Gorilla tourism is one of the few examples where visiting an endangered species has demonstrably helped it. That only holds while the money keeps reaching the right places. Here is how to make sure yours does.
- Permit revenue
- Funds ranger salaries and anti-poaching patrols
- Community share
- A proportion of park revenue is returned to neighbouring communities
- Most direct action
- Hire a porter — US$20–25
- Plastic bags
- Banned in Rwanda; checked at the airport
- Photography
- Ask before photographing people, always
- Giving to children
- Don't — give to the community organisation instead
Why the model works
There are more mountain gorillas alive now than at any point since records began. Permit revenue pays ranger salaries and funds the patrols that remove snares, and a proportion of park income is returned to the communities that live alongside the forest. When the forest is worth more standing than cleared, the calculation changes for everyone.
It is not a perfect system. The Batwa were evicted when the parks were created and have benefited least. Being honest about that is part of travelling well here.
The five choices that matter most
- Hire a porter. US$20–25 for someone to carry your bag and help you up the steep bits. Many porters are former poachers. This is the most direct, most immediate transfer of money available to you.
- Stay in community-owned lodges where they are genuinely good — Buhoma Community Rest Camp funds the local health centre, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge is owned through a community trust, and Amajambere Iwacu at Mgahinga is community-run.
- Buy crafts at source. Ride 4 a Woman in Buhoma and the Batwa craft groups sell directly. The margin is not being taken by anyone in between.
- Do the community walks. They cost little, they fund schools and clinics, and they are usually the part of the trip people talk about second.
- Use a locally owned operator. Whether that is us or someone else, it determines whether your money stays in the region or leaves it.
Rules that protect the gorillas
- Seven metres minimum distance — ten in the DR Congo.
- Do not trek with a cold, flu or stomach bug. See health.
- Masks during the visit — required in Rwanda, sensible everywhere.
- No flash photography, no eating near the gorillas, no pointing.
- Keep your voice low and follow the ranger's instructions immediately.
Everyday things
- Plastic bags are banned in Rwanda and bags are checked on arrival. Bring none.
- Refill, don't buy. Our vehicles carry filtered water and reusable bottles.
- Ask before photographing people — and accept no as an answer.
- Do not give sweets, pens or money to children. It sustains begging and pulls children out of school. Give to the school or community organisation instead.
- Do not buy wildlife products of any kind, including anything ivory or made from pangolin.
Questions
Frequently asked
Does gorilla trekking actually help gorillas?
On the available evidence, yes — the mountain gorilla population has grown steadily through the period in which controlled tourism has funded ranger patrols and given communities a stake in the forest. It is one of the clearest conservation successes in Africa.
What is the most useful thing I can do as a visitor?
Hire a porter, stay at least one night in community-owned accommodation, and buy crafts directly. Those three put money into the villages beside the park faster than anything else you control.
Next
Keep planning
- Conservation — the longer story
- The Batwa cultural experience — the part that is not simple
- Money and tipping — actual numbers
- Lodges — which are community-owned