Mountain Gorillas in Congo

The mountain gorillas in Congo are one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorillas. One is found in Virunga Volcanic Mountains of central Africa, with three national parks; Mgahinga, in southwest Uganda; Volcanoes in northwestern Rwanda and Virunga in eastern Democratic of Congo. The other mountain gorillas are found in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Some of the primatologists consider the Bwindi population in Uganda to be a different species of mountain gorillas.

Congo Lowland Gorillas

The fur of the mountain gorillas is often thicker and longer than that of other gorilla species, which enables them to live in colder temperatures. The mountain gorillas can be identified by nose prints that are unique to each individual. The males weigh 195kg upright standing height of 150cm and usually weigh as much as the females at a mean of 100kg. This subspecies is on average the second largest species of primates. The mountain gorilla is terrestrial and quadruped. It will climb into fruiting trees if the branches can carry its weight and it’s also capable of running bipedally up to 6m.

Mountain gorillas are diurnal, most active between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm.  Many of these hours are spent eating as large quantities of food are required to sustain its massive bulk. It also forages in the early morning, rests during the late mornings and around midday. In the afternoon, it forages in the early morning again before resting at night. Each gorilla builds a nest from surrounding vegetation to sleep in, and they construct a new one every evening. The infants sleep in the same nest as their mothers. They leave their sleeping sites when the sun rises around 6 am, except when it is cold and overcast. Doing gorilla trekking in DRC is a bit cheaper than in other countries, but with transport and visa, it will be the same. But the adventure is great and worth the money.

Congo Gorilla Tours

Gorilla trekking safaris in Virunga National Park are done throughout the year and it’s why Nyiragongo volcano says that there is no best time to visit Congo or Virunga for an Ultimate safari experience. Gorilla trekking is so memorable once done by a reliable tour operator based in Rwanda or DRC.  All the treks are led by park rangers and depart from Bukima post. Treks take 1-2 hours of hiking in each direction, depending on where the mountain gorillas spent the last night and the difficulty of the terrain. The time allowed with the gorillas is strictly limited to one hour. The mountain gorillas have died after being exposed to human respiratory viruses and other common ailments.