Am I fit enough for a Gorilla Trek in Uganda or Rwanda?
Gorilla Trekking Fitness – Getting into shape for a Gorilla Trek.
The Level of Fitness needed for a Gorilla Trek – Am I fit enough for a Gorilla Trek? Something not discussed on Gorilla Safari Tour Operators in Uganda. One thing, being in shape, physically fit, will make your Gorilla Trek more enjoyable.
Visitors to Uganda and Rwanda plan their gorilla trekking Safari about six months before the Safari begins. That is the perfect time to get yourself physically conditioned for your Gorilla Trek or the Habituation Experience.
Many prepare for the Gorilla Trek by hiking, biking, going for walks, even going to the gym in the country where they live.
Your Fitness Level should not prevent you from a Gorilla Trek. A moderate level of fitness or better is excellent for most. A Porter can assist, and the use of a local Walking Stick is an excellent aid. The Gear, daypack, clothing, right 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?
Getting fit for your Gorilla Trek in Uganda or Rwanda
Gorilla Trekking is no Stroll in the Park:
The Gorilla Trek you will be taken begins on trails of one kind or another. As you get close to the Gorilla Family, you will be visiting. There are most often no trails. A new path, if you can call it, is hacked for you through the thick vegetation. Another reason we recommend that even though you might be physically fit, dress for protection, including garden gloves for your hands or annoying nettles, will burn you. The new trail is challenging for many. That is why 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 and beyond. The treks vary from a moderate fitness level required to a reasonable fitness level. In Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, it can be up and down hills and valleys, across streams, through Forest’s thick undergrowth. The Good News is this, none of our clients ever gave up.
Use the Services of a Porter to assist you:
A porter lightens your load, and you can focus on the trek. Additionally, they assist on the at times difficult trail. We think that they are one of the must-haves for tracking the gentle giants.
They, unlike you, are used to the elevation, applied to the trails, used to the length of time involved, and are in excellent shape. Besides, they make a very respectable income by Ugandan standards.
The cost is minimal, and even though you might want to show that you can do it, take our advice, use a porter, support a Ugandan Family, your money will pay for food, school fees for children, clothes, and medical care. Besides, their service lightens your load, something you might enjoy, no matter what your level of fitness is.
COVID-19 Protocols restricts the use of porters to limit the number of people in the gorillas’ presence. Those with disabilities are still allowed the assistance of a porter.
Use a Local Walking Stick to give you Support:
Gorilla Trekking is unlike regular Hiking. The trekking experience is often off-trail. 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 level of fitness is.
Walking Sticks can be bought at trailheads, but often lodges will 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 you from 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 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 a year ago – can I trek Gorillas?
Some are unable to 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 gorilla encounter is a memorable experience where the focus is the gorilla encounter and not the trek’s difficulty.
In extreme cases where someone is unable to trek on foot, there is still a way. Four Porters (12 total) plus support people carry you in and out on a sedan chair which is 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.
When it comes to age, the oldest Clients we had, an American Couple of 79 and 74 years old, wanted to trek the toughest Gorilla Group to Trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. They did it and loved it. We often have clients in their 70’s trek Gorillas, and we make compensations for them to lighten the Trek, and it usually works out.
Am I fit enough for a Gorilla Trek? Preparing yourself physically for Trekking:
Our suggestions are simple. Prepare before you arrive for your Gorilla Safari.
In Washington State, head for the Cascades and take a hike like Lake 22 Hike in the North Cascades near Granite Falls – elsewhere, head to the closest hills, and walk.
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 Gorilla Trekking before you. We give you all the advice that you will need for your once-in-a-lifetime Gorilla Encounter. Please take advantage of what we know about Gorilla Trekking.
Uninformed Trekkers have a 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
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