The Ultimate Guide to Gorilla Trekking // Uganda & Rwanda
Our friends went gorilla trekking for their honeymoon, loved it, then told us to go. However, we knew next to nothing when we went, and that is not how I would recommend going. So here is everything you need to know before going gorilla trekking.
Where to Find Mountain Gorillas
There are four types of gorillas: Cross River, Mountain, Western Lowland, and Eastern Lowland. Mountain Gorillas, which live in high altitudes, have thicker fur, and live in larger groups than their cousins, can be found in the Virunga Mountains (a range of extinct volcanoes that border the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda), and in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in Uganda.
Rwanda is currently the most popular place for trekking (the park is much easier to get to, and the tourism infrastructure is more developed and higher-end than that of Uganda), while the Congo is the least popular, because of safety concerns.
Gorilla Permits
The visitation of mountain gorillas is strictly managed to protect these critically endangered animals. A permit is required to trek with gorillas, and prices vary depending on where you go. As of Sep 2024, for a foreign non-resident, the prices are:
Rwanda: US$1500 per person per day
Uganda: US$800 per person per day
DRC/Congo: US$400 per person per day
These permits give you one hour with the gorillas once you’ve found them, so as to not stress the gorillas. Currently, there are 12 habituated gorilla families in Rwanda (and only 8 people can visit each gorilla family each day), and there are 13 such families in Uganda. This limits the total number of permits available, which helps regulate tourism.
The money from these permits goes toward local conservation, research, anti-poaching patrols, etc.
We had heard that some people don’t see gorillas if they only go one day (the trackers can’t find them for whatever reason), so we decided to go two days. That felt like enough time, and we were very satisfied — I would not recommend going three days in a row.
An alternative to gorilla trekking is chimpanzee trekking, which is US$200 per person per day in Uganda, and cheaper in other places.
What to Expect on a Gorilla Trek
For our treks (in Buhoma, Uganda), we left our lodge at 7:40am and met at a central location in Buhoma, where we were briefed about the gorillas, the park, and our upcoming day. Then they split us into our groups of 8, according to which family of gorillas we were assigned, and were briefed on the family more specifically (eg. our first day, our gorilla family was the first gorilla family to be habituated in 1993, and has one of the biggest silverbacks in the forest).
Then we were assigned porters (local Ugandans who can carry your bags and help you on difficult parts of the trek) if we wanted them (we did, see the Tips section below), used the restroom one more time, then regrouped. By around 8:30am we were out hiking.
Each group goes with a guide and two guards with rifles to protect the group (one who walks in the front, and one who brings up the rear). These guards are there in case other wild animals (eg. forest elephants or unhabituated gorillas) attack — they will fire into the air to scare the animals away. We never had any encounters like this.
The gorilla family you are assigned determines the duration and difficulty of your trek. Trackers follow the gorillas and know where they were seen the day before, so they can approximate where they might be this day, but they move as they forage, so it’s not guaranteed that a gorilla family that was easy to trek to the day before will be easy to get to the next day.
For example, the day before our second hike, a group walked along a drivable road that cuts through the forest, and their gorilla family was right there, waiting for them along the road. The next day, heading after that same family, we hiked 8 hours, up a mountain, back down, and then laterally, hacking our way through the mountain, no paths in sight. We got back so late, the Ugandan drivers said this was the latest a group of tourists had ever returned. So you just never know what you’re going to get.
Most people, though, return by 2-3pm, and generally I would say to prepare for a trek of three to six hours, with a 1 hour break to see the gorillas (they mostly just sit there and eat), and a 15-30 min break for lunch. Enjoy the trek, as the forest itself is beautiful.
Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is absolutely beautiful, but it is definitely wild. You start on trails or even car roads, but once you get closer to the gorillas, deeper in the forest, you’re definitely passing through dense undergrowth, steep, slippery trails, and doing more real trekking. And when you’re really close to them, you’ll be standing on hacked down shrubs/vines to get closer to them.
I believe the structure on the Rwandan side is similar, but their forest is more bamboo, so the scenery will be different.
