Updated
health preparation gorilla trekking is one of Africa’s most extraordinary wildlife experiences, connecting travellers with mountain gorillas in their natural forest habitat. Health preparation for a gorilla trek in Uganda starts about eight weeks before you travel, with a travel clinic visit for the yellow fever vaccination (required for entry), recommended vaccines and antimalarial tablets. In the weeks before departure, focus on fitness, a small medical kit and insurance that covers evacuation. On the trip itself, the priorities are avoiding mosquito bites, safe food and water, and arriving at the trek healthy, because rangers will turn away anyone with a cough, cold or fever to protect the gorillas. This timeline sets out what to do and when.
For details of each vaccine, see our guide to vaccinations for Uganda.
Vaccination requirements and health preparation for Uganda gorilla trekking
Eight weeks before: the travel clinic
Book a travel clinic appointment as soon as your gorilla permit is confirmed, ideally six to eight weeks before departure, as some vaccines need several doses. Take your itinerary and vaccination records.
Yellow fever is the one vaccine Uganda requires. You need the International Certificate of Vaccination, and it becomes valid 10 days after the injection. Airlines often check it at check-in, and officials may check it at Entebbe. One dose is valid for life. If you cannot have the vaccine for medical reasons, ask for an exemption letter and check with the airline in advance.
Recommended vaccines usually include hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus-diphtheria-polio. Depending on your plans and history, the clinic may also suggest hepatitis B, rabies or meningitis. Rabies vaccination is worth considering if you will be far from medical care for long periods, spend time around dogs, or visit areas with bats, not because gorilla trekking itself involves contact with animals. Make sure routine vaccines such as measles and flu are up to date too, as they protect the gorillas as well as you.
Malaria. The clinic will prescribe antimalarial tablets for the whole trip. Ask how to take them, as some start a day or two before arrival and others a week or more, and some continue for up to four weeks after you leave. Our guide to malaria and altitude on a gorilla trek explains the risk around Bwindi.
Four to eight weeks before: fitness and medical conditions
Gorilla treks can last anywhere from one to six hours over steep, muddy slopes at 1,500–2,600 m. Regular uphill walking, stair climbing and longer weekend hikes in your trekking boots make a big difference. If you have a heart or lung condition, diabetes, a joint problem or any other ongoing condition, ask your doctor whether the trek is suitable and how to manage it. Get a letter describing your condition and medication. See our guides to fitness for gorilla trekking and trekking with asthma.
Two weeks before: insurance and medical kit
Buy travel insurance that covers trekking at altitude, any pre-existing conditions, emergency evacuation and cancellation. The gorilla permit costs US$800 (US$600 in April, May and November) and is not refunded if you are ill on the day. Pharmacies outside Kampala and Entebbe are limited, so pack a small kit: your antimalarials and prescriptions in their original packaging, repellent with DEET or picaridin, sunscreen, oral rehydration salts, an anti-diarrhoea remedy, painkillers, antihistamines, plasters, blister dressings and hand sanitiser. A few face masks are useful, since rangers may ask you to wear one near the gorillas.
During the trip
Use repellent from dusk, cover up in the evenings and sleep under a net or in a screened room. Drink bottled or treated water, and be careful with salads and ice outside good hotels and lodges. Wash or sanitise your hands often, especially before eating. Take your antimalarials exactly as prescribed. Rest on the day you arrive at the lodge, drink plenty of water and go easy on alcohol before trek day.
Trek day
If you have a cold, cough, fever or stomach bug, tell the ranger at the briefing. Gorillas share about 98% of our DNA and can die from human respiratory infections, so sick trekkers may be turned away. Under UWA’s policy, a medically documented illness can qualify for a partial refund. On the trail, carry water, snacks and any personal medicines, including inhalers, in a pocket. Hire a porter if you can, and keep at least 7 m from the gorillas. Do not eat or drink near them.
After you get home
Finish your course of antimalarials. If you develop a fever within a year of returning, see a doctor promptly and tell them you have been to Uganda, so they test for malaria. If you were bitten or scratched by any animal during the trip, seek medical advice about rabies even if the wound seemed minor. Our gorilla trekking packing list covers the rest of what to bring.
Frequently asked questions
Only yellow fever is required for entry. Hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus are usually recommended, with others depending on your plans.
Six to eight weeks before departure. The yellow fever certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination.
Not because of the gorillas, since visitors do not touch them. It may be advised for long trips, remote travel or contact with dogs and bats.
Tell the ranger. Gorillas catch human respiratory infections easily, so sick visitors may be turned away, with a partial refund possible on medical evidence.
