How to Prepare for Mountain Gorilla Treks

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If you’re here, maybe you’re considering a gorilla trek. Is it something you want to do? Probably, yes! But to prepare for gorilla treks, you’ll want to know your options. And once a destination is determined, many questions pop up. How should I dress? What do I need to take with me? Is it safe?

I’ll tell you here, but first let’s provide a little context about our target species.

An Introduction to Gorillas

The short story is that there are two species of gorilla: eastern and western. That’s pretty simple, right? Populations of the lowland subspecies of western gorillas are more significant, but the Cross River subspecies numbers are tiny. The eastern gorilla is not faring very well, either. The populations of the lowland subspecies have steeply declined in recent years. All three of these subspecies are listed as “critically endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Mountain gorillas are the other subspecies of the eastern gorilla, and mountain gorillas are listed as endangered by the IUCN. There are only about 1,000 of them in the wild.

That means there are about 1,000 of them, period. Mountain gorillas do not thrive in captivity. You won’t see one at your local zoo.

And, as surprising as it might seem, a global population of 1,000 is actually a positive. Mountain gorilla numbers are actually increasing. That’s why, despite the seemingly low numbers, the current status of mountain gorillas is better than the other subspecies. Conservation efforts have recently been successful. Preservation of habitat is working. Active community engagement is effective. And your participation in a mountain gorilla trek provides funding to ensure this success continues.

Destination Decisions

Uganda is home to more than half of all remaining mountain gorillas. But to be clear, other mountain gorilla trek options are available in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. So why am I talking about Uganda? Well, let’s look at your other options:

1. Democratic Republic of Congo:

Pros: Mountain gorillas and chimpanzees call Virunga National Park, another world heritage site, home. The DRC is doing great things for gorillas. Virunga looks amazing. You can hike up active volcanoes. The southern zones (with volcanoes and gorillas) are generally considered safe and are open to tourists. The rangers at Virunga are working in what is probably the most dangerous conservation job in the world and deserve nothing but respect for their efforts and dedication.

Gorilla Permit Cost: $400.

Cons: Did you read what I just said?! The rangers at Virunga are working in what is probably the most dangerous conservation setting in the world. Period. Yes, the areas of militant activity are generally not the southern zones for volcanoes or gorillas, so usually the park is open to tourists. But should this information be a consideration before you book a tour? Well, probably.

2. Rwanda

Pros: Rwanda apparently could have an easier trek – more open habitats, less difficult terrain. Rwanda has tremendous infrastructure for the luxury gorilla trek experience, if that’s more your style of travel/budget. And there are loads of primates, beyond apes, if that appeals.

Cons: Less diversity, particularly for charismatic megafauna and birds.

Gorilla Permit Cost: $1500.

This article does a pretty good job of providing a comparison between Rwanda and Uganda. But it does spin Rwanda a bit more positively, so I’m gonna give Uganda a fair shake, too.

3. Uganda:

Pros: Uganda is home to half the world’s mountain gorillas. If you’re looking for birding or a safari experience, Uganda is a great option. And Kibale National Park also offers chimpanzee treks, and there are loads of other primates. Lodging options range from budget to very comfortable in most locations, particularly Bwindi and Kibale.

Gorilla Permit Cost: $600 (or $1500, if you want the unique option)

Cons: Well, Rwanda might win as far as ease is concerned – Bwindi can be a beast, that’s true. “Impenetrable” is indicative of the difficulty of the terrain. You might encounter steep hills and dense vegetation. And maybe even bees, but probably not!

The Pearl of Africa

Let’s assume you choose Uganda, because that’s where I went. And also because, honestly, you probably should choose Uganda!

Note: I’m biased. Really, choose the best option for your budget, travel style, and wildlife interests.

There are two National Parks in Uganda that offer mountain gorilla treks. But the best spot to see mountain gorillas (the spot with the most permits available, certainly) is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi is home to a population that could be identified as its own subspecies someday, and it is also listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. Four sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offer gorilla treks.

I’ll emphasize that it is highly recommended to stay in lodging near your gorilla trek sector, unless you want a long drive very early in the morning. For most, this won’t be a concern. This detail would be arranged by your gorilla trek outfitter, if you’re participating in a guided tour.

Conservation Ethics

Wait! Should we even be doing gorilla treks? What about the impacts to the mountain gorillas?

Excellent thought! Let’s give that some consideration…

First, gorillas are actively habituated for years before tourist groups are allowed to visit them. Trackers observe them and follow their movements without engaging with the animals. Thus, gorillas can adapt to the movements and sounds of humans. After extensive exposure to and acceptance of human presence, a gorilla troop may be exposed to gorilla trekking tours. This process might take years. Yep, years. Plural.

Now, doing this does mean that their behavior changes, adapting to our presence. And maybe that’s not ideal, but gorillas are still wild animals whose behaviors are not being intentionally modified or directly inhibited in this process.