What to do When You Meet the Gorillas
Before you get close to the gorillas, your guide will stop you, tell you to drink water (it’s the last time you’ll drink for an hour), put on your masks, and grab your cameras. Then, saying (a temporary) goodbye to your porters, you’ll follow him toward the gorillas to spend one hour with them.
The gorillas will be shockingly close, and they are just stunning to be next to. Speak in a low voice, and don’t get too close to them. You are also prohibited from using flash, as this can damage their eyesight. The lighting conditions can also be quite unpredictable (eg. our second day it rained and was quite dark), so you want something with a good aperture (2.8f or better), and approximately 24 - 70mm (24mm for more in-context shots, maybe with you or your partner in them, 70mm for closeups of any babies).
Take it in, enjoy their very humanesque movements, and the hour will pass before you know it.
After you leave the gorillas, you will have an opportunity to tip the trackers, whom you will leave behind with the gorillas. Then you will hike back down with your group and your guide and porters, whom you can tip at the end.
What to Pack for a Gorilla Trek
Hiking Boots
All the guides and rangers use rain boots, but they recommend sturdy, waterproof hiking boots with good ankle support. We don’t have hiking boots and found that hiking in sneakers was mostly fine for us (we usually hike in sneakers anyway). But if you have these, bring them.
Rain Jacket
In Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is definitely a rain forest that starts raining very suddenly. The first day we went, we were lucky and though we heard thunder on our way back, the rain didn’t start falling until we had returned to our lodge. The second day, we weren’t so lucky, and spent time with the gorillas in the pouring rain.
If you forget yours, your lodge may have ponchos you can bring, but these can make hiking difficult and stuffy — a breathable rain jacket is preferable.
Long-Sleeved Shirt and Trousers
The forest is wild, and you will likely be pushing aside various grasses and shrubs as you hike, so wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants to protect your skin. You also want to avoid insects eating you while you hike.
Make sure these are breathable, as the hikes can be strenuous and sweat-inducing.
Long Socks
You should wear long socks that either tuck into pants that tighten at the ankles or over your pants. This is to prevent ants from crawling up your legs, and we saw a LOT of ants.
Gaiters
Ask your lodge if they have gaiters. These wrap around your calves and your shoes, and provide additional protection from ants from crawling up and biting you on the trek. They also protect your pants from getting snagged when you’re trekking in the forest.
Baseball Cap
I would not really recommend a safari hat over a baseball cap for trekking, as the wider brimmed hat could get snagged on the shrubs. The only time I really felt like we needed a cap, though, were in the rain (it’s quite hard to see in the rain without some sort of visor), and at the top of the mountain, where the gorillas happened to be one day. Otherwise, we were mostly in the forest.
Sunscreen
Although you should be mostly covered up, wear face sunscreen.
Hiking Pole
We got ours from our lodge (I think most people did). Try to get a pole with a pointed end that will really stab into the ground.
Insect Repellent
We personally didn’t use insect repellent because we heard some repellent can attract hornets, and it wasn’t too much of an issue. We only saw mosquitos the second trek day (surprisingly), and otherwise, we mostly saw flies and ants.
Backpack
Your lodge should provide a packed lunch, and you need a backpack to carry this, your water, and your cameras. Some lodges provide backpacks, but we just used one we brought.
Garden Gloves (optional)
Some guides recommended bringing gloves for brushing away shrubs and gripping vines. If we had these we would have used them, but for the most part we were okay without them.
Tips
In Uganda, you can hire a porter for $20+tip — this person will carry your backpack and help you up and down on the more difficult parts of the hike. If your backpack is heavy, or you’re not confident hiking, they’re a God-send.
There are short, medium, and long hikes. We suspect that if you’re younger, you’re more likely to go on a medium or long hike. I’m not sure if you can technically request what kind of hike you go on, but if you ask your driver, he/she might be able to help.
Make sure to bring lots of water in case you go on a particularly strenuous hike.
Make sure your batteries are fully charged, SD Cards are backed up/have plenty of space, and that you have a waterproof cover for your camera (or ideally a weather-sealed camera).
They have “African helicopters” for those who cannot walk/hike for whatever reason. This service costs $300 each way, and 12 porters rotate carrying you in a seat (with a seat belt) attached to two poles.
