Gorilla trekking involves hiking through difficult terrain, dense vegetation, bodies of water, hills and valleys. The activity can be very challenging and exhausting when you are exhausted and have a sore knee, especially if you’re not used to running for hours. Gorilla trekking in Uganda requires moderate physical fitness, but most healthy people should be more than up to the challenge. The hardest aspects of the hike will be the difficult terrain and high humidity.
Guides often use machetes to make their way through dense jungles and jungle roof traps in the heat. The weather in gorilla national parks can sometimes be unpredictable. Trekking can be difficult if it rains during gorilla trekking. You have to drive through rough terrain and dense jungles. You’ll need long sleeve clothing to protect yourself from biting insects and raincoats in case it rains while trekking.
It is recommended to take long walks and jogging regularly to stay in perfect shape before trekking gorillas in Rwanda. The hike can be easy or difficult depending on the location of the gorilla family you are hiking as some families are easy to find while others are difficult to hike because they live in higher elevations. The difficulty of trekking gorillas in Rwanda depends on how accessible the national park is. In this case, it is Volcanoes National Park. The amount of time spent on the gorilla trek can vary greatly from day to day, depending on where the gorillas have settled and how many clues they left behind.
How close or far a gorilla group has moved since its last hike will determine how difficult it will be for visitors to hike that particular gorilla group. In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the main gorilla trekking destination in Uganda, the terrain is mountainous and the vegetation thick, so hiking here requires some stamina. Mountain gorilla trekking has also become difficult for children under 15 years of age, as they are not allowed to hike mountain gorillas. People over the age of may also have difficulty hiking, but they have the option of being carried with a limousine chair or traditional bamboo cart, which is better but costly. Like many others, I first learned about the plight of mountain gorillas after seeing gorillas in the fog.
The age of the trekker also determines how difficult it will be for the traveller to do gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Travelers planning a gorilla trekking in Rwanda should make sure to bring the essentials: a good pair of hiking shoes, sunscreen and insect repellent, plenty of mineral water, long pants and long-sleeved shirts, a hat or cap, and a camera. Usually, older travelers in Rwanda find it difficult to hike gorilla groups that live at high altitudes, and therefore they receive more gorilla groups that are easy to hike. All in all, while gorilla trekking isn’t a walk in the park, it’s not Kilimanjaro either.
Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park now comes with a hefty price tag, but if you’re ready to part with your hard-earned cash, you won’t be disappointed. Rwanda recently raised the price of its gorilla trekking permits from $700 per person to $1500.
