What Are The Best Tricks Elders On Gorilla Trekking Safari Can Use To Succeed

Gorilla trekking is open to elders too because the age limit for this Africa safari is 15 years and above. You just need to apply the best tricks when preparing or on ground doing gorilla trekking. Aging is a golden time in life and we highly respect this life stage.

Many adventure seekers put gorilla trekking on the top of the bucket list for the to do Africa holiday activities but sometimes end up never doing it. There are many obstacles that may prevent you from doing gorilla trekking like not securing a gorilla permit in time, difficulty in movement, falling ills and so much more.

Three countries are the only homes of the mountain gorillas in the world that is to say Uganda, Rwanda and D.R.Congo. Each country has a habitat for the mountain gorillas that is to say Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable National park and Mgahinga National park in Uganda and Virunga National park in D.R.Congo

Gorilla trekking is the adventure of following a habituated family of the mountain gorillas in the wilderness. Gorilla habituation is getting a wild gorilla family accustomed to the presence of humans without altering there nature.

As an elder, you may be skeptical about taking a gorilla trekking adventure since this activity is done in the wilderness, which is mountainous too. You may be afraid of muscle pulls and difficulty in walking in the jungle as an elder. No worries here are some of the best tricks you can apply to succeed in completing a gorilla trekking tour.

Highlights of What Elders Can Do To Succeed In Gorilla Trekking

Before Gorilla trekking

Book Gorilla Permits in Advance

State your physical difficult to The Tours Consultant In advance

Pack the Right Gorilla Trekking Gears

Immunize for communicable infections like Covid-19

Engage in Some exercises Before Gorilla Trekking

Book International Tickets In Advance

Book Gorilla Trekking Tour With a Credible, Experienced and Professional Company

During Gorilla Trekking safari

Arrive in the country Atleast a Day Before Starting the Gorilla Safari

Hire porters to lift your gorilla trekking gears

Attend gorilla trekking briefing

Hire A Sedan Chair For Your Gorilla Trekking Safari

Break The Journey To the Gorilla Trekking Destinations Into Segments

Before Gorilla trekking

Book Gorilla Permits in Advance

When you secure your gorilla trekking permit in advance, you prevent last minute pressure of searching availability when there are no permits. Even chances of selecting for services from a wide range of facilities like accommodation, vehicles, professional guides and others is reduced.

Each gorilla family is allowed maximum 8 permits per day for conservation reasons. It is best to book your permit in advance at least 6 months to a year prior because the gorilla permits get sold out fast.

Uganda has so far 19 gorilla families open for tourism, Rwanda has so far 12 gorilla families open for tourism and D.R.Congo has so far 6 gorilla families open for tourism.

State your physical difficult to The Tours Consultant In advance

When sending an enquiry about your wish to do gorilla trekking, in the comment section state your physical difficulty so that this can be noted even at the Uganda wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board.

This also helps in selection a gorilla trekking area where mountain gorillas may not located in a far area although this is not a guarantee.

You even get more advise on what you have to do in order to enjoy the gorilla trekking experience. Do not be let down by your physical difficulty, gorilla trekking is possible for any body.  

Pack the Right Gorilla Trekking Gears

Check the list of gorilla trekking gears you have to pack so that you are not out spotted while in ground. Having your own gears makes you relax and not panic to find where to hire some on ground.

Some of the gorilla trekking gears include safari boots, safari attire, safari hats, rainproof gears, garden gloves and others.

Immunize for communicable infections like Covid-19

Mountain gorillas are highly susceptible to human infections like Covid-19, flu, cough so immunize for those that are immunizable so as to prevent chances of catching them before gorilla trekking.

Tourists are implored to volunteer and stay behind in case they catch an infection during gorilla trekking. Mountain gorillas have a DNA of about 96% to that of humans.

Engage in Some exercises Before Gorilla Trekking

In case you still have some energy, do some exercises to stretch your muscles more so that you do not get muscle pull or fail to carry on while in the forest. Some level of fitness is necessary before heading for gorilla trekking to keep the body fit.

Carry some liniment to apply after the gorilla trek so that your legs do not hurt.

Book International Tickets In Advance

When you arrange your flight booking in time, you reduce on the chances of having no seats. You need to secure your international flights in advance so that you do not have to panic at the last minute because gorilla trekking dates cannot be rescheduled as days draw closer to the trekking date.

You stand chance of losing your gorilla permit in case you are a no-show.

Book Gorilla Trekking Tour With a Credible, Experienced and Professional Company

For a great and well arranged gorilla trekking safari experience, you need to select a professional company like Arch safaris And Tours that have survived overtime. We understand the hassle tourists go through to save their hard-earned money in order to do gorilla trekking. We offer value for money.

During Gorilla Trekking safari

Arrive in the country At least a Day Before Starting the Gorilla Safari

Having a pre-tour day in the Uganda, Rwanda and D.R.Congo calms your nerves and prevents you from fearing especially for first timers.

This also helps put together your gorilla trekking gears and recheck in case you may have some missing. You can also get briefing time with our safari consultant so that all the arrangements of your safari itinerary are done according to your wish.

