Gorilla trekking

Before Sir David Attenborough’s landmark TV programme, Life On Earth, gorillas were seen largely in a negative light, based on King Kong and cheap B-movie monsters. At one point, a survey of the world’s most feared animals featured gorillas alongside sharks and spiders.

Seeing this popular TV personality interacting with friendly gorillas changed all that. The famous sequence of Sir David’s encounter and his awe for the gentle giants helped bring a new understanding of their true nature to TV screens around the world.

Today gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda are both countries' biggest draw for international visitors. Perhaps there's something about these creatures' gentle vulnerability despite their colossal size that triggers a sense of empathy for our distant cousins. Do we see something in them that we wish we saw in ourselves? Whatever the appeal, visitors who come to spend a magical moment with the gorillas describe a life-changing experience.

In the wild, gorillas are found in 10 countries in the equatorial African rainforest, of which Rwanda and Uganda are by far the main locations for commercially-organised gorilla trekking.

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda is a developed and well-organised industry with few pitfalls to be aware of. The following pointers will help you plan a seamless trip.

It’s a big day with an early start and potentially hours of hiking, so make sure of an early night the day before. I was so excited on the eve of my first gorilla trek that I barely slept a wink.

Your lodge or tour operator will organise a transfer to the park headquarters for registration and a briefing around 7:00am. You’ll get an important reminder of the regulations and safety guidelines and your group will be assigned to visit a specific gorilla family.

You’ll usually trek for at least an hour before you reach your gorilla family. In some cases, it may take three or more hours before you find your group.

The scenery is stunningly beautiful, and the hike is all part of the experience.

As you come within range of your gorilla family, you’ll leave your bags so you can approach the group more closely. Once you make contact, you’ll spend an hour with the gorillas. They may be hanging from trees, grooming, suckling their babies, playing, sleeping, farting or mating. Your hour with the gorillas may be calm or it may be full of drama! One thing is for sure, the hour will fly by. My biggest tip is to just enjoy being in their presence: don’t spend the whole time watching them through your camera screen.

If the gorillas are on the move, you’ll be able to move with them, keeping the required minimum distance of ten metres at all times. They may ignore you or show some interest and approach you. This is normal, exciting and – because of their size – a little scary too! It’s all part of the fun.

If the gorillas do approach, the rangers will reassure you and ask you to calmly step back. The rangers are highly knowledgeable; they will show you how to vocalise like a gorilla, and help you notice their behaviour and traits. I find talking to the guides an integral part of the experience. They know each gorilla family and their personalities intimately, tap into their wealth of knowledge about the gorillas, the forest and conservation issues.

Depending on where you are, you’ll find the gorillas in very different settings: I first saw them in dense dark forest; I’ve watched them in an open clearing, with clear views and plenty of sunlight; I’ve seen them balance precariously in the bamboo above my head! Keep lighting conditions in mind when planning your photos as flash photography is strictly prohibited.

Hire a porter!

At the morning briefing you’ll have the option of hiring a porter for the day. The going rate for a porter is around USD $20 (plus optional tip), and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Their help is absolutely invaluable. I really appreciate having my hands free to take photos or grab hold of a branch as I’m climbing a slope. Porters are more than happy to carry extra water (so there is no excuse for getting dehydrated). If it gets muddy, you have a strong pair of hands to help you scramble up the hillside.

It’s also a fun way to interact with the locals, and it provides useful income in a community that has little access to cash jobs. Portering makes a valuable contribution to local livelihoods, and therefore directly supports gorilla conservation through tourism. In these areas, most people are subsistence farmers; having an opportunity to earn some extra cash is extremely well received.

If you’re unsure of your physical ability, it’s also possible to hire an unglamorous-sounding “stretcher” which is carried by a group of porters. The use of a stretcher costs around USD $100 plus tips.

The gorilla family that you’re assigned to visit is determined by your group’s trekking ability and preferences.

The park authorities closely monitor the whereabouts of each family and they have a good idea of their distance from headquarters. Some families are within an hour of easy hiking, others could be four or more hours away from HQ. The authorities will assign you to a gorilla family that is suited to your preferences and personal fitness.

So, if you have any preferences for a shorter (or longer) trek, I urge you to speak up at the morning briefing and you’ll be assigned to track the most appropriate gorilla family.

If you’re travelling with a big group this could mean splitting up – younger or fitter members trekking to a more distant family, and older or less mobile members visiting a more accessible family. It’s up to you, and the rangers will try to accommodate your preferences.

Permit availability is limited and is determined by the number of habituated gorilla families in each country. Permits can sell out months in advance, especially during peak season.

The current cost of a permit for a foreign non-resident is USD $1,500 in Rwanda, USD $700 in Uganda and USD $400 in the DRC. This fee includes park entrance, and all guiding and tracking services (which are provided by the park, not by individual operators), but it does not include an optional porter to carry your day pack.

It's possible to organise a DIY gorilla trek in Rwanda by purchasing a permit directly from the Rwandan Development Board and then booking your own accommodation and transportation. In Uganda foreigners can only secure a permit via an authorised tour operator.

Other costs will depend on how you arrange your trip. Most visitors book an all-inclusive organised tour using midrange or luxury lodges. Standalone two- or three-day tours of this sort might cost anything from USD $1,500 per person to USD $5,000 and up, depending largely on the quality of accommodation.

