Cameroon has the distinction of being home to two gorilla subspecies — the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in the forests of the south and east, and the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) in the highlands of the northwest on the border with Nigeria. No other country holds two different gorilla subspecies within its borders. Cameroon is therefore a country of unique gorilla conservation significance, but the two subspecies live in very different situations: western lowland gorillas in the south and east are relatively numerous and found in several protected areas, while Cross River gorillas are among the most critically endangered large primates in the world with a population of approximately 200–300 individuals.
Western Lowland Gorillas — Southeast Cameroon
The southeastern forests of Cameroon hold substantial populations of western lowland gorillas in and around Lobéké National Park and the Dja Faunal Reserve. Lobéké National Park is part of the Sangha Trinational complex (with CAR and Republic of Congo) and is contiguous with the Dzanga-Sangha reserve in CAR. The cross-border gorilla population here is one of the largest in Central Africa. Gorilla trekking at Lobéké is in development — the park has some habituated groups and infrastructure for visitors, but the programme is less developed than the established operations at Odzala (Congo) or Bai Hokou (CAR).
The Dja Faunal Reserve
The Dja Faunal Reserve in south-central Cameroon, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds one of the densest western lowland gorilla populations in the region. The reserve is largely inaccessible and has no established tourism infrastructure — it functions primarily as a conservation area where research is conducted under difficult conditions. Gorilla tourism is not currently available in Dja.
Cross River Gorillas — Northwest Cameroon
The Cross River gorilla is restricted to a small area of forest on the Cameroon-Nigeria border, including the Takamanda National Park in Cameroon and the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park in Nigeria. With approximately 200–300 individuals remaining across approximately 12 isolated subpopulations, the Cross River gorilla is the rarest gorilla subspecies and one of the world’s rarest large mammals. There is no gorilla trekking programme for Cross River gorillas — the animals are too few, too widely scattered in fragmented forest, and too sensitive to human disturbance to permit the habituation process that gorilla tourism requires. Conservation work in the area is focused on anti-poaching, corridor restoration, and community engagement.