Mountain gorillas live in the Virunga mountain range of Central Africa that span the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Uganda's . The gorillas live in the often cold, cloudy and misty forests that are found on the slopes of the dormant volcanoes that make up the Virunga range.
A population of about 350 mountain gorillas live along the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic Of Congo. They range within four national parks - the Virunga National Park in DRC, the Volcans National Park, Rwanda, and the Mgahinga National Park in Uganda.
A separate population of around 300 mountain gorillas is found in the nearby Bwindi-Impenetrable National Park in Uganda on the border with the Congo.
The area has been ravaged by wars in recent years and the impact on the mountain gorillas, both in terms of poaching and loss of habitat, has been severe. Conservation efforts have managed to stabilise the population and tourism now offers a glimmer of hope for these beautiful creatures because of the money it brings to this impoverished area.
Rwanda's recent history has been dominated by the civil war that left an estimated 800,000 people dead. Tourism is a vital part of the country's rebuilding and its Volcanoes National Park in the North is home to several mountain gorilla treks.
Uganda is another country that gives you the opportunity to track the mountain gorillas. Troops of gorillas can be visited in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park from Buhoma in the north and Nkuringo in the south. Another troop can be visited in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, but as this park borders both Rwanda and the DRC the gorillas may not be accessible.
You'll need to buy a permit to see the gorillas - expect to pay around £100 for one. If you are on an organised trip to either Rwanda or Uganda this may well be included in the deal or may be an optional extra.
Only small groups are taken to see the gorillas on any given day so as to minimise the impact of tourism and your time with a gorilla troop will be limited to an hour for that very same reason.
Unfortunately, the ongoing unrest in the Democratic Republic Of Congo means that the Foreign Office advises against all travel to the eastern and north eastern regions of the country, including the border regions of Uganda and Rwanda, home to the country's mountain gorilla population.
