Best places to see gorillas in the wild

Last updated May 1st, 2023.

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Ever since Sir David Attenborough famously sat with gorillas in the late 1970s for the BBC, gorilla trekking has topped bucket lists. At the time it was unheard of and a pretty DIY affair. The good news is that seeing wild mountain and lowland gorillas has never been easier. Here I’ll talk you through the best places to see gorillas in the wild in Africa.

Gorillas are an animal with a majesty, playfulness, and connection with other family members that reminds us of ourselves. Perhaps because they are one of our closest living relatives in the natural world.

Today they are startlingly rare in the wild, but thankfully slowly recovering when given the space they need. Despite being endangered, gorillas can nonetheless still be seen in the African wild in several locations.

Indeed, doing so is likely to secure their long-term future on the planet. This is because tourist permits fund the rangers that dedicate their lives to protecting these masterful creatures.

Where Do Gorillas Live?

If you’ve ever wondered where mountain gorillas live, the answer in the forested slopes of east Africa, around Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The DRC is also the only home of the eastern lowland gorilla. You’ve therefore got a double chance to see gorillas in the country, so long as you stick to its eastern border region.

But although much less known, gorillas also live in west Africa. From Nigeria right across to Gabon you’ll find the slightly more common (but no less impressive) western lowland gorilla.

With all this in mind, let’s take a look at my pick of the best places to see gorillas in the wild.

1. Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

This area of protected land amid the Virunga Mountains is probably the best-known location for seeing mountain gorillas.

On the cusp of east Africa, it was here that David Attenborough came for his epic encounter.

Rwanda has a reputation for safety, including excellent road conditions. The country’s Volcanoes National Park has ten different family groups habituated to human contact.

The result – Volcanoes is undoubtedly one of the best places to see gorillas in the wild. It’s almost certain one family will always be close enough to the park’s camps to make gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park a success.

If there’s one downside, it’s that the permits needed to join a sometimes-difficult trek into the montane forest are expensive. At Volcanoes National Park, they come in at $1500 per person per hour. Yes, per hour. However, there are cheaper trekking options available from Kigali if you’re on a budget.

Across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park, costs are significantly lower. But so are the conditions, with gorilla treks in Virunga National Park being somewhat more adventurous all-round than in Rwanda.

2. Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo

If you want to see eastern lowland gorillas, rather than smaller mountain gorillas, you have little choice but to head to the DRC. This is the one and only place in the world where they now live in the wild.

Also known as Grauer’s gorillas, Kahuzi-Biega National Park is believed to be home to around 250. Estimates put the total population of the species at 5,000 individuals.

The gateway to Kahuzi-Biega is the town of Bukavu at the southern end of Lake Kivu. The lake boasts some impressive accommodation in the form of Belgian-era lakeside mansions and more modern hotels too, making the entire experience rather more pleasant than it otherwise might be.

3. Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve, Central African Republic

The Central African Republic sits north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s one of just a handful of countries on Earth to offer the chance to encounter western lowland gorillas.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve is typified by steamy tropical rainforest.

The reserve has the highest concentration of western lowland gorillas of any park on the continent. It even stretches across the border to Cameroon and the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).

Dzanga bai, a natural clearing in the jungle, is generally considered the best place to head within the reserve. Here gorillas step out from the protection of the thick forest into grassland, making them much easier to spot.

The downside is the difficulty of arranging tours of the park before arrival into the country.

4. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

The evocatively-named Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in Uganda. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s largely covered by thick forest which can make the going tough.

It’s rangers study and protect around 400 individuals, divided into 13 family groups. If you’re fit and healthy, there’s nothing quite like gorilla trekking in Bwindi. In addition to good numbers of animals, gorilla permits are half that of Rwanda, making them (almost) a bargain.

Bwindi also has a rather more novel addition to gorilla tracking, a Gorilla Habituation Experience. This allows visitors a glimpse of the habituation process by joining a group of gorillas not yet used to humans. It also gives you up to four hours with the animals, rather than the single hour usual on a trek.

Results can’t be guaranteed, but you’re sure not to forget the time in a hurry! And other destinations are sure to adopt similar projects in the future.

5. Lopé National Park, Gabon

I’ve been a fan of Lopé National Park since I first visited Gabon. A mix of lowland jungle and pockets of grass known as bais, it was the forest elephants that attracted me.

However, travel deep into this UNESCO World Heritage Site, away from the chalets and swimming pool of the Lopé Hotel, and there’s a good chance you’ll see gorilla too.

The population is small compared to elsewhere on the continent, but so are the number of visitors. Gabon’s Lopé National Park is therefore one of the best places to see gorillas in the wild, with a number of options available to visitors.

And there’s no such thing as a trekking permit either, although sightings are more of the safari style. In other words, you won’t get as close as you will to gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda.

Head out on a forest walk and there’s a decent chance you’ll also find evidence of chimpanzees, and perhaps even the sun-tailed guenon. The latter was unknown to science until just a generation ago.

Moving from the trees to ground level, duiker are a common sighting, as are the russet flanks of forest buffalo.

The park also protects human heritage, with petroglyphs carved into rocks thought to date to the Iron Age. They can be explored as part of the archeaological tours that also take in the river Ogooué by boat.

6. Cross River, Nigeria

Nigeria’s Cross River gorillas are a critically-endangered subspecies of the western lowland gorilla.

Study of their nightly ‘nests’ suggest there may be as little as 200 or 300 individuals. There wasn’t even any professional footage of the animals in the wild until 2009.

This makes Cross River gorillas some of the rarest creatures in the world and the world’s most endangered ape.

Even so, it’s believed there are at least 11 individual family groups, spread across approximately 5,000 square kilometres of forested lowland mountains.

Access to the Cross River gorillas’ habitat is via Calabar. This charming, tropical hideway sits in Nigeria’s southeastern corner, close to the border with Cameroon.

From here, it’s a drive of around three hours to Cross River National Park, set up in 1989. The park offers dedicated gorilla trekking experiences, alongside primate walks.

On the latter, there’s the chance of seeing species including white-faced monkeys. Because of the rarity of the animals, gorilla sightings can never be promised.

However, with chimps, forest elephants, antelopes, buffalo, wild pigs and even manatee on the cards, a trip to the park is never a waste.

What are the best places to see gorillas in the wild?

Although limited to reserves in a handful of countries, it’s still possible to see wild gorillas in Africa. The best places to see gorillas in the wild combine practicality with sightings that are pretty much guaranteed. Very different to a safari on the plains, the cost of gorilla trekking can seem exorbitant. But you do get a very personal encounter, and are helping to ensure the survival of the species too.