Gorilla Trekking For Pregnant Women In Uganda And Rwanda

Disclaimer, to do gorilla trekking as a pregnant woman, you need the approval of your doctor. Gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda is open to all people aged 12 and beyond no matter who you are. The nature of the terrain of the Virunga area where mountain gorillas live is rugged with several highlands resulting from volcanic actions.

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In Uganda, gorilla trekking safaris take place in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park in the southwestern area of the country. Other than gorilla trekking, in Uganda, you can also engage in gorilla habituation experience where a maximum of four tourists accompany a team of researchers to follow semi-habituated gorilla family for four hours.

Rwanda has Volcanoes National Park as the habitat for mountain gorillas, where gorilla trekking tours take place. Volcanoes National Park is situated in the northwestern part of Rwanda. Other than the mountain gorillas other primates are confirmed as residents of the endangered golden monkeys

How To Plan For Gorilla Trekking Safari In Uganda And Rwanda As A Pregnant Woman

Book the gorilla permit

It is best to select where to do your gorilla trekking safari either in Uganda or Rwanda and you may also choose both destinations. Identify a date when you hope to be on gorilla safari putting into mind that it is done per day. Note that of you to do gorilla trekking in both Uganda and Rwanda, you need to consider at least a day of travel as you cross into the other country.

Find availability of the gorilla permits for Uganda or Rwanda as per your preferred dates and you can use the assistance of a tour operator like Encounter Africa Safaris. We are a reliable tour company with experience of over 10 years in organizing gorilla safaris in Uganda and Rwanda.

Book the gorilla permit as soon as you find availability because their status changes at any time without warning. None of the gorilla trekking permits whether in Uganda or Rwanda is reserved without payment.

Choose accommodations to use on gorilla trekking safari

It is better to choose accommodation to use during the gorilla trekking safari in Uganda or Rwanda as soon as you confirm the gorilla permit. The accommodation options at the gorilla safari destinations in Uganda and Rwanda are categorized into Up-scale, mid-range and basic. Most of the available accommodation options at the gorilla safari destinations in Uganda and Rwanda sell out in the peak season. The peak tourism season in Uganda and Rwanda is normally June to September and December to January.

As a pregnant mother, it is best to book accommodation closer to where your gorilla permit is booked so that you do not have to a long distances to the briefing point.

It is safer to reserve accommodation to use during the gorilla tour at least 6 months to a year in advance just like the gorilla permit.

Reserve Transport To The Gorilla Trekking Destination In Uganda And Rwanda.

Consider the means to use to get to the gorilla trekking destinations in Uganda and Rwanda. Road and air transport are the main means used to get to the gorilla trekking destinations. Transport includes hiring the vehicle and a 4x4 wheel drive is most preferred, gas or fuel, car maintenance, driver guide fee and others.

Note that in Uganda, the drive time to the gorilla trekking destinations that is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park from Kampala is about 8 to 9 hours on a bumpy road but very scenic. There are options of making detours to the safari destinations along the route to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park in order to break the journey.

Flight to the gorilla safari destinations from Kigali from Akagera Aviation to Volcanoes National Park and from Entebbe or Kajjansi airstrip to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip. In Uganda, there are domestic daily scheduled flights and charter flight services. You need to book your flights in advance so that all necessary clearances can be made in advance.

Before the gorilla trekking safari, if you're not sure you can make it to the end hire sedan chair services or a basket stretcher where you will be lifted up to where the mountain gorilla family allocated to you may be. This requires advance booking so that arrangements can be some before the time of trekking the mountain gorillas

Clear the necessary documents to the gorilla trekking destination

In case you must have a visa before traveling to Uganda or Rwanda, make sure to apply for it in advance. In Rwanda and Uganda, you can still apply for a visa on arrival at immigration but this may be quite hectic especially after a long fight.

