5 of the best places in Africa to see gorillas

But you can spot Gorillas in other African countries too. Here are five places to see them for yourself.

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1. Gabon

Gabon made a bold bid to diversify its economy by creating 13 national parks in 2002, most of them containing gorilla habitat. The Mikongo Conservation Centre for Gorillas in Lopé National Park was terminated in 2010 and visitors are no longer taken on specific gorilla-spotting treks but can still see them while looking for other wildlife.

Moukalaba-Doudou National Park has some of the highest densities of gorillas, and an eco-tourism project has begun there with help from The Gorilla Organization.

Loango National Park also offers the rare combination of rainforest and Atlantic beach, where hippos have been seen, whales and dolphins surface offshore and the forests are home to gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants.

2. Congo

Odzala National Park now presents one of the best options for seeing Gorillas and is currently home to two habituated family groups that can be seen by visitors. They can also be seen from hides as they visit bais (open clearings in the forest).

About 100 gorillas have been monitored by the Wildlife Conservation Society for a decade; gorilla groups can be seen wading into the marsh to forage for water plants alongside forest elephants, buffalo and antelope such as sitatunga.

3. Rwanda

Rwanda is about the size of Wales and a relatively well-developed infrastructure.

Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is many people’s first choice for a mountain gorilla safari. Relaxed gorillas can be seen in relatively open habitat.

4. Uganda

Second in popularity to Rwanda, the two gorilla parks in the south-west of the country offer different experiences.

Mgahinga National Park is part of the tri-national Virunga Conservation Area, and its habituated gorillas often cross into DRC. However, climbing to the top of Mt Sabino, where Rwanda, Uganda and DRC meet, is an outstanding way to see the whole mountain gorilla kingdom.

5. The central African Republic

One of the best places to track Gorillas is Bai-Hokou in the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park.

A WWF project has succeeded in habituating a group, and a calm contact is likely, though the dense forest and low light beneath the canopy make photography challenging.