A lot of travelers have
gorilla trekking high on the list of things and activities they would like to do during their African safari vacation. Many people dream of coming face to face with the massive
Silverback Gorilla deep in the pristine African jungles. It is a lifetime experience.
The gorilla trekking tours are popular in these three countries located in central Africa – Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This region of Africa however is infamous for wars and instability, and for many, safety will determine if they want to do the gorilla tour and which country they will go for the gorilla tour in Africa. “Safety first” is the principle of life, after all?
So, what is the safest country for the gorilla tours in Africa?
I will rank and discuss safety in the order of safest country to the least safe country for gorilla trekking. However note that safety situations change in this region and it is good to find out the current situation. But generally, the following has been the situation for years now
Rwanda
Rwanda is a beacon peace in the region. A country that has learnt from a tragic past of violence takes safety as number priority and will do anything, I mean, anything, to keep her people and land safe.
Rwanda is one of the safest countries you can visit on the African continent and therefore the safest for gorilla trekking.
There has always been concern about Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park that is where the gorilla tours take place because the park is part of the Virunga mountains which stretch into the Congo and are used there as a base for rebel activities. The Virunga mountains in Rwanda are well protected that it is not possible for the bad people to cross from the Congo side. There has never been a threat on tourists in the park
Uganda
Uganda, like Rwanda, has had torrid past of insecurity, but for the last few decades has enjoyed relative peace and stability. The country is safe for you to do the gorilla trek, however an unfortunate incidence in 1999 when tourists on the gorilla trip in Bwindi National Park were killed by rebels has never been forgotten, so much that till this day a lot of tourists will dig this up and not feel comfortable visiting Uganda for the gorilla trip. However, since this incidence which is occurred two decades there has never been any other threat toward tourists in Bwindi National Park.
Also occasionally there have been spillovers of insecurity from the neighboring DRC into Uganda but this is swiftly taken care of and do not affect the gorilla home.
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic Congo is potentially the best place for gorilla trekking, because it has the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla species, that is, the lowland gorilla and the mountain gorilla, and both these species have been habituated for gorilla tours. However, it remains the least popular place for the gorilla trek because of the lack of safety and security. The Virunga Mountains where the mountain gorillas live in the Congo have also been utilized by gangs and rebels as base to cause insecurity in this area. Until the government can guarantee safety it is not safe to track the mountains gorillas in Congo.
The lowland gorillas are found farther to the south in Bukavu which is a relatively safe place without conflicts. Bukavu is accessed via the southern border with Rwanda (Cyangugu). Therefore the lowland gorillas in Congo are safe to track and would be nice to combine tracking the lowland gorillas in Congo with the mountain gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda. Note that the lowland gorillas the biggest of all the gorillas species/subspecies.