Hire porters to lift your gorilla trekking gears

While on ground at the gorilla trekking destination, you can arrange to hire a porter who can carry your belongings. A porter is a person who helps you carry your bags or equipment on the way to locate the mountain gorillas. These are normally local people who earn there living by assisting tourists.

When you hire a porter, it is one of the direct ways to support the local community. It is also another way to contribute to mountain gorilla conservation campaign.

Hiring a porter is at a fairly good price that is why you need to carry some hard cash with you when travelling for gorilla trekking. Credit cards are rarely used in Africa because of the lengthy process of acquiring money from them.

Attend gorilla trekking briefing

Gorilla trekking safari briefing is a must for every tourist whether you are a first timer or repeat client. This is because despite the fact that gorilla trekking rules are everywhere, the mountain gorilla traits change over time too.

The ranger guides through research keep discovering new mountain gorilla behaviors according to prevailing situations they are faced with.

 You need to go through this briefing even if you have more than one gorilla trekking dates.

In case you fail to attend briefing, chances of being disqualified from gorilla trekking are high. Ensure you remind your lodge managers to give you a wakeup call early morning in order to prepare for your gorilla trekking experience.

Hire A Sedan Chair For Your Gorilla Trekking Safari

In case your body is physically not in a great condition, no worries you can hire a sedan chair at an affordable cost. The cost also includes porter that are going to help you reach the gorilla family you are allocated to.

The price of the sedan chair varies according to where it is made from where by locally made sedan chairs cost less price compared to the original ones.

With the sedan chair, you seat and porters lift help you reach the destination where the mountain gorillas are feeding or lounging that day.

Remember only one hours is allowed with the mountain gorillas so use it profitably so that you can write off the desire to see these only living apes in the world.

Break The Journey To the Gorilla Trekking Destinations into Segments

For the destinations where the distance to drive in order to do gorilla trekking is long like the Drive from Entebbe Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is about 8 hours to 7 hours. You can make stop overs like a day in Lake Mburo carry on to Queen Elizabeth National Park for some Two days and continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park later.

This arrangement however is only possible with more days on safari. These breaks also help you relax and enjoy more wildlife that Uganda is blessed with.

You can also use daily domestic flights from Entebbe airport or Kajjansi in Uganda, charter from Kigali airport to Volcanoes National park but you must secure transfer vehicles too.

3 days gorilla trekking safari

5 day gorilla and chimpanzee trekking

6 day gorilla and wild game safari

7 day gorilla, chimpanzee and game safari

8 day gorilla, chimpanzee trekking and wildlife tour

10 day gorilla trekking, chimpanzee and wildlife safari

How difficult Is Gorilla Trekking Walk For Elders

The topography of the gorilla trekking area is generally volcanic with ragged highlands. Sometimes the mountain gorillas feed or lounge at the slopes where by you need to locate them there.

For elders that can still manage to push though through the hikes, you must have some level of fitness prior in order to succeed.

The ranger guide also follows the pace of the slowest trekkers so no need to rush in case you are finding some challenges. While in the jungle and you have to pass through thick creepers, the ranger guide uses a machete to cut through then in order to create a way.

Wearing the right safari boots saves you the trouble of being stuck in the soggy mud that you go through on the way. The Virunga area is covered with a dense network of rivers that at times over flow to cover the entire ground yet less sunlight penetration goes through the dense canopy.

How Dangerous Are Mountain gorillas?

The mountain gorillas are shy and serene primates despite there scaring physical appearance. Physically, they have a dark furred cover all over there bodies. The eyes of the mountain gorillas are dark brown and sunken.

The first glance at the mountain gorillas may stimulate some nerves amidst excitement to stand before them but you do not need to show this.

When you release how gentle and calm they are in your presence you compose yourself and keep watching. When you meet the mountain gorillas, they are usually busy feeding, grooming there infants, combing hairs of each other and so much more. They usually mind there own business but do not take this for granted. The silverback may be watching from a distance and in case you do something agitating, he may command the entire family to go into hiding.

What Are the Rules of Gorilla Trekking

When in the jungle, you do not need to spit on the vegetation or the ground. This is where mountain gorillas feed because they are naturally vegetarian whose delicacy is bamboo, soft stems, leaves, fruits and others.

In case you catch a communicable infection, volunteer to stay behind so that you do not pass this infection to the mountain gorillas that have about 96% human D.N.A.

Keep quiet when in the jungle searching to locate the mountain gorillas. They are highly sensitive to intruders in there vicinity. Even other forest dwellers are sensitive to foreign intruders in there vicinity.

The age limit for gorilla trekking is 15 years and above because the time of locating the mountain is unknown. The mountain gorillas at times spend time on the slopes.

Keep 8 meters away from the mountain gorillas when you locate them.

Only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them. They are habituated to be in the presence of humans for just that precious hours. You late have to leave them a lot to feed, groom babies and others.

In case you wish to eat or smoke, do it at least in 200 meters from the mountain gorillas

Wear a clean mask before meeting the mountain gorillas and sanitize your shoes before entering the forest to search for the mountain gorillas.