Over thousands of travelers are enjoying gorilla trekking adventures each year and surprisingly, these numbers are even growing steadily. Meeting face to face with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat is always a once in a lifetime dream for many travelers. When gorilla treks are done in accordance to the rules and regulations provided by concerned Authorities, it is always a really awe-inspiring and eye-opening wildlife experience.
While you can watch mountain gorilla documentaries/film, meeting them face to face is something you can’t afford to miss and that’s how the gorilla treks create an unforgettable impact or experience on travelers. Responsible gorilla tourism is safe, education and rewarding but has to be dome with great respect for the endangered Mountain gorillas. Gorilla treks are always done with hope of achieving memorable experiences but should be undertaken while reducing the impact of your visit on the Giant Apes as well as their natural habitat.
For this reason, the following are the important things you need to know about gorilla trekking tips and guidelines.
- Always make sure that you keep your distance while watching the mountain gorillas: Travelers should always maintain a distance of 7 meters minimum when watching the mountain gorillas go about their daily routines in their natural habitat. However, it is understandable that it is difficult to tell the reasonable distance, especially considering that there is nothing around for scale. If the mountain gorillas (especially infants) come closer, enjoy that time and avoid swift movements. When they get closer, don’t stay longer than 20 minutes and instead move away slowly.
- Avoid feeding the mountain gorillas. Maintain their wild state because that’s one of the reason why you visited them: A number of not very gorilla-wise tourists try to feed the mountain gorillas as a way of making them friendlier and closer to them. However, don’t do that because regardless of how habituated they are, mountain gorillas are still wild animals and you had a good reason to watch them in their natural habitat. Make sure that they maintain their wild state and don’t throw any food to them.
- Avoid making noise while in the proximity of mountain gorillas: Making noise while in the proximity of endangered mountain gorillas is totally prohibited because it either disturbs or scares ways the Giant Apes as well as other residents of the Park especially birds, primates and others.
- Observation time in the presence of mountain gorillas: Another thing you need to know about gorilla trekking tips and guidelines is the time of permanence while observing and taking photos, which is limited to a maximum of one hour. Another thing you need to know about gorilla trekking tips and guidelines is the time of permanence while observing and taking photos, which is limited to a maximum of one hour.
- Do not pollute the forest with any rubbish, food left-overs and disposables because these can act as breeding places for diseases. For this reason, make an effort to leave the forest as you found it.
- Avoid direct eye contact with the mountain gorillas while watching or photographing them, as they might become aggressive. Even when the silverback (mature male) tries charging, try to bow your head and turn away without causing so much attention.
- If you have cough or flue, please avoid visiting the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat as they are our close relatives (we share 98.2% DNA with these Giant Apes) hence are susceptible to a lot of these human diseases, especially when they are communicable diseases.
- A maximum of 8 visitors are allowed to track a habituated mountain gorilla family each day, to avoid behavioral changes and reducing any chances of transmitting human-mountain gorilla diseases.
- Park Rangers always notice any signs of aggressiveness from the mountain gorillas and for this reason, your viewing time can be cut short (to less than an hour). When this happens, you have to follow advice of the guides.
- Travelers are sometimes tempted to eat, drink or smoke while in the presence of mountain gorillas, but this shouldn’t happen as you are likely to draw these creatures closer plus food remains can act as breeding places for germs.
