How to plan a gorilla trekking safari for the elderly and people with disabilities 

Planning a gorilla trekking safari for elders and disabled persons requires prior planning, as you may need to hire a sedan chair or woven stretcher. Ensure you book a gorilla permit in advance as they get sold off first, yet this is a lifetime dream adventure.

The chances of being unable to hike and go through the gorilla trek are high as your fitness may not be significant to move through the ragged ground of this volcanic area as an elder or impaired person.

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You need the help of a sedan chair or woven stretcher that you can book with porters to carry you. Before securing the gorilla trekking adventure, you must inform the tour operator to note these details.

How to Plan gorilla trekking adventure for a Disabled or elderly person

Choose Gorilla Trekking DestinationRwanda or Uganda are the most sought-after gorilla trekking destinations you can choose from. This assists you now here in booking your gorilla permit as these countries may share a border, but each is an individual country.

Rwanda Gorilla Safari Destination

Rwanda gorilla trekking park is Volcanoes National Park, with 15 families open for tourism booking. You must purchase the gorilla trekking permit for Rwanda. You must pack the right gorilla trekking gear to enjoy this experience. This park has a backdrop of five volcanoes: Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Karisimbi, Mountain Muhabura, Mountain Sabyinyo, and Mountain Bisoke.

Uganda Gorilla Safari Destinations

Uganda gorilla trekking destinations include Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Rwanda has 19 gorilla families fully habituated and open for public booking. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gorilla families live in areas that are Buhoma area in the north, the Ruhija area in the East, the Nkuringo area, and the Rushaga area in the south.

Two gorilla families are open for gorilla habituation experience, located in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

1. Book a gorilla permit.

The gorilla permit to be used by the elderly or disabled person needs to be booked in advance because they get sold off first because of the high demand, yet they are limited in number. Each day maximum of 8 gorilla permits are allowed to be sold to the public per gorilla family.

Because of their limited number and low supply, the gorilla permits are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. No gorilla permit is reserved without payment. 

During the peak tourism seasons, that is, June to September and December to January in Uganda or Rwanda, the gorilla permits are sold off early, so most tourists purchase them at least six months or a year in advance.

 It is hard to determine the best gorilla trekking family to book or the closest family because they change position according to the prevailing forest conditions.

What is the cost of a Gorilla Trekking Permit?

In Uganda, the gorilla trekking permits cost $800 for foreign nonresidents per gorilla family, $700 per person for foreign residents, and 300000shs for East African Residents.

Rwanda gorilla trekking permits cost $1500 per person per trek.

What is included in the cost of the gorilla trekking Permit?

The gorilla trekking permit costs include park entrance fees, ranger guide fee, gorilla conservation support, community support, one hour with the mountain gorillas, security during gorilla trekking, community support, and a certificate after gorilla trekking.

What is excluded from the gorilla permit cost?

Transport to the gorilla trekking destinations, costs of sedan chair, tips, porters, and any other items of personal nature.

You can enquire from Encounter Africa Safaris about amenities supporting a gorilla trekking safari, like accommodation, vehicle hire, driver guide fees, etc. We have over ten years of experience in preparing safaris that have accumulated our knowledge of how best to give tourists a memorable African safari.

1. Reserve accommodation for gorilla trekking safari

When you book a gorilla trekking safari, you need to reserve accommodation close to or within the area of your gorilla permit for the case of Uganda. Gorilla permits for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are sold according to the area, and so accommodation must be close to where your permit is booked.

In Rwanda, some accommodations you can book for gorilla trekking include; Mountain gorilla view Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Kinigi Guest House, Hotel La Palme, and others. You can overnight in Kigali city but must drive to Volcanoes National Park early to catch up with the briefing.

Uganda accommodations to book for gorilla trekking include; Clouds Lodge, Silverback Lodge, Mahogany Springs, Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, and others.

When booking accommodation for a person with an impairment or elderly, inform the lodge to book a room with a ramp close to the ground floor.

1. Book a Seat for Fly in Gorilla Trekking Safari

If you are taking a fly-in gorilla trekking safari, ensure you book a seat on the daily scheduled flights in Uganda. These flight seats get sold out early, especially during the peak season when many tourists move to the countryside of Uganda. Each day domestic flights depart Entebbe or Kajjansi airstrip to Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrip.

Charter flights are available in Rwanda from Kigali Airport to Volcanoes National Park. Even Uganda provides Charter flights from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to Kihihi Airport or Kisoro Airport.

1. Book international flights to either Uganda (Entebbe Airport) or Rwanda (Kigali Airport)

Reserve your international flights in advance to experience the gorilla trekking adventure. It is best to arrive in