Minimizing Risks

What other precautions are taken to protect the mountain gorillas?

1. Once a group does receive visitors, the tourists are allowed to stay a maximum of 1 hour. That’s it; and
2. The trekking group will be no more than 8 people; and
3. Only one group of trekkers will visit a group in a given day; and
4. Trekkers will be required to stay at least 7m from any individual gorilla (although gorillas might not adhere to that policy, humans are not allowed to intentionally approach the gorilla at that distance); and
5. The ranger or trackers can end the encounter early if the gorillas are disturbed by the trekkers (whether intentional or not); and
6. Anyone who shows signs of sickness will not be allowed to participate. You can reschedule for another day, but gorillas are susceptible to human diseases. You will not be allowed to share your funk with mountain gorillas!

Increasing Benefits

And what are some positive impacts of gorilla treks?

There is a massive influx of funding, meaning the gorillas have both an intrinsic and economic value. These permits provide funding to continue habitat preservation and development of local infrastructure. The tourism and revenue produced by the lure of the mountain gorillas is a legitimate benefit to the local community – through new business opportunity in the area or indirect gains in local infrastructure and services. Also, trackers and rangers are employed to ensure great treks for the tourists, and local community members can volunteer to be porters. This is a service that most trekkers use and can mean immediate income for those involved. It’s even a rotational assignment, giving a greater number of local citizens the opportunity to participate in this form of employment.

The more value the gorillas have, the more valuable the forest is. The more valuable the forest is to everyone, the less support there is for illegal harvest or trapping (whether it be for bushmeat, the pet trade, or personal needs).

Preparation for a Gorilla Trek

Your gorilla trek could take hours to meet the group of gorillas you are seeking. There are trackers who try to find them early and communicate with your guide. This coordination greatly improves your chances of seeing mountain gorillas in Bwindi, but it doesn’t guarantee an immediate encounter.

Since you don’t know how long it might take or what terrain you will encounter, pack and dress accordingly.

What to Wear:

What you wear during gorilla treks should simply be durable and functional. You’ll want to focus on hiking in uneven terrain, so everything that can go into your bag should go into your bag. The basics:

Long pants. You won’t go wrong with long pants, because you’re hiking in dense vegetation at times. Something that fits loose or is made with stretch material is great, and water resistant quick-drying material is also a pretty sweet feature.

This Columbia Saturday pant (in black) is comfortable on trail and looks like a nice casual pant outside of a trek. It doesn’t scream “outdoorsy” but is still affordable.

A long-sleeve shirt. Yes, you’re in an equatorial country, and it will likely get warm later in the day. But you should have a top layer. You’ll appreciate some barrier from the vegetation. Pick a neutral or light color for activities in the forest.

Gloves. These are for the hike – you’ll probably need to grab unknown vegetation as a handhold. And you’ll be using a hiking stick as well, which can be abrasive. These should just be durable enough to protect your hands.

Hat. Seriously, wear (or pack) a wide-brimmed hat. Protect your face and skin. Visors and baseball caps are not your friends, y’all.

Sunscreen. Again, love your skin. This is absolutely part of today’s outfit. You could be out in the sun for hours. I’m sure you’d wear this anyway, right?! Slather on that sun protection!

Hiking shoes. I say hiking shoes, not boots, because higher boots aren’t necessarily beneficial if you’re not carrying a heavy pack. Hiking shoes will be lighter and likely more comfortable. Get a pair with a sturdy sole that fit well, and you’ll be ready to go.

Hiking Pole. You’ll be provided some natural hiking staffs at your orientation. If you don’t have a hiking pole of your own, take one of these. It’s not a weakness; your knees will thank you. I used one of these, and it was fine. But they’re all quite long, which means more obstruction from limbs and vines. If you have a telescoping hiking pole that will fit into your suitcase, bring it with you! You’ll love having it here.

These are the hiking poles I use (but often I just use one). I hadn’t thought to pack them, but I wish I’d had one during my trek! If you’re particularly petite, you might look at the women’s version. It is slightly shorter.

What to Pack

Lunch. You might be done by 11 am (like me!) or you might be following a mobile group that requires you to hike much of the day. Bring a packed lunch or snacks. If you’re will an outfitter, this will likely be provided by the company/your lodge.

Water. This one is obvious, yet water bottles can be easily overlooked. You’ll be hiking in a hot environment for an unspecified length of time. Don’t forget your water bottle!

Rain gear. A good light rain jacket and/or a small collapsible umbrella would not me amiss. Don’t let rain ruin your trek – or your camera, for that matter.

Camera. I can’t imagine gorilla treks without capturing the memory in a nice photo or video!

