The 20 primate trekking rules: Primate trekking is the activity of going into the wild most often a forest where you long to the primates and spend an hour with them.
These primate treks are common in East Africa and are done majorly in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Animals trekked in these countries are mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, golden monkeys, baboons and others.
They are trekked in several habitats that include but are not limited to: –
Volcanoes National Park for gorillas and Nyungwe National Park for chimpanzees all in Rwanda, Virunga National Park for both gorillas and chimpanzees in the democratic republic of Congo, Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda for gorillas, Kibale national park, kyambura gorge, budongo forest and others for chimpanzees in Uganda.
At all these locations primates are trekked all your round by wildlife lovers.
However, on these treks different rules are followed and here are the top 20 primate trekking rules.
You can only trek with a valid permit. You need to purchase a trekking permit in advance to allow you to trek. The permits cost USD 1500 in Rwanda, USD 700 in Uganda and USD 400 in the democratic republic of Congo.
You have to be above 15 years to trek. Younger humans are not allowed to trek.
You cannot trek when you are sick, especially if you have a communicable disease. Because the primates share about 90% of their DNA with humans, you can easily pass on the disease to the primates which may be fatal for the primates
All trekking experiences start with a briefing that is compulsory for all trekkers
Trekking is done in groups of 8 or 10. Please stay in your allocated group.
Don’t litter the forest on your trek.
Don’t destroy the forest too, by breaking branches and pulling down tree parts anyhow.
When you get to the gorillas, observe them in silence. Avoid making noises or sounds that would irritate the primates
Keep a 7-meter distance between you and the primates
Don’t touch the primates
Don’t feed the primates
Don’t shout at or talk to the primates
Don’t make weird gestures when in the presence of the primates
Don’t run while in the presence of the primates
If a primate comes close to you stay still
Respect the one hour time limit given to you in the presence of the primates
Don’t use flashes when taking pictures of the primates
Don’t wander off in the forest without direction or your group
When you are threatened by a primate, stay put, the primate will turn away.
Have fun on your trekking experience
All trekkers are expected to follow these rules no matter where they are trekking. These rules help keep you safe and also protect the primates. Because the trekking experiences are usually done for the primate conservation. So, it’s very imperative that that objective is kept.
You should know though those different primate facilities also have some additional rules they may need you to follow so be informed of them and follow them on top of the ones mentioned above.
