Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla trekking is the predominant tourist activity in Bwindi impenetrable national park and a significant number of tourists visiting Uganda purposely to participate in this adventurous activity has been recorded over the years.

Bwindi Impenetrable forest is a rainforest located in the southwest of Uganda. The park is famously known for gorilla trekking as it is the home of half of the world’s mountain gorilla population. Mountain gorillas are an endangered species having a population estimate of about 1064 gorillas worldwide and Bwindi has over 600 of these.

Bwindi Impenetrable national park is one of the few places in the world where you can track mountain Gorillas leaving you with an unforgettable Gorilla trekking experience. This activity can take from 2 to 8 hours of adventure in search of the gentle giants within the forest.   The search is a little tedious but worth the sweat because meeting the gorillas is such a mind-blowing and memorable encounter that you wouldn’t want to miss.

Once found, you will spend  1 hour interacting with them, and here you will get an insight into their way of life and more information about the family you have visited. You will also be allowed to take photos and record videos following the accepted guidelines of interaction with them.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Gorilla Sectors

Bwindi has been divided into 4 sectors major sectors for gorilla trekking with 18 families of habituated mountain Gorillas. Each of these sectors is unique in its way and has different habituated families i.e.

• The Buhoma sector located in the north of the forest has 5 families i.e Mubare, Rushegura, Katwe, Habinyanja, and Muyambi.
• Rushaga sector located in the south has 8 families i.e Nshongi, Kahungye, Bweza, Busingye, Bikyingi, Mishaya, Mucunguzi, and Rwigi.
• The Nkuringo sector located in the south has 3 families i.e Nkuringo, Christmass, Bushaho.
• Ruhiija sector located in the East has 4 families Bitukura, Oruzogo, Kyaguliro, and Mukiza

Gorilla trekking activity is open all year round but it is very important to plan to obtain a gorilla permit earlier because there is a limited number of visitors allowed to track Gorillas per day.

Gorilla trekking permits in Uganda can be obtained at USD 700 for foreign none residents, USD 600 for foreign residents, and UGX 250,000 for East African Local Citizens. These funds are used to protect and conserve the different animals and plant species and also to support the livelihoods of the communities living around the national park. A gorilla trekking permit only gives you access to one sector per day.