Gorilla Trekking for The Elderly
Gorilla Trekking for The Elderly: Gorilla trekking is one of the intriguing adventures. While it is more physically demanding, there are options for categories of visitors, including the elderly or seniors, and disabled. Gorilla trekking for the elderly can be planned and booked through a local expert like Bujuku Eco Tours and Travel. Gorilla trekking for the elderly can be arranged and involves hiring the porters and sedan chairs. Gorilla families or groups are allocated at the park offices with consideration of visitor’s physical condition.
When planning a gorilla tour as a senior or elderly person, ensure that you talk to our experts. The initial stages of booking your gorilla trekking tour should include providing details of your physical ability. This is to guide our team when planning for your gorilla tour, and this includes securing items such as sedan chairs or using the traditional bamboo stretchers. The bamboo stretchers or sedan chairs are carried by porters. A visitor sits comfortably, and he or she can be lowered down to observe a group of gorillas.
Can the elderly manage gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo?
A successful round of gorilla trekking can be determined by a number of factors, not necessarily the age. Often, there are trekkers as old as 60, 70, and 80 who have traveled and engaged in the successful gorilla trekking adventure. It all requires adequate preparation and support, which you must get in advance.
Physical fitness recommendation
A moderate fitness level is essential if you are to participate in the trek with mountain gorillas. A certain level of fitness is required, considering the fact that this adventure is unpredictable. A normal gorilla trek may take approximately 2 to 6 hours, depending on the physical fitness of a visitor, walking speed, and the location of the gorillas. If you are an elderly person, there is a chance to engage in the gorilla trek without any worries. The elderly persons on gorilla trekking can be assigned to easier to visit gorilla families, and the carriers/sedan chairs or bamboo stretchers can be used to carry them to where gorilla trekking is to be enjoyed.
Porters will be present to assist with carrying the sedan chairs. After spending an hour with a group of these apes, you can be carried back to where your adventure started, depending on the park. Each gorilla trekking parks has starting points where trekkers assemble to have a briefing for gorilla regulations. A gorilla trekking certificate is issued by the park official after being part of those who have successfully made it to the jungle to witness these unique primates.
The sedan chairs –these have been made with provision for visitors to sit while being carried by the porters. They are designed in a way that never inconveniences smooth movement in the forest as you search for gorillas.
The traditional bamboo stretchers also come with a design related to the Sedan chairs. It is made of bamboo tree products for visitors to be carried on to the location of gorillas and back.
Porters are always to be present at the Park offices, and they can be hired at affordable rates. The porters can be hired not only for carrying sedan chairs or bamboo stretchers but also to assist guests in carrying the heavy luggage. Struggling with luggage while on gorilla trekking can be disorganizing
Cost of hiring a sedan chair or bamboo stretchers
The cost of hiring a sedan chair/bamboo varies from USD 350 to 500. The sedan chair or bamboo is hired suiting the weight of the visitor.
Altitude and topography challenges during gorilla trekking
When you embark on a gorilla trekking tour, you should consider the nature of the park’s altitude and topography. Bwindi’s altitude ranges from 1160 to 2607m, thus requiring a moderate level of physical fitness. Volcanoes National Park in Musanze/Ruhengeri has varying altitudes from 2400 to 4507m. Conquering these altitude takes a great time to have a round adventure.
Who is a senior or elderly trekker?
The elderly or senior trekkers are those individuals in advanced age. Their ages range from 60 years plus, and they comprise mainly of the retired class. The gorilla tour packages available for this category are slightly different from the usual trekkers. Maximum attention is paid to the number of aspects to enable such groups to join others in making their dreams come true. On the actual trekking, there are special guides assigned to handle the elderly or senior visitors. When crafting a package for gorilla trekking for the elderly, we ensure there is more time to allow such persons to relax.
General tips for planning gorilla trekking for the elderly
Declare your medical/health condition in advance
It is essential to disclose your medical/health condition to your tour operator for planning purposes. Do not wait till the last minute to tell the safari guide en route to your gorilla trekking site about details that should have been shared early. Such details are required in order for the tour operator to communicate early to the park authorities, especially to guide them when allocating a family or group of gorillas for you. Remember that some of the gorilla groups live in extremely higher elevations or far from the briefing area and requires more hours and physical fitness to get there.
Do adequate workouts
Gorilla trekking takes visitors on a physical walk through the forest. For you to have a round trekking session, you should have done some fitness exercises to make your muscles get used to the tough terrains. You can even plan a tour early, travel to the destination, and do some workouts in some of the hillsides of the respective country where you intend to track gorillas.
Hire or request a walking stick
A walking stick is useful, and you can get one from the safari lodge or hire at the park offices. The walking stick is to help you when walking through the forest while looking for gorillas.
Opt for the gorilla group close to the briefing center
Avoid long or far gorilla groups as they require you to be fit enough to get to them. Request for the groups that can easily be located in fewer hours and don’t require much physical fitness to trek through the forest.
Carry adequate energy-giving snacks and water
Keep yourself energized and hydrated; this can be done by carrying with you some snacks and bottled drinking water. During the gorilla trek, you can have these items, and if they are heavy, you can have a porter to assist.
Obtain gorilla permits early
Even if you belong to the elderly class, a permit should be booked in advance to enable you to participate in the trek to see gorillas. Take note of the variation in prices for gorilla permits per destination. If you want a more budget-friendly gorilla trekking destination, then you should consider visiting Uganda and each permit costs USD 800. To experience a high-end gorilla tour, you can travel to Rwanda and a permit can be reserved at USD 1500 per person.
How to book a gorilla trekking tour for the elderly
Contact Bujuku Eco Tours & Travel, a licensed tour operator company, to arrange your epic gorilla tour for the elderly. We are based in Uganda with vast experience in organizing unforgettable gorilla safaris to Bwindi, Mgahinga, Volcanoes, and Virunga (Congo).
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