is gorilla trekking safe in uganda

Is gorilla trekking in Uganda safe?

Mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda is very safe because the gorilla groups go through a slow five-year process of habituating them to human presence before they’re available for tourism, plus, visitor numbers are restricted to less than 8 tourists per gorilla group per day. Visitors are escorted by armed rangers for unexpected security shortfalls, an expert tracker for guidance, and must stay a safe distance of 32 ft (10 meters) away from the gorillas. A negative COVID-19 test is a prerequisite for gorilla trekking, and visitors must wear a face-mask when with gorillas.

In collaboration with researchers and primatologists, Uganda Wildlife Authority has put in a lot of work over many years to make sure gorilla trekking is safe for tourists and mountain gorillas. The activity is super important to the continued conservation of the primate sanctuaries and every wild living thing in them. Gorilla trekking is a kind of tourist’s direct contribution to the conservation efforts.