You might have heard about of rules gorilla trekking! These are the guidelines which you MUST adhere to during your gorilla safaris in Africa. At the start of each gorilla trekking day, travelers gather at the park headquarters for briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. Also, known as the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking, these are put to ensure the safety of the endangered mountain gorillas and the travelers. Travelers are required to abide by the rules if they want to have a peaceful and enjoyable gorilla safari in Africa.
Anyone who acts against the rules of gorilla trekking risks missing out an encounter with these endangered species in the jungle. Also, the rules of gorilla trekking are given during the pre gorilla trekking briefing where travelers are also allocated gorilla families to trek in their groups of eight. Rules and regulations of gorilla trekking apply before, during and after gorilla trekking. These include among others:
Before meeting the gorillas
Have your day pack ready
• Anyone below 15 years old is not allowed to trek gorillas
• Carry with you’re a valid gorilla permit
• Maximum of eight people allowed to visit each gorilla family
• Do not trek when sick, mountain gorillas are susceptible to human illnesses especially cold and cough
• Keep within the group, do not split from your group
• Follow your guide, listen to his instructions and keep calm
• If you are not physically fit, make sure you hire a sedan chair to avoid any difficulties during trekking
• Pack all you need for gorilla trekking: Make sure your day pack has it all you need during gorilla trekking.
Among the things you must carry for the gorilla trek include:
1. Hiking boots to ease your movements through slippery and muddy forest grounds
2. Long-sleeved shirts and blouses to protect your arms from scratches by thorny bushes
3. Hats to protect your head and keep your hair clean for ladies
4. Scuff or sweater to keep you warm in the cold jungle forests
5. Long pants or trousers to protect your legs. The trouser must be tucked into stockings
6. Gardening gloves for your hands
7. Carry enough drinking water and energy-giving snacks to keep you strong throughout the hiking
8. Rain jackets to deal with the unpredictable forest weather
9. First aid kit for any emergencies
10. Insect repellant to protect you from insect bites which can be infectious
While with the gorillas
Keep seven meters away
• Keep a distance of seven meters away from gorillas to avoid the spread of human-wildlife diseases. Also, keeping a distance from gorillas keeps them at peace and relaxed
• Do not use the flashlight cameras. These scare gorillas forcing them to charge at you
• Do not touch the gorillas, it can cause the spread of infectious diseases
• Speak at allow tone
• Do not feed the gorillas
• Do not run when a gorilla charges
• Turn back your face when sneezing or coughing
• Do not smoke in the presence of gorillas
• Do not eat when with gorillas
• Spend strictly an hour with gorillas
• Sit or crouch while with gorillas. You intimate gorillas when you keep standing
• Burry all the wastes to avoid the spread of diseases to these endangered species
To ease your gorilla trekking session, please hire a porter at $10 t0 $20. Porters help to carry a traveler’s baggage which makes the whole trek light and quick. Porters can also help to hold a traveler’s hand for support in slippery forest grounds. Porters are local people used to forest slopes, they can easily help you walk through without difficulties
Also, hire a walking stick for support up and downhill. Walking/hiking sticks can be obtained at the respective park headquarters for as low as $5.
Other National park Rules and regulations
- Besides gorilla trekking rules, there are general regulations that apply in all parks in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. These include:
- Do not Drive offtrack in the park
- Do not camp or make fire camps anywhere in the park except at designated places
- Do not use sounding motor horns which can disturb the peace of the gorillas
- Drive at 40 kilometers per hour. this is the speed limit which you must not exceed
- Do not litter in the park. Leave only the foot prints
- Do not bring pets in the park
- Do not pic any vegetation from the park, Take only memories and photos
- Do not bring fire arms in the park
- Do not drive in the park between 7:00pm and 7:00am (Driving at night is not allowed )
People also ask
Should you look gorilla in the eye?
NO, never look gorilla in the eye. Looking straight into the eyes of the gorillas is a threat to them. The endangered socies get irritated by your direct eye look and this can make them charge at you in fear for themselves. Travelers are therefore avoided to avoid direct eye contact with the gentle giants to ensure peaceful encounter
What should i do when a gorilla chases me?
You are advised to lay low when a gorilla chases you. Never at any point try to run away when a gorilla chases you. Running away encourages the gorilla to chase you the more. Also, laying low confirms to the gorilla that you have accepted defeat and you are no a threat to them. However, running away is threat to gorillas and they may think you are harmful to the hence chase you
What angers a gorilla?
Anything or anyone that disrupts the peace of gorilla members in a family will make a silverback gorilla angry. The example are the people who try to touch the aby gorillas, wild animals which try to attack a gorilla family and any anything that makes a silverback insecure makes him angry. Also, looking direct into the eyes of the gorilla an beating your chest in front of it makes it angry.
What to do when a gorilla charges at you?
Lay low in submission when a gorilla charges at you. This makes the silverback feel a winner and not se you as a threat. Never try to charge back or run away as this makes the angry gorilla silverback more aggressive to chase and fight you
What is the gorillas worst fear?
Poisonous reptiles and insects such as caterpillars and chameleons are the enemies of gorillas. Also, gorillas fear water and they are rarely seen crossing river streams. Most gorillas cannot swim hence avoid deep waters.
What kills gorillas the most?
poaching for bush meat is one of the common reasons why gorillas are being killed nowadays. There is high market for ape meat in urban areas by the rich which make poor people invade gorilla parks to hunt and kill the endangered primates to get meat for commercial purposes
10 Top Facts about Mountain Gorillas
- Roughly 1,063 mountain gorillas exist in the whole world
- Mountain live in only two destinations Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park and the Virunga Conservation Area
- Gorillas share over 98% of human genes
- Gorillas are one of the biggest and most powerful primates in the world
- Gorillas can eat all day long
- Gorillas Cozy up at Night
- They have different types of call such as beating chest, stiffing legs etc
- Gorillas live in families/Groups
- Gorillas can live up to 40 years old in the wild
- They ae endangered primates highly threatened
In conclusion, you must follow the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking if you want to have a memorable encounter with these endangered species. Wake up early report to the park headquarters, listen to the do and don’ts of gorilla trekking and you will have a memorable time with your closest relatives.
With only 1004 mountain gorillas surviving in the whole world, it’s definite that the species are endangered. In the 1980s mountain gorillas were on the verge of extinction to poaching, loss of habitat and civil conflicts. Great thanks to Dian Fossey who came to the Virunga massif in 1987 to save the then critically endangered species. Dian Fossey camped in the Virunga massif where she opened up a campaign against poaching. Unfortunately, Dian Fossey was later killed by poachers but her campaign to save gorillas continued up to present. Since her time, the population of mountain gorilla has stably increased which gives hope for sustainable tourism.