Book the international flights into Uganda and Rwanda in advance so that this is no reason to sabotage your gorilla trekking tour. In case you do not show up for your gorilla safari on the date booked without any formal notification to the Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board, the permit is still deemed invalid. No refund is awarded to a no-show without reason.

Do not forget to carry your identification documents including a valid passport, National Identity card for East Africans to the briefing point before gorilla trekking as these are used for verification.

Pack Gorilla Trekking gears

To go for gorilla trekking safari in Uganda or Rwanda, you need to have the necessary items. Some of the gorilla trekking gears include safari shirt, tracking boots, rainproof gear, Rainproof backpack and others. gorilla trekking happens in the forest and exploring the forest is on foot so you need to wear the right attire.

Keep Fit Before The Gorilla Trekking Safari

As a pregnant woman, do exercise before the gorilla trekking safari to keep fit as recommended by doctor in case you hope decide to trek to the mountain gorillas. The nature of the topography of the Virunga area where mountain gorillas live is mountainous due to volcanic activities in this area. The terrain in this area have ridges, plateaus, deep valleys where the mountain gorillas may spend time.

Tourists have to follow the steep slopes to get to where the mountain gorillas may be spending the day. Sometimes the way to the mountain gorillas may have some huddles especially creepers that may drape down the ridges or tree trunks.

What Is The Criteria Used To Allocate Gorilla Trekking Families In Uganda And Rwanda

The criteria used to allocate gorilla trekking families in Rwanda when booking or on gorilla trekking day in Uganda is hard to determine. Sometimes gorilla permits are allocated according to age, physical capability, number of times you are doing gorilla trekking and much more.

As a pregnant mother, you may prefer to trek the gorilla trekking family that is closer to the starting point of the trial head. It is quite hard to identify the closest gorilla family because a family that was seen close the previous day, may be the furthest the next day. The location of the mountain gorilla family is determined by factors prevailing in the forest such as food proximity, mood of the gorilla family, the presence of an intimidating wild animal and much more.

This explains why the time of finding the mountain gorillas is hard to determine so having some level of patience is required in order to get to the gorilla family. Even though the ranger guide follows the pace of the slowest trekker, do not delay the rest.

By hiring a porter to help with carrying your gorilla trekking gears, a weight is lifted off your shoulders and so you can move faster, the porter may help you cross some hurdles like the rivers or streams. The porter may also give you a push when tired.

Is Gorilla Trekking in Uganda and Rwanda Safe For Pregnant Women

Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda and Rwanda are safe even for pregnant women. On ground there are trained ranger guides from the bodies that manage the gorilla safari parks that is Uganda Wildlife Authority in Uganda or Rwanda Development Board in Rwanda.

On ground, there are gorilla trekking rules expected to be followed by all tourists and these are strictly followed and violating them may end in getting disqualified. Every gorilla trekking adventure is expected to be led by a ranger guide along with armed escorting rangers. The rangers carry a rifle and a machete to use in case of an emergency that requires immediate action.

Before tourists start the gorilla trekking safari, they must be in the company of a ranger guide as a must. The way to meet the mountain gorillas in the forest is sometimes quite rough with chances of meeting animals like forest elephants, giant forest hogs and much more that may hurt you.

As a pregnant women, you also have to mind your security by not walking in the forest alone. Do not carry along the belonging you feel may hurt when misplaced in the wilderness. Don't forget a first aid kit with emergency medication in case need arise. Note that before doing the gorilla trekking adventure as a pregnant woman, you must seek advise from your doctor before proceeding with any preparations.

Uganda Or Rwanda Which Is The Best Gorilla Trekking Destination

Gorilla trekking is a dream come true safari experience in Africa whether you do this adventure from Uganda or Rwanda. To find which of them is the best to choose for the gorilla trekking safari, you may need to visit both countries for you to identify the best. The mountain gorillas live in families each with differing traits that may excite you. Choosing which destination you wish to do the gorilla safari experience depends on what you hope to get after the tour.

For more information, please contact our team.