In many ways, Rwanda and Uganda are similar. However, beauty remains a constant factor throughout. These two countries are located in the Eastern region of the African continent and share a border (Rwanda sits on the southwestern border with Uganda). They are blessed with generally green covers in most parts of each country, which have been of great importance in the conservation and flourishing of wildlife. Some of the wildlife in both countries are endangered, including the elusive mountain gorillas.
Mountain gorillas are a subspecies of the Genus Gorilla. These creatures are the world’s largest primates and have great similarities with their compatriots, the Eastern lowland gorillas. Mountain gorillas are declared endangered species after many decades of being poached, killed for meat, and having their habitats encroached upon. Therefore, there’s much attention towards their protection and conservation in both Rwanda and Uganda.
Mountain gorillas are by and large interesting primates to meet, and it’s notable that such an activity is only possible in East Africa, where they can be trekked in their natural habitat and not anywhere else in the world. Mountain gorillas live in groups, which is the most central feature as regards gorilla tourism, since it guarantees the presence of specific mountain gorillas in known areas or sectors. The main tourism activities around these primates are trekking and habituation experiences.
Mountain gorillas in these two countries are conserved within gazetted national parks, such as Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park:
Located in Kisoro, Rubanda, and Kanungu districts, in the southwestern part of Uganda, it’s one of Uganda’s 10 national parks conserved under the stewardship of Uganda Wildlife Authority. Established in 1991, it comprises the magnificent Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, from which the National Park’s name originates.
The National Park covers an area of 32,000 hectares. ‘Bwindi’ has strong cultural attachments from the people that dominated its vicinity, the Banyakitara (People from ‘Kitara’). “Omubwindi” became the commonly referred name to this forest expanse by the indigenous communities around it, which means “place of darkness.”
When viewed closely, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is filled with darkness as the eyes sketch the far compact forest, and other sections of the forest are made of bamboo vegetation. This mixture of vegetation has for ages made full penetration into the forest harder. This, in turn, led to the forest being crowned ‘impenetrable’ due to its thickness. The forest boasts about 90 fern species and an average of 150 unique tree species. Within the high and low-lying flora are the mountain gorillas, of which Uganda has half of the world’s population. The over 20 mountain gorilla families are memorable to trek and habituate.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park:
Similar to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, it’s located in the western part of Uganda. Situated at the southwestern tip of Uganda at the border with Rwanda, Kisoro district is the closest gateway and precisely where the park is located. The park is home to 3 volcanoes: Sabyinyo, Gahinga, and Muhabura.
Mgahinga has only one habituated mountain gorilla family known as the Nyakagezi Gorilla family. It’s an awesome family whose trekking is often coupled with hiking the highlands therein and viewing the golden monkeys.
Volcanoes National Park:
Different from the preceding two National Parks found in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park is in Rwanda. It’s at the northwestern edge of the country and has 5 volcanoes that form the Virunga ranges. Their slopes are highly fertile with volcanic soils that have for many decades supported the growth of tropical rainforests and scattered alpine vegetation. The national park is the only spot in Rwanda from where tourists are able to visit and trek the numerous families of mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
Other activities within these National Parks:
- Birding:All the above-explained mountain gorilla locations in the two countries are highly forested and close to the Western Rift Valley, making it an attractive home for hundreds of bird species. The national parks also have highlands that are home to numerous highland birds such as the blue turacos and Rwenzori batis. Other birds include the Rwenzori Nightjar, handsome spurfowl, African Darter, African forest kites, forest Eagles, and many others.
- Hiking adventures:Besides gorilla trekking, volcano hiking is a common experience here. It’s usually combined with mountain gorilla trekking; however, visitors can take on hiking adventures as a distinct activity altogether. This is common in Mgahinga National Park on Mountains Sabyinyo and Muhabura. Tourists are advised to be in good health and mental shape to achieve a fulfilling hike.
- Nature walks:All the parks, such as Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, present excellent trails for nature walks as tourists get refreshing views of the beautiful nature and topography. On the trails in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, tourists can view other attractions such as thousands of plant species, rivers, streams, and caves.
- Other primates:Trekking, especially in Mgahinga National Park and Volcanoes National Park, doesn’t end at merely trekking mountain gorillas. There are golden monkeys that are present only in Eastern Africa and nowhere else in the world. Trekking these creatures is interesting as tourists get to view their fascinating beauty. Additionally, there are other monkey species in all the national parks such as the blue monkeys, baboons, mangabeys, and colobus monkeys.
Best time to visit Uganda and Rwanda for gorilla trekking:
It is highly recommended to visit the three national parks in Uganda and Rwanda during June to September and December to February. These periods bring the best sunshine and generally perfect weather conditions for an interesting tour within the three parks. These periods within those months are the dry seasons within the tropics. Therefore, visitors should expect fewer weather interruptions during this season.
