There are about 1,063 mountain gorillas left in the world. They live in three forests, in three countries, and behave noticeably differently in each.
In Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, the forest is high — much of it above 2,500 metres — and the volcano terrain is open in places. The gorillas there are habituated to a high frequency of researcher contact going back to Dian Fossey’s work in the 1960s. They are also, by reputation, the gentlest of the three populations.
In Bwindi, Uganda, the forest is exactly as advertised: impenetrable. Steep, dense, hot, vertical. The gorillas there move with the terrain — they are more arboreal, they have a different territorial pattern, and the families are physically harder to reach. A Bwindi trek is, on average, two to three hours longer than a Volcanoes trek.
In Virunga, in the eastern DRC, the gorillas live in active volcano country alongside a mountain that erupts on a regular schedule. The population there has been the most stressed by political instability. They are also, paradoxically, the most curious of the three groups — they have had less constant human contact, so when they do encounter humans they are often more interested.
For most travellers, the choice is between Volcanoes and Bwindi. Both are extraordinary. But they are not the same encounter, and we have very strong opinions about which one suits which traveller, which we will happily share over a conversation.
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Wildlife
