The Complete Gorilla Trekking Guide

Mountain gorilla trekking is the experience of tracking a habituated gorilla family through their natural forest habitat and spending one hour in their presence. It is consistently ranked as one of the most powerful wildlife encounters on earth. Nothing quite prepares you for the intelligence, the size and the extraordinary humanity you see in their eyes at close range.

Mountain gorillas are critically endangered. There are approximately 1,063 mountain gorillas alive today, all living in three countries: Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This rarity, combined with the intimate nature of the encounter, makes gorilla trekking one of the most significant wildlife experiences in the world.

A habituated gorilla family is one that has been gradually accustomed to human presence over a period of years. Researchers and rangers have spent years visiting the family daily, slowly reducing the gorillas' stress response to humans. A fully habituated family allows humans to approach within 7 metres without displaying threat behaviour.

Habituating a gorilla family takes 2 to 4 years of patient, daily fieldwork. Only habituated families are open for tourism permits. Wild, unhabituated families are not accessible and should not be approached.

Uganda: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwest Uganda is the world's premier gorilla trekking destination. It holds 22 or more habituated gorilla families across four sectors: Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga. The permit costs $800 per person per trek.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, also in southwest Uganda, is smaller and has one habituated gorilla family. It is less visited than Bwindi and offers a very different landscape, the dramatic Virunga volcanic backdrop.

The permit for both Uganda parks is $800 per person, purchased through the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Rwanda: Volcanoes National Park

Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park in the Virunga volcanic chain holds 12 habituated gorilla families. The landscape is more open than Bwindi, the trekking terrain is generally less steep and the logistics from Kigali are extremely smooth. The permit costs $1,500 per person, purchased through the Rwanda Development Board.

Rwanda's higher permit price reflects a deliberate conservation strategy: maximise revenue per visitor, limit total visitor numbers and invest heavily in both gorilla protection and community benefit programmes. The result is one of the most well-organised gorilla trekking operations in Africa.

Trek day follows a consistent format across all destinations:

• —6:30-7:00 AM: Arrive at park headquarters. Registration and briefing from the chief warden. Rules explained: no flash photography, maintain 7-metre distance, coughing or sneezing into elbow, no eating near gorillas, maximum one hour with the family.
• —8:00 AM: Trek begins. Groups of maximum 8 visitors with an armed ranger escort and experienced tracker guides. Trackers have located the family's overnight position before you set out.
• —Variable time: The trek to reach the gorilla family takes between 30 minutes and 6 hours depending on how far the family has ranged. Your guide knows the approximate direction.
• —One hour: Upon locating the gorillas, your allocated one hour begins. The gorillas are accustomed to humans and will go about their daily activities naturally, eating, resting, playing, interacting. You observe and photograph.
• —Return: The trek back to headquarters. Certificates are presented. Most groups are back at their lodge by early afternoon.

In Uganda, you are assigned a gorilla family when your permit is booked. Different families have different group sizes, ages and characters. Some families are known for younger, more playful members. Others have large dominant silverbacks. Permit availability varies by family and by date.

In Rwanda, the family assignment process is similar. Certain families, including the Susa family, one of the largest, are particularly popular and book up fastest.

We handle family selection and permit booking for every client and can advise on which families are available for your preferred dates.

• —Minimum age: 15 years
• —Maximum group size: 8 visitors per gorilla family per day
• —Maximum time with gorillas: exactly one hour
• —Minimum distance: 7 metres at all times
• —No flash photography
• —Cover mouth when coughing or sneezing
• —No eating or drinking near the gorillas
• —Do not mimic gorilla behaviour or calls
• —If a gorilla charges, follow your guide's instructions immediately, typically crouch, avert eyes, stay still
• —Visitors with cold, flu or any infectious illness should not trek that day (your permit can often be refunded or transferred in these cases with advance notice)

Gorilla trekking permits are the primary funding mechanism for mountain gorilla conservation. A portion of every permit fee goes directly to the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rwanda Development Board, funding anti-poaching rangers, veterinary care and habitat protection.

Since gorilla tourism began in earnest in the 1980s, the mountain gorilla population has increased from approximately 620 individuals to over 1,063 today. This is one of the few conservation success stories in Africa and demonstrates that well-managed ecotourism can genuinely protect endangered species.

Hiring a local porter ($15) at the trailhead provides direct income to the community living adjacent to the park. This alignment of local economic interest with gorilla conservation is a key element of the protection model.