Ever wondered where to observe some of the most endangered primates in their natural habitat? Well, think no further, other than Uganda. Dubbed as the pearl of Africa, Uganda is a country that is richly gifted with beautiful landscapes, weather, and wildlife and more so blessed to be among the three counties that harbor gorillas in the whole world. Mountain gorillas, being listed among the endangered species by the international union of conservation of nature, they enjoy a very high status of being some of the most sought after primates by many travelers to Africa.

Mountain gorillas are naturally gentle and highly intelligent animals that are known to use tools and communicate with use of sign language and more so entertaining, so a traveler shouldn’t expect a boring encounter with these magical beauties. While planning a gorilla safari in Uganda one is ought to book and plan their safari well ahead of time, booking can be done even in one year before the safari, or two – three months before the actual trekking date.

For one to be allowed in the jungles to search for mountain gorillas, a trekking permit must be acquired from the Uganda wildlife Authority which is a government entity responsible for protection and conservation of wildlife. Gorillas trekking is done only in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park in southwestern Uganda. These parks are located on the borders of three magnificent countries – Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo within the larger Virunga conservation area.

While on your gorilla trekking safari be expectant to meet the amazing gorilla families that will give you the real experience, as these are not dangerous anymore because, they have been habituated for more than two years thus a visitor is able to take pictures with the gorillas or take a chill. In total, both parks are home to 17 gorilla families which have been well habituated for trekking. Bwindi’s gorillas are however divided into four distinctive regions, namely Ruhija, Buhoma, Rushaga and Nkuringo, all inhabiting incredible numbers of gorilla families, but each presenting a very unique trekking encounter.

Each gorilla family is headed by the (silverback) male gorilla; as the head it is responsible for security of the group, finding food, and resting place on behalf of other family members. With that, it gets all the respect from the family. Besides trekking gorillas, while on your safari to Mgahinga and Bwindi national park, you can enjoy other activities like bird watching, hiking, nature walks, and a traveler also gets chances to encounter the indigenous tribe of Batwa people and a village visit to the Buhoma community.

This will turn your safari into a more adventurous experience. To have more of the one on one encounter with the gorillas, tourists are issued permits that only 8 members are permitted to visit a gorilla family one hour per day, a tourist is able to see the gorillas as they feed, sleep, play, rest and a visitor can be lucky to encounter a rare scene, for example, one can see a gorilla while giving birth, such a rare treasury scene.

All this can be captured by the camera and kept as memories. With that, it is obvious that one can have a lifetime experience with these beauties, so why not take a step that will lead you into the world’s pearl of Africa and carry with you, one place memories in the Bwindi impenetrable national park and mgahinga national park (where gold meets silver) with the mountain gorillas too. And do not worry about where to sleep during your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda; both parks have accommodation options near and within, ranging from campsites to luxurious bandas and lodges.