The mountain gorilla is one of the rarest primates on earth, with only about 1,000 individuals left in the wild. They live in two locations in Africa: the Virunga Massif, shared by Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda. If you want to see mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, book a Uganda gorilla safari at affordable prices.
What Is a Mountain Gorilla?
The mountain gorilla is a subspecies of the Eastern gorilla, the largest living primate. The earliest known gorilla sighting on record came decades earlier, when explorer Paul Du Chaillu encountered a gorilla in western equatorial Africa between 1856 and 1859 and brought a specimen back to the UK in 1861, though it drew little scientific attention at the time. The mountain gorilla itself was not formally documented until 1902, when German officer Robert Von Beringe encountered one while traveling through the Virunga region on his way to meet a local Rwandan ruler. He sent a specimen to Berlin for study, and the subspecies was later named Gorilla beringei beringei after him.
Gorillas share a common ancestor with humans and chimpanzees. Fossil evidence places the split at around 9 million years ago, when the genus Gorilla emerged. Mountain gorillas share about 98% of their DNA with humans, which is why they are so closely studied and why they are vulnerable to human diseases. In the wild, mountain gorillas can live up to 54 years, making them one of the longer-lived great apes.
Physical Characteristics
Mountain gorillas have thick, long black hair that keeps them warm in the cold, high-altitude forests where they live. This is what sets them apart from the Eastern lowland gorilla, which has shorter hair and longer arms. Mountain gorillas also have broader heads, massive chests, muscular arms, and wide hands and feet, but no tail.
Adult males, called silverbacks, grow a patch of silver hair on their backs as they mature, similar to graying hair in older humans. A fully grown silverback can weigh up to 200kg (440 lbs) and stand 180cm (about 6 feet) tall when upright, making them the largest living apes.
Social Behavior and Family Life
Mountain gorillas live in groups of 2 to 40 individuals, led by a dominant silverback. The silverback makes the decisions for the group: where to feed, where to rest, and how to respond to threats. He is also the group’s main protector against other gorillas, predators, and humans.
Young males typically leave their birth group around age 11 to find or start their own family. Females start giving birth around age 10 and typically have one offspring every four years. Infants stay close to their mothers for around three years before becoming independent.
Some families have more than one silverback, though this is less common. Only the dominant silverback mates with the group’s females; a subordinate male who wants to mate must leave and join or form another family.
Diet
Mountain gorillas are herbivores. Their diet is made up mainly of leaves, shoots, stems, roots, and occasionally fruit and insects, though they do not eat meat. Because they live in mountain forests where fruit is scarce, they rely more heavily on leaves and stems than lowland gorillas do. They get most of their water from the plants they eat and rarely need to drink directly.
How Mountain Gorillas Adapt to Their Environment
Mountain gorillas use their fingers to peel fruit, strip leaves from stems, and pull up roots, while their strong arms and hands help them gather foliage and move through dense vegetation. They communicate through vocalizations and facial expressions, using body language to express mood and coordinate with other family members. Their secretive nature also helps them detect and avoid danger, which is why most gorillas prefer to retreat rather than confront a threat.
Where Mountain Gorillas Live
Mountain gorillas are found only in the Virunga Massif, a chain of eight volcanoes spanning Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo, and in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. In Uganda, they can be trekked in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. In Rwanda, they are found in Volcanoes National Park, and in DR Congo, in Virunga National Park.
Bwindi and Mgahinga together host 17 habituated gorilla families, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda has 12, and Virunga National Park in DR Congo has 8, giving trekkers a range of options across the three countries.
Uganda holds the largest share of the world’s mountain gorilla population, split between Bwindi and Mgahinga, which makes it a leading gorilla trekking destination alongside Rwanda and DR Congo.
Population and Conservation Status
According to the 2018 census, the global mountain gorilla population stood at roughly 1,063 individuals, up from around 620 in 1989 and 480 in 2010. This growth moved the mountain gorilla’s IUCN status from critically endangered to endangered, one of the few conservation success stories among great apes.
Roughly 459 mountain gorillas live in Bwindi and Mgahinga in Uganda, and around 604 live across the three Virunga parks in Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo. This recovery is credited to decades of conservation work by governments, NGOs, and local communities, along with revenue from gorilla trekking permits.
Much of this progress builds on the work of primatologist Dian Fossey, who arrived in the Virunga region in the mid-1960s and set up the Karisoke Research Center in Volcanoes National Park to study and protect mountain gorillas at a time when their population was in sharp decline.
Threats to Mountain Gorillas
Despite this progress, mountain gorillas remain endangered. The main threats include:
- Habitat loss. Growing populations around gorilla habitats lead to land clearing for farming, settlement, logging, and mining, shrinking the forest available to gorilla families.
- Poaching. Gorillas are sometimes caught in snares set for other bushmeat animals, and in rare cases are hunted directly for trophies, body parts used in traditional medicine, or the illegal pet trade targeting infants.
- Disease. Because mountain gorillas share so much DNA with humans, they can catch human respiratory illnesses such as flu and colds. This is why trekkers must keep a distance of at least 7 meters from gorillas and cannot trek while sick.
- Conflict and instability. Decades of civil conflict in eastern DR Congo have made conservation work in Virunga National Park especially difficult, endangering both gorillas and the rangers who protect them.
Why Mountain Gorillas Matter
Mountain gorillas play an important role in their ecosystem. As they feed on leaves, shoots, and fruit, they help disperse seeds through the forest, supporting new plant growth and maintaining the balance of the food chain for other wildlife.
Gorilla tourism has also become a major economic driver in Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo, generating a large share of each country’s tourism revenue. A single gorilla is estimated to generate about $2.8 million in tourism revenue over its lifetime, underlining the direct link between conservation and economic value for host countries. Permit fees fund park rangers, trackers, and veterinary teams, and revenue-sharing programs give local communities a direct stake in conservation, which has helped reduce poaching over time.
Gorilla Trekking: What to Know Before You Book
Gorilla trekking is available year-round, but the dry seasons, from mid-June to early October and mid-December to March, offer the easiest jungle conditions and the best trekking experience.
Permit prices vary by country: $800 per person in Uganda, $1,500 per person in Rwanda, and $400 per person in DR Congo. Each park hosts a limited number of habituated gorilla families, so permits should be booked well in advance.
Trekking mountain gorillas is one of the most rewarding wildlife experiences in Africa. Book your Kigali to Bwindi gorilla trekking tour today and see these gentle apes in their natural home.
