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What actually happens on the day of your gorilla trek? Here is the full process, from the alarm clock to the certificate, plus the rules every visitor must follow.
Your trekking day, step by step
1. Early start (around 6:00–7:00)
Have a good breakfast and travel to the park office of your sector. Arrive on time: latecomers can lose their place. If you are driving yourself, check the route the evening before – mountain roads can be slow after rain. Pack lunch and plenty of water.
2. Registration and briefing (around 7:30–8:00)
Rangers check your permit and passport and divide visitors into groups of up to eight, one group per gorilla family. You get a briefing about the family you will visit, the rules and what to expect. Often there is a short welcome by local dancers or community members.
3. Porters and walking sticks
At the starting point you can hire a porter to carry your daypack and give you a hand on steep or slippery sections. Porters are local people, often from former poaching communities, and the fee is an important income. Even if you are fit, hiring one is highly recommended. Walking sticks are usually offered free or for a small tip.
4. The trek (30 minutes to 6+ hours)
Trackers have left at dawn to locate the gorillas from where they nested the night before and stay in radio contact with your guide. You follow trails, then often leave them to push through vegetation, cross streams and climb steep slopes. How long it takes depends entirely on where the family is that day. Armed rangers accompany the group for protection against forest elephants and buffalo.
5. One hour with the gorillas
Shortly before you reach the family, you leave bags, sticks and food with the porters and put on a face mask if required. Then the hour begins: watching the silverback rest, mothers groom, juveniles wrestle and infants tumble through the branches. The hour flies by.
6. The way back and your certificate
The walk back is often quicker. At the park office you usually receive a gorilla trekking certificate. This is the moment to tip your porter, guide and trackers (see below).
Gorilla trekking rules
- Keep a distance of at least 7 metres (about 21 feet). If a gorilla approaches you, stay calm and slowly step back if the guide asks you to.
- Do not trek if you are ill. Gorillas are highly susceptible to human respiratory diseases.
- Wear a face mask when the rangers ask you to.
- No eating, drinking or smoking near the gorillas.
- Turn away and cover your mouth if you need to cough or sneeze.
- No flash photography. Keep your voice low and move slowly.
- Never touch the gorillas, even if a curious youngster comes close.
- If a silverback charges, do not run. Crouch down, look away and follow the guide’s instructions.
- Visits are limited to one hour and a maximum of eight visitors per family.
Tipping
Tipping is customary and much appreciated. Porters are paid a set fee, plus a tip if you are happy. Guides and trackers are tipped as a group. Bring small US dollar notes or local currency. Ask your operator or lodge for the current norms.
Photography tips
- The forest is dark: a camera that handles high ISO well or a recent smartphone works better than a big telephoto lens.
- A 24–105 mm or 70–200 mm range is ideal; gorillas are often close.
- Turn off flash and sounds, and protect your gear against rain.
- Put the camera down for a few minutes. Just watching is the real gift.
Getting to the park office on time is the one thing you must not leave to chance. Travellers on a Roadtrip Africa self-drive trip receive detailed route notes, sleep near their trailhead and can choose a local driver-guide who knows the mountain roads to Bwindi and Mgahinga by heart.
Next: read about the different sectors and hikes and our packing list. Or browse the Primate Express, a route built around gorilla and chimpanzee trekking.