fire-finch stonechat, Grey-capped warbler, Speckled mousebirds, Pin-tailed whydah, Blue-headed coucals, Paradise flycatchers, Kivu ground thrush, Rwenzori turacos, cape robin chat, African olive pigeon, Dusky crimson wings, Alpine swift, scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird, moorland chat, olive woodpeckers, Rwenzori nightjars, cinnamon bracken warblers, brown crowned chakra and more.
Additional experiences/activities to do in Uganda besides gorilla trekking
Golden monkey tracking
Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga is a great opportunity to explore in depth the behaviour of golden monkeys while in their natural habitat. More than 3000-4000 golden monkeys still survive in the world; these occupy the Virunga region and Albertine rift area. This is a 2-5 hours’ trek in the jungles with an experienced guide in search of golden monkeys and treks begin at Ntebeko area in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Birding
Aside from seeing gorillas, Bwindi and Mgahinga are rich birding sites. At Bwindi NP, the must-visit trails to explore interesting birds in Bwindi include Mubwindi swamp trails, Bamboo zone, Buhoma waterfall trail, Kashasha river trails and Mgahinga; explore the Gorge trail between Mt. Gahinga and Sabyinyo.
The common birds to identify in Bwindi-Mgahinga protected areas are mostly the Albertine rift endemic species and resident birds such as Kivu ground thrush, Blue-headed sunbird, Regal sunbird, Dusky turtle dove, Brown-crowned waxbills, Rwenzori batis, Bronze sunbirds and more.
In other protected areas like Queen Elizabeth National Park, you can have the best of a guided game viewing or game drive, boat cruise, lion trekking, and hot air balloon excursion.
Best time to see gorillas in Uganda
Uganda enjoys a favourable equatorial/tropical kind of climate making it an all-year-round destination. The favorite time to travel to see mountain gorillas in Uganda’s jungles is during the dry season which is from June to September, December to February.
