Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Rules

The 10 Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Rules and Regulations:

Below are some of the Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Rules and Regulations to be followed to protect both the gorillas and the tourists to their habitats;

1. For an individual to get a gorilla tracking permit, he/she must be 15years and above because children are usually carriers of air-borne diseases such as chickenpox, flu, cough, etc that could be infected to these gorillas. Adults as well with communicable diseases such as flu are not allowed access to gorilla habitats.
2. A group of eight people in a day is allowed to visit one particular gorilla family. This measure was put in place to reduce on the chances of gorilla exposures to human air transmitted illnesses and also to minimize disturbance of natural behavioral ways of these mountain gorillas.
3. You are not allowed to leave your group while in the presence of the gorillas, wandering off from your group is strictly forbidden as well as surrounding a gorilla group as this threatens them and might do harm to you.
4. Do not eat, drink or smoke 200meters close to the gorillas because they might approach you out of curiosity to catch a bite and this might scare you off, scaring the gorilla as well at the same time hence exposing yourself to being harmed by it. You are not allowed to litter the park.
5. Mountain gorillas are found very deep in the thick forests on the mountain slopes therefore it will require a tourist to be physically fit, in good shape before going for this activity because it will require you to move long distances on different terrains although elderly visitors are often assigned to nearby gorilla families.
6. Do not show any sign of panic or try to run away when the gorillas come close to you. Try not to keep an eye contact with them, mind a lot about your body movements because gorillas might perceive in a very different aggressive way. listen and do what your tour guide will instruct you to do even in dangerous situation because they are well trained and have adequate knowledge on how to deal with them in different kinds of situations.
7. You are prohibited from taking touching gorillas when close to you because they might mistake it for a sign aggressiveness and end up harming you.
8. You are not allowed to take flash photography of the gorillas as this might irritate them. Even when you’re doing it, you have to keep calm and limit your movements to limit their curiosity.
9. Chose a right gorilla trekking gear for an amazing experience  for example get those good hiking boots, a rain jacket as it might rain while in the reserve, carry some food and drinking water, wear long sleeved shirts and trouser to avoid skin damages by the vegetation ,carry and apply insect repellents to avoid bites from different harmful insects from the tropical forests and also avoid wearing very colored clothing as this will attract the attention of these animals hence exposing yourself to harm.
10. And lastly, remember to carry a good camera with a binocular, so that you don’t miss out capturing any soul captivating moment while in the wild and. remember that its safer to take photos of the wild at a good distance.