In my experience, the best conditions for gorilla trekking in Rwanda are during the two dry seasons which run from June-September, and December-February. (Note that climate change is disrupting the timing of these seasons.) The advantages to tracking in dry season are less muddy paths, easier hiking and clearer views. The disadvantage is that these are the peak gorilla trekking seasons, demand for permits is higher, and accommodation is more expensive. You’ll need to book well in advance.

The rainy seasons, from March-May and September-November, can be very soggy but if you don’t mind the rain (and mud) the mountains will be quieter and you may find some good deals on accommodation. Saying that, just because it is called the rainy season, it doesn’t mean that it rains every day. There is no off-season discount on the gorilla trekking permit.

Whenever you come, you must bring your rain gear and some decent boots. Mountain gorillas live in the rainforest and most days have heavy dew, a light shower, a downpour, or all of the above!

Unlike in Rwanda, Uganda’s gorilla population is more dispersed and gorilla trekking here requires more planning.

The gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest are scattered across four distinct areas: Buhoma, Nkuringo, Rushaga and Ruhija. In each area the gorillas are various distances from the entrance, and the terrain can vary greatly – which means an easier or harder trek depending on which area you visit.

Generally speaking I recommend Buhoma for easier-going treks and Nkuringo for longer and more challenging treks. Rushaga has the most permits, and Ruhija is good for birdwatching, although you'll probably need to do a separate (quieter) guided birdwatching hike after your gorilla trek.

The other key factor to bear in mind is to ensure your accommodation is not too far from your chosen trekking area. You have to be at the relevant entrance for the 7:00am briefing, so you should book a lodge that is not too far away from your chosen area entrance.

This only really matters if you’re booking your travel arrangements independently. If you’re using a specialist tour operator they’ll make the best match for your interests, budget and hiking ability.

Standard tour itineraries tend to rush you through the gorilla trek and onwards to other lucrative destinations elsewhere in East Africa. In Rwanda I've even seen an itinerary that has you fly in, see the gorillas, and fly out all on the same day.

While these itineraries are technically possible, I really don't recommend them – there's much more to Rwanda (and Uganda) than one hour with the gorillas!

My advice is to slow right down, and appreciate the privilege of being able to visit this little corner of a vast continent. By all means combine your trip with some of the other East African ‘big hitters’, but treating the entire country as a springboard to just see the gorillas just feels wrong to me.

There are many locally-based operators as well as international travel companies, often with stark price differences between the two. International travel companies often subcontract local operators to run their ground operations, so you may wonder why you’re paying a premium to a middleman. Generally speaking, international operators can offer an extra edge on pre-trip communication, higher-end lodges, more hand-holding, and stronger financial protection.

On the other hand, a good local tour operator will have a stronger grounding in the local community and customs, might use smaller, independent accommodations or homestays, and can generally get you out of the international tourism bubble. And the biggest factor for me: much more of your money will stay in the local economy, instead of being syphoned off abroad.

My advice as a 15-year resident of East Africa: embrace the local connection, don’t rely on the highly curated experience of an international company. Dance with the locals, make banana beer, get your hands dirty and do a bit of digging in the fields. Get out of your comfort zone and find out what local life is really like. I guarantee you will have a more memorable trip as a result.

If you do book with a local tour operator, always check independent reviews and ensure they’re registered with the Rwanda Tours and Travel Association or the Uganda Tourism Board. In addition, you may check they are registered with

the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, the Exclusive Sustainable Tourism Association, and/or YUTO. Pay by credit card for financial protection, and always make sure you’re covered with travel insurance from time of booking.

Tourists are only allowed to visit and interact with habituated mountain gorilla families. Habituation is a gradual process through which the gorillas get used to the presence of humans. This allows people to visit the gorillas without affecting their daily lives or natural behaviour.

Although the gorillas are habituated, the Rwanda Development Board and the Uganda Wildlife Authority enforce strict rules governing how tourists can interact with the animals. The following are for the safety and wellbeing of the gorillas and tourists and are considered non-negotiable:

• Your group is allowed a maximum of one hour with the gorillas.
• Visitors must be over the age of 15.
• The maximum group size for tracking the gorillas is eight people (plus rangers and porters).
• Hiking in thick forest at an altitude of over 2,000 metres (6,560 ft) can be tough. It is often wet. Visitors must be fit and in good health.
• You should not visit the gorillas if you have Covid-19, diarrhoea, flu or a cold. Gorillas have no immunity to most human diseases and even mild human infections can be lethal to a gorilla. The Covid-19 pandemic made us even more aware of the risk we pose to them. You are obliged to inform the authorities if you are sick and they will decide if you are well enough to visit the gorillas. Remember that the lives of the endangered gorillas are more important than your holiday.
• If you need to sneeze or cough, cover your nose and mouth to reduce the chance of spreading infection.
• Don't spit or leave litter in the forest. Gorillas can catch diseases from human rubbish.
• Always leave a distance of ten metres between you and the gorillas. If the gorillas start moving towards you, the rangers may advise you to move away from them.
• Gorillas can be quite curious. Do not touch the gorillas, even if they come close to you.
• Do not make any sudden movements.
• If a gorilla charges, do not run away. Avoid direct eye contact until the gorilla has moved away. Stay calm and slowly crouch down.
• Stay in your group. Do not crowd or surround the gorillas.
• If you need to go to the toilet in the forest, tell your guide and he will dig a hole for you. Cover the hole afterwards to prevent spreading disease to the gorillas.
• Flash photography is strictly forbidden.

Follow these simple, common-sense rules and your gorilla trek will be a positive one—for the gorillas as well as yourself!