Updated 19 October 2026

The core gorilla trekking rules in Uganda are simple: stay at least 7 m from the gorillas, never trek if you are ill, keep your voice low, use no flash, do not eat, drink or smoke near the family, stay together behind your ranger and leave nothing in the forest. Your visit is limited to one hour with up to eight people. Rangers explain the rules at the 07:30 briefing and enforce them strictly, because they protect both the gorillas and you.

Knowing the reasons behind each rule makes them easy to follow and helps you get the most from your hour. Here is what is expected before, during and after the encounter.

Gorilla Trekking Etiquette: Rules Every Visitor Must Follow

The rules at a glance

1. Do not trek if you have a cold, flu, fever or diarrhoea.
2. Keep at least 7 m from the gorillas; step back if one approaches.
3. Stay in a tight group behind the ranger guide.
4. Speak quietly, and keep phones on silent.
5. No flash photography, and no pointing sticks or lenses at a silverback.
6. No eating, drinking or smoking near the gorillas.
7. Turn away and cover your mouth if you must cough or sneeze; wear a mask if asked.
8. Do not touch the gorillas, even if a young one comes close.
9. Leave after one hour when the ranger says so.
10. Take all litter out of the forest, and use the toilet before you set off.

Health comes first

The most important rule happens before you enter the forest. Mountain gorillas share about 98% of our DNA and catch human respiratory diseases, which can spread quickly through a family and kill. That is why anyone with a cough, cold, fever or stomach upset should not trek, and why rangers can refuse entry to visitors who look unwell.

It is a hard decision after a long journey, and the permit is not refunded, but it protects the gorillas. On the trek, you may be asked to wear a mask during the hour, and if you need to cough or sneeze, turn away from the gorillas and cover your mouth.

Distance and behaviour near the family

The 7 m distance protects the gorillas from disease and keeps them relaxed. In dense forest, gorillas sometimes move closer than that themselves; if one walks towards you, the ranger will ask you to step back slowly. Never reach out to touch a gorilla, even a curious infant, as the mother or silverback is always watching. Stay in a tight group behind the ranger rather than spreading out around the family; gorillas become uneasy when people are on several sides of them.

Keep your voice low, avoid sudden movements and do not stare for long into a silverback’s eyes, which he may read as a challenge. If a silverback displays or charges, crouch down, look at the ground and stay still — never run. The ranger is trained to calm the situation. See what to do if a gorilla charges.

Photography rules

You can photograph and film freely during your hour, but flash is strictly forbidden, as it can startle the gorillas. Switch it off completely before you set off rather than relying on auto mode. Do not use selfie sticks, and lower large lenses if a silverback is watching the group closely. Drones are not allowed. Do not push forward of the group or ask the ranger to move vegetation or animals for a better shot; good guides will position you for the best view they safely can. More in photography rules on a gorilla trek.

Food, drink and the forest

Eating and drinking near the gorillas is not allowed, because food can attract them and spread disease. Groups eat their packed lunch before reaching the family or after leaving it, at a distance chosen by the ranger. Smoking is not permitted on the trek. Everything you carry in, you carry out, including tissues and fruit peel. If you need the toilet in the forest, tell the ranger, who will show you where to go and dig a hole well away from the trail.

Respecting rangers, trackers and porters

Your ranger guide’s instructions are final, for your safety and the gorillas’. Rangers know each family personally and can read the silverback’s mood long before visitors notice anything. Trackers, who start out at dawn to find the family, and porters, who carry bags and help on slopes, are part of the team that makes your hour possible. It is customary to tip the ranger team and your porter at the end of the trek; see tipping on a gorilla trek.

What happens if rules are broken

Rangers take the rules seriously. Someone who ignores warnings, approaches too close or uses flash may be told to move back or stop photographing, and repeated or serious breaches can end the visit early for that person or the whole group. Visitors who are clearly ill may be turned away at the briefing. In practice, almost every group follows the rules without problems, and the result is a calm hour in which the gorillas carry on as if you were barely there. For the wider picture of travelling responsibly, read responsible tourism in Uganda.

Frequently asked questions