How long does gorilla trekking take? If you’re wondering how long gorilla trekking lasts, understanding the timing can help you plan better and know what to expect.
Mountain gorillas do not move around as much as chimpanzees, so trekking them is usually easier. However, the exact time it takes cannot be predicted. It depends on how far the gorillas have moved and where the group you are tracking is located.
Gorilla trekking can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 7 hours. The time also depends on the physical fitness of the group. The trekking pace is adjusted to match the slowest person in the group.
It’s a good idea to do some physical training before your trip. Gorillas live in high-altitude rainforests, and reaching them often involves hiking.
Some gorilla families live close to the park headquarters or near lodges inside the park. These are the easiest groups to reach and usually take less time to find compared to others that live deeper in the forest.
On the day of the trek, during the morning briefing and allocation of groups, older or less fit people are usually assigned to gorilla families that are easier to reach. Younger and stronger tourists are given more challenging groups.
However, even the families that live nearby can sometimes move far, and trekking them may take several hours.
If you are trekking gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, it is best to book your accommodation in the same sector where you have your permit. Staying in a different sector means you’ll spend more time traveling to the starting point and will need to wake up very early.
The time it takes to trek gorillas cannot be fixed. It depends on the gorilla family’s location and the group’s hiking speed.
