Rwanda is known to many as the land of a thousand hills and is home to the endangered mountain gorillas. These are found in Volcanoes National Pak located in northwestern Rwanda, the mountain gorillas are some of the closest wild human beings relatives. Volcanoes National Park is home to half of the mountain gorillas in the Virunga Massif with a total of 10 habituated mountain gorilla families that are very open to the tourist vacation. Tracking starts in the morning and ranges from 1 to 8 hours of hiking depending on the movement of mountain gorillas and the luck of the tourists.

Each of the gorilla family is tracked by 8 tourists in a day which also means 160 gorilla permits are available every day. Presently, Rwanda is the number one and most liked mountain gorilla tracking destination. To ensure the well being of the gorillas and the tourists, Rwanda development Board put up mountain gorilla tracking rules and guidelines that should be followed and observed by tourists so that they get to enjoy the elite mountain gorillas to the fullest and some of these include;

Keeping in the tourist tracking groups most especially while in the forest to avoid getting lost, avoid making a lot of noise as it can always distract the mountain gorillas and other wildlife species in the forest, always avoid littering rubbish in the park and don’t go tracking when sick.

When you get to meet the mountain gorillas; always keep a very reasonable distance away from the mountain gorillas at least 7 meters, not to use flash photography while taking photos of the mountain gorillas as it might irritate them, minimizing the noise when with the mountain gorillas, avoid eating in the presence of the mountain gorillas, don’t touch the mountain gorillas.

Tourists are allowed to be in the presence of the mountain gorillas for strictly 1 hour, which is intended to reduce the chances of diseases, spread from the human’s to mountain gorillas. There are high chances of disease spread from humans to the gorillas because about 98% of their DNA is similar to Humans. In case the above rules are observed and well followed by tourists, they can enjoy exclusive and once in a lifetime experiences. The tourists heading for tracking should carry enough water because the hike through the forest is a little active causing a lot of sweat and it’s, therefore, wise to keep hydrating. The tourists are also recommended to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants because gorilla tracking is done in the forest with a lot of plant vegetation which causes skin irritation when in contact.