Am I fit enough for a Gorilla Trek in Uganda?
Gorilla Trekking Fitness – Getting into shape for an Encounter with the Gentle Giants of the Forest.
Gorilla Trekking Fitness: Am I fit enough for a Gorilla Trek? The Level of Fitness needed for a Gorilla Trek – Am I fit enough for a Gorilla Trek? Something not often discussed on Gorilla Safari Tour Operator’s Websites in Uganda is Gorilla Trekking Fitness. It is essential to be reasonable in shape and physically fit since it will make your Gorilla Trek more enjoyable.
Most Visitors to Uganda and Rwanda plan their gorilla trekking Safari about six months before it begins. That is more than enough time to get the gorilla trekking fitness level you will need to get into reasonable shape for your encounter with the gentle giants of the forest.
Many prepare for their Gorilla Trek by Hiking, biking, going for walks, or even going to the gym in the country where they live.
Your present Fitness Level should not prevent you from a Gorilla Trek. A moderate level of fitness or better is suitable for most.
The services of a Porter can assist you on the trek, and Additionally, the use of a local Walking Stick is an excellent aid. The Gear, daypack, clothing, and proper boots with traction make the Gorilla Trek a better experience.
If all fails, you can be carried into the forest on a sedan chair by rotating porters. It is not demeaning work for the porters but quite profitable since they make a lot of money by local standards and are grateful for the opportunity.
Gorilla Trekking Fitness: Am I fit enough for a Gorilla Trek?
The Challenge – Gorilla Trekking is no Stroll in the Park:
The Gorilla Trek you will take begins on trails of one kind. As you get closer to the Gorilla Family, you will often be visiting; there is usually no trail. A new path is hacked for you through the thick vegetation.
Dress for protection, including garden gloves for your hands, or annoying nettles will burn you. The new trail is challenging for many, so I recommend getting into shape even with moderate exercise.
In Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla Park, you climb up to the Bamboo Forest level. The treks vary from a moderate fitness level is required. Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest can be up and down hills, ridges, valleys, across streams, and through the Forest’s, at times, thick undergrowth.
The Good News is this, none of our clients ever gave up. Often the reason for that is that they used the services of a porter and had a sturdy, local walking stick.
Use the Services of a Porter to assist you:
The services of a porter carrying your daypack free you to focus on the Trek and your surroundings. Additionally, they assist you when the trail becomes a challenge. We think they are one of the must-haves for tracking the gentle giants.
They, unlike you, are used to the elevation, know the trails, and are used to the time of a trek. They usually are in excellent shape. Besides, they make a very respectable income by Ugandan standards.
The cost for a porter is minimal, even though you might want to prove that you are physically capable of carrying your bag.
Take our advice and use the porter we provide—your support of a Ugandan Family. Your money will pay for food, housing, school fees for children, clothes, and medical care. Besides, their service lightens your load, something you might enjoy, no matter your fitness level.
Not only does a porter assist while you are Gorilla Tracking, but you are assisting by paying for their help on your trek. What you give them in fees and tips impacts their family and the local community.
Use a Walking Stick to give you support while Tracking:
Gorilla Trekking is unlike regular Hiking. The trekking experience is often off-trail, and rangers will hack a trail through the thick underbrush to get you to your gorilla encounter.
The trails are often steep, muddy, and slippery, and you need the support of a walking stick no matter what your fitness level is.
Walking Sticks can be bought at trailheads, but lodges often have them on hand for their guests. If you are on Safari with us, we automatically supply walking sticks for our clients.
A Walking Stick will keep you steady on the trails and prevent falling when the paths are slippery. They provide that extra level of support that most need.
Walking sticks come in handy not just on gorilla treks but on chimpanzee trekking, hikes, volcano hikes, and nature walk.
There are ornamental, carved walking sticks that you can buy from a local artisan and take Home as a souvenir and reminder of your memorable Trek.
I had Hip Surgery – can I trek the Mountain Gorillas?
Some cannot attain the level of fitness required for more challenging treks. While at the tracking orientation, Ranger will arrange for a less arduous or shorter trek.
Everyone wants to ensure that your encounter with the gentle giants is a memorable experience. The focus is on the gorilla encounter and not the Trek’s difficulty.
There is still a distance in extreme cases where someone cannot trek on foot. Four Porters (12 total) plus support people carry you in and out on a sedan chair like a rickshaw without wheels carried by four men.
It can take up to 12 porters, and there is a fee for that help, but you can see the Gorillas. A 94-year-old Italian woman was carried into Bwindi in such a way a few years back, it was on her bucket list to see the Mountain Gorillas, and she did.
The oldest Client we had, an American Couple of 79 and 74 years old, wanted to trek the toughest Gorilla Group to Trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest when it comes to age. They did it and loved it. We often have clients in their 70’s trek Gorillas, and we make compensation for them to lighten the Trek, which usually works out.
Am I fit enough for a Gorilla Trek? Preparing yourself for Trekking:
Our suggestions are simple. Prepare yourself before you arrive for your Primate Safari. It begins by taking walks or hikes in or near your community. Hopefully, there are some hills along the way.
Such walks will improve your fitness level and make your time gorilla tracking more enjoyable and less strenuous. Others prefer going to their local gym to get into shape and develop some physical stamina.
In Washington State, head for the Cascades and hike like up to Lake 22. Hike in the North Cascades near Granite Falls and hike up to Mount Pilchuck. In Vancouver, BC, you can hike up on the Grouse Grind Trail, which will definitely improve your level of fitness.
Two British Air Employees started running before they came. They hiked and climbed throughout Uganda, including one Volcano, two gorilla treks, hikes through Bwindi Forest from North to South, and continued down to Lake Mutanda.
Being in reasonable shape. Preparing before coming will make the Gorilla Encounter even more memorable for you.
More Practical Gorilla Trekking Information -Tips – Advice for you:
Knowing before going on a Gorilla Trekking Safari gives you an idea of what to expect on the Trek. Here is what one of our clients wrote about knowing before going. “I chose Kabiza Wilderness Safaris because I came across their beneficial pages on gorilla trekking and found them to be straightforward and incredibly helpful. Even if you choose to go with someone else- read some of Kabiza’s content, and you’ll have a better trip.”-Ananda G.
Know about Trekking before you. We give you all the advice you will need for your once-in-a-lifetime Gorilla Encounter. Please take advantage of what we know about Gorilla Trekking.
Uninformed Trekkers have lesser experience and more unanticipated surprises than those that know before they go.
Am I fit enough for a Gorilla Trek? You can be, get started at Home before arriving for your Gorilla Safari.
