Gorillas are the world's largest living primates and share more than 98% of our genetic code making them one of our closest relatives. They live in troops with complex social structures and exhibit behavior that most of us can recognize from interactions with our own families. Despite (or perhaps because of) the similarities between our species and theirs all African gorillas are endangered or critically endangered. Pushed to the brink of extinction by habitat destruction poaching and disease seeing them in the wild is a privilege that future generations may never have.
There are two locations for gorilla trekking in Uganda. The first and most popular is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This UNESCO-recognized reserve covers 321 square kilometers of dense mist-filled rainforest thought to be over 25000 years old. It is home to approximately half of the world's mountain gorilla population including nine trackable or habituated troops.