Some folks on my trek just had a smartphone with selfie stick, others had mid-level Canon gear. If you bring a nice camera, think about how you’ll protect in if there’s rain.

My camera is the Canon 7D Mark II. I love it, but what do I know? Seriously, almost nothing. If you love wildlife photography and are looking for a new entry or mid-level kit, you’re probably already considering it. But if you’re just wanting a camera for nice photos on a gorilla trek, this is not necessary! Only buy what you’ll need and use, if you even need to buy anything at all.

Everything You Need to Know – at 8am

At the orientation, you will be assigned to your trekking group. At this point, the park assigns your team to a gorilla family, factoring in the terrain in their location and the perceived ability of your group. Note: Some level of physical fitness is recommended for Bwindi’s terrain, so please ask your outfitter if you have any concerns. Once your ranger-led orientation begins, you’ll learn a brief history of gorilla conservation in the area, expected trekking behavior/rules, and the gorilla group you’ll be tracking that day.

You’ll also be allowed to select a walking stick if you didn’t bring your own, and opt to hire a porter if you like.

The charge for a porter is $15 at Bwindi. The permit is $600. The airfare is probably $1000+. And then, for an additional $15 someone gets a decent day’s wage and you get to walk unburdened through dense vegetation over challenging terrain.

Am I being too subtle? Here, I’ll try again: Don’t be a crazy person, hire the porter!

Tread Carefully

If you have concerns about safety that you’d like to be addressed, the ranger will be able to answer any questions at the orientation.

Once with gorillas, the trackers present do have weapons. Generally, they might be more concerned about other forest wildlife more than the gorillas, but their presence might provide some comfort if you’re concerned about the closeness of your wildlife encounter.

However, no wildlife interaction can ever be guaranteed completely safe. This is a trail experience, which means your greatest chance of injury is probably going to be from tripping, falling, or even grabbing the wrong plant. I might have been injured by bee stings and a resulting fall, but that’s simply not something that could be prevented. You are entering a wild forest, so you’ll be taking that (fairly low, but still non-zero) chance of accident/injury. That’s true for literally every outdoor activity, though!

Ready for Action

Most folks in our group of eight trekkers did as well, so we numbered about 16 altogether.

The porters do not approach with the group. So even if your hiking group is around 16 total, the mountain gorillas will only encounter up to 8 tourists (plus a Park ranger/trackers) for a limit of one hour.

When you leave your porter, you take any gear you need for the encounter. In my case, I slipped my smartphone in my pocket. I carried my camera with large lens (100-400mm) attached, leaving the smaller lens in my bag. So if you need multiple lenses, think about how to carry those easily.

Your habitat could range from dense understory to bright canopy gap, so it’s good to have options in terms of your cameras. This is where your cell phone camera might be handy. If you have a big beautiful camera with a huge lens and no light, you’ll want to have another plan. Or another lens. Just be prepared for less than ideal conditions, and you’ll be fine!

After the encounter ends, you re-join the waiting porters. Now you can re-pack your bags for the hike out. Easy peasy. Well, except now you hike back out of the forest. Lucky for you, you’ll still be running on enthusiasm and adrenalin most of the return hike.

The Super Special Option

Everything I’ve described has related to typical gorilla treks. No matter your country of choice, most of these rules are going to apply: 1 hour, 8 people, reasonable distance, no sniffles. These are the breaks, folks.

But remember that I said some Uganda permits cost $1500? Well, that’s a special deal. Those are not for your ordinary mountain gorilla treks. Because Uganda also offers habituation treks.

Indeed, you have the chance to be one of those people who helps prepare gorilla families for regular exposure to human presence. Habituation treks are smaller groups of people. And most importantly, you might be able to encounter the mountain gorillas for up to four hours.

But the four hours starts from when the tracking begins. It’s unlikely you’ll have four hours of actual gorilla observation. The habituation process will involve a gorilla family that is less accepting of human presence. It’s likely that these individuals will often avoid you more often than habituated groups.

It would be neat to see how the tracking process works and to see the more natural behavior of gorillas, certainly. But due to very nature of the process, this type of trek does not guarantee a more intimate or prolonged encounter. I’m guessing this wouldn’t be an improvement over the standard trek for most people.

Wrapping It Up

If you’re considering gorilla treks, then you absolutely should do it. Yes!

Sign up for your permit early. Pack well; dress appropriately. And, above all, enjoy the magic and the surreal privilege of the encounter.

And if you’re going a long way to the DRC, or Rwanda, or Uganda, please do something more while you’re there! There are other ape treks, amazing birding destinations, fantastic game drives… all in Uganda. The possibilities are really great!

And it might sound weird – I realize primates seem more popular for tourists – but I do recommend adding shoebills to a Uganda itinerary. Because they’re spectacular and super weird. You should love them as much as I do! Okay, maybe slightly less than me, because you’re sane. But you should still love them.