Mountain Gorilla Trekking Ethics

The Mountain Gorilla Trekking Ethics and Tourists on safaris in Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo should note that the main purpose of mountain gorillas occupying their national parks is to satisfy the human exposure. Some have been assimilated into a habituation process that has enabled gorilla trekking enthusiasts to actually explore these gentle apes in a process of slowly adapting to human presence.

On every gorilla trekking safari, there are some few societal interactions that we advise tourists to take heed of because every step of a safari counts equivalently to the ultimate experience. Before the start of your trek, always accept a company of two or even more men to serve as your porters for that period, maybe to carry your backpack, and not because you’ll face any harm but precisely because that little gesture is an ideal source of income to these local people.

The fee that tourists are charged for what one can refer to as a simple visit on the gorillas may perhaps seem expensive, but that money put together through the sale of permits sustains the conservation of these primates. So always endeavor to pay.

Always on trekking safaris, do not forget that you are as well sharing or even journeying onto land that humans are restricted to be in, the actual rationale for limiting visiting groups to as small as eight. Therefore, tourists should try their best to leave the environment as natural as it should be.

Most of the gorilla destinations in Rwanda, Uganda and D.R.Congo have well established conservation programs and as you would expect to come across brilliant ethical options but also a few guidelines and simple rules like Visitors are advised never to feed the gorillas and should not go for trekking when they are ill, especially infectious diseases, such as cough, flu, T. B or any related disease which is air borne as these gorilla can also contract these diseases.

Visitors should also wash their hands prior to trekking; they should not eat or drink near gorillas, and not dare to touch or provoke the gorillas. All visitors are not allowed to get closer to the gorillas or even spend more time with them than required by the authorities because you may never know what can happen with close contact and beyond the regular trekking time since that’s a thick jungle and a home of wild animals.

Tourists should speak quietly or less keep quiet and avoid making sudden and unnecessary movements so as not to disrupt the gorillas’ interaction. Tourists should also avoid using flash photography, this greatly annoys the entire gorilla family which forces them to vacate such an environment and trekking will come to a halt.