Updated
The gorilla trekking briefing takes place at your sector’s park headquarters at about 07:30 on trek day and lasts 30–45 minutes: rangers check permits and passports, assign each group of up to eight to a gorilla family, explain the rules and safety procedures, and help you hire a porter and pick up a walking stick. Arrive by 07:00. If you are late, your group may leave without you, and the permit is not refunded.
The briefing is also your best chance to influence your day — for example, by telling the ranger if you would prefer a shorter trek. Here is what happens, step by step.
Briefing timeline
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| About 07:00 | Arrive at the sector headquarters; permit and passport check, visitor register, health check |
| About 07:30 | Briefing on rules and safety; families allocated; groups formed |
| About 08:00 | Hire porters, collect walking sticks, meet your ranger guide |
| 08:00–08:30 | Drive or walk to the trailhead for your family and start the trek |
Check-in
When you arrive, rangers check your gorilla permit against your passport, so bring the original passport — the permit is personal and cannot be transferred. You sign the visitor register, and staff may ask health questions or take your temperature. Anyone with a cough, cold, fever or other signs of illness can be stopped from trekking to protect the gorillas from human disease. Children under 15 are not allowed, and passports are used to check ages. Your driver-guide usually helps with all of this.
How families are allocated
Your permit is for a sector, not a specific family. At the briefing, rangers divide visitors into groups of up to eight and assign each group to a family, based on where the trackers report the families to be that morning and on the fitness of the visitors.
This is the moment to speak up: if you have bad knees, a health condition or simply want a shorter walk, tell the ranger or ask your driver-guide to do it. Older and less mobile visitors are often placed with a family that is closer. See Bwindi’s gorilla families.
What the ranger explains
The briefing covers the family you will visit, how habituation works and why the rules matter. Expect to hear about keeping at least 7 m from the gorillas, the one-hour limit, staying in a tight group, speaking quietly, no flash photography, no eating or drinking near the gorillas, and turning away to cough or sneeze.
Rangers also explain what to do if a silverback displays or charges: crouch, look down, stay still and never run. Many rangers explain how permit fees fund conservation and local communities. Read the full gorilla trekking rules and what to do if a gorilla charges.
Porters, sticks and setting off
After the briefing, porters from the local association are matched with visitors who want one, for around US$15–20 plus a tip, paid in cash. Wooden walking sticks are handed out free; take one. You then meet the ranger guide and armed escorts who will lead your group, and either walk from the headquarters or drive a short distance, sometimes up to an hour, to the trailhead nearest your family. Check you have water, lunch, rain jacket, gloves and camera before leaving the vehicle. See hiring a porter and our packing list.
Tips for briefing morning
Stay at a lodge in the sector on your permit, so the drive to headquarters is short; sectors are hours apart by road. Have breakfast early, dress in your trekking clothes, and pack your daypack the night before. Bring cash in small notes for the porter and tips, plus your passport. Use the toilet at headquarters before setting off — there are no facilities in the forest. For what happens after the briefing, read how far you walk on a gorilla trek.
Frequently asked questions
Usually around 07:30 at the sector headquarters. Arrive by 07:00 to complete the permit and passport checks.
Groups leave soon after it ends, so you may miss your trek, and the permit is not refunded. Stay close to your sector headquarters.
Yes. Rangers check your passport against the name on your gorilla permit before you can trek.
Yes. Tell the ranger at the briefing; they will try to assign a closer family if one is available that day, though it is not guaranteed.
