Understanding the difference between gorilla tracking and gorilla trekking is useful when planning your African gorilla tour, since the two are often confused.
Gorilla trekking involves tourists being guided by a ranger in search of mountain gorillas in the wild. Gorilla tracking refers specifically to the work rangers and researchers do to locate a habituated gorilla family before trekking begins. Trackers head into the forest ahead of tourists, using signs such as dung, broken branches, and leftover food to determine where the gorillas slept or moved the previous day, then relay the information to park headquarters so tourists can be guided efficiently to the group.
Trekking begins with a morning briefing covering rules and expectations, while tracking starts even earlier to make the trek itself more efficient, increasing the likelihood of tourists successfully finding their assigned family.
Gorillas are the largest living primates in the world, divided into two species: eastern gorillas and western gorillas, further grouped into eastern lowland gorillas, western lowland gorillas, mountain gorillas, and cross river gorillas.




