WHAT ABOUT GORILLA TREKKING BRIEFING

Gorilla trekking briefing in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) offers insight into what you expect on your actual gorilla trek. It is the first thing to be done at park headquarters before you set off to search for mountain gorillas or the Eastern lowland gorillas in the wild. Gorilla trekking briefing lets you to know the set gorilla trekking guidelines or safety measures. It begins takes place between 7:00am and 8:00am.

Gorilla trekking safety measures that will be briefed to you include washing your hands prior to trekking mountain gorillas in any park of your choice, a maximum of 8 visitors is allowed to trek 1 habituated gorilla family, keep a distance of 7 meters away from mountain gorillas, only 1 hour is given to visitors to strike their imaginations with gorillas, keep your voices low at all times, bury all your wastes as directed by the park ranger guide, stay within your group that you left with after briefing, no smoking, eating or drinking in the presence of gorillas, leave the gorilla habitat the way you got it or better, no flashlight cameras are allowed when taking pictures of mountain gorillas-you can turn it off before taking photos, do not go to trek gorillas in case you are sick. Mountain gorillas share 98% of their DNA with humans which makes them very susceptible to human infectious diseases.

Where gorilla trekking briefing is conducted

Gorilla trekking briefing is conducted in respective gorilla park headquarters. In Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, briefing is done in Buhoma, Ruhija area, Nkuringo and Rushaga sector. In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, it is done in Ntebeko Visitor Center. In Volcanoes National Park, briefing is conducted at Kinigi park headquarters and in the Virunga National Park at Kibati Patrol Station.

What else is done during briefing

After briefing, the park official will put you in a group of 8 trekkers. Each group will be assigned to one habituated family.

With a valid passport, it is on gorilla trekking briefing date that you will be verified.  Note, only persons above 15 years are allowed trek gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Northwestern Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga National Park in Southwestern Uganda and Virunga National Park in Eastern DR Congo.