How to prepare for gorilla trekking
Silverback gorilla in Uganda
Just over 1,000 mountain gorillas remain in the wild in 2021. They are found in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo.
Gorilla trekking is often a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and thus it is essential to be well prepared for your trek in order to take full advantage of this short and expensive experience.
Gorilla treks take place in tropical African forests, and the terrain can vary from dense jungle and thick bamboo to open meadow and farmland. Your gorilla tracking guides will often use machetes to slash their way through the forest, clearing a path for hiking or for getting a better view of the gorillas. Trekking times vary, and the experience can last from 1.5 hours to 8 hours. As the gorillas are under constant surveillance by national park rangers, you are almost guaranteed to see them.
It is important to be in good physical condition to trek gorillas and to be prepared for hot and humid hiking conditions. As you will be carrying water, lunch, and layers, we recommend hiring a personal porter to help you with your daypack. Your porter will usually help you find a better path and vantage point from which to watch the gorillas. Once gorilla viewing starts, you have one hour with them, so it is best to be as comfortable as possible during this hour! You cannot eat or drink in front of the gorillas, so be sure to have breakfast and be well hydrated before starting your viewing experience.
Packing list for gorilla tracking
Sturdy shoes with a good grip and good ankle support
Lightweight hiking pants
Long socks. You need to tuck your pants into your socks to avoid safari ants crawling up your legs!
Long-sleeve hiking shirt to protect your arms from branches and thorns. You can wear a short-sleeve shirt under your hiking shirt in case it is hot and you are not walking through dense forest.
A hat for sun protection
Jacket for the cool mornings
Drinking water (3 liters per person)
Picnic lunch
Raincoat
Camera with a zoom lens
We recommend leaving a change of clothes in the vehicle as it may rain during the gorilla trek. The guide and vehicle will wait for you at the starting point of the gorilla trek.
Tipping your Gorilla Guides and Trackers
Trekking groups in Rwanda and Uganda have 8 trekkers who are accompanied by a head guide and assistant guides. Once you get closer to the gorillas, you meet a separate group of gorilla trackers. The gorilla trackers monitor the gorilla family’s whereabouts, making it easier for you to locate them during your trek. As the trackers stay back with the family, it is best to tip them before you leave the viewing experience. Your head and assistant guides can be tipped at the end of the experience when you reach the vehicle. We recommend tipping USD 25 per person, which can be divided up among the guides and trackers. Ideally, the group of 8 trekkers will contribute a total of $200 as a tip for the guides and trackers.
