None of this is complicated, but some of it has a lead time. See a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you fly — earlier if you need a course of anything.
- Required
- Yellow fever certificate, given 10+ days before arrival
- Strongly advised
- Malaria prophylaxis
- Usually recommended
- Hepatitis A, typhoid, tetanus, rabies for longer trips
- Insurance
- Must include medical evacuation
- Altitude
- Treks run at 1,500–3,000 m
- Not medical advice
- See a travel clinic for your own circumstances
Vaccinations
Yellow fever is a legal entry requirement, not a recommendation — see visas and entry. Hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus are commonly advised, and rabies pre-exposure is worth discussing for longer or more remote trips. Your travel clinic will advise for your history and destinations.
Malaria
Malaria is present across both countries. Prophylaxis is advised, and the altitude of Bwindi and the Virungas lowers but does not eliminate risk. Bite avoidance matters as much as tablets: repellent with DEET, long sleeves at dusk, and the mosquito net your lodge provides.
Altitude
Gorilla treks run between roughly 1,500 m and 3,000 m. That is high enough to leave you breathless on a climb but well below the range where altitude sickness is a common concern. Arriving a day early helps; drinking properly helps more. The Rwenzori trek is a different matter entirely.
The rule that protects the gorillas
Do not trek with a cold, flu or a stomach bug
Gorillas share the overwhelming majority of our DNA and are susceptible to our respiratory infections. A human cold can kill an infant gorilla. If you are ill on the morning of your trek, tell the rangers — the parks will normally rebook rather than let you go in. Masks are required in Rwanda and recommended everywhere.
This is the one rule where the cost of ignoring it falls entirely on the animals.
Insurance and evacuation
Comprehensive travel insurance including medical evacuation is a condition of booking with us. The nearest full hospital to Bwindi is hours away by road, and air evacuation from the region is expensive without cover. Make sure your policy covers trekking at altitude and — given permit cancellation rules — trip cancellation.
On the ground
Drink bottled or filtered water; we carry it in the vehicles. Lodge food is generally safe and good. Bring any prescription medication in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription, and a small personal kit: rehydration salts, antihistamine, painkillers, blister plasters and antiseptic. Bwindi Community Hospital in Buhoma is a genuinely good facility and treats travellers.
Questions
Frequently asked
Do I need malaria tablets for gorilla trekking?
Prophylaxis is advised for both countries. Bwindi's altitude reduces risk but you will pass through lower areas. Discuss the options with a travel clinic — they differ in side effects and dosing.
What happens if I get sick before my trek?
Tell the rangers. Parks will normally rebook you or, at their discretion, refund part of the permit. Do not conceal illness to save a permit; the risk falls on the gorillas.
Is altitude sickness a risk?
Rarely at gorilla-trekking altitudes. Some people feel breathless or headachy at 3,000 m in Volcanoes National Park. Arrive a day early, hydrate, and tell your guide if you feel unwell.
Next
Keep planning
- Visas and entry requirements — yellow fever certificates
- How hard is the trek? — altitude and terrain
- What to pack — including your personal kit
- Booking terms — why insurance is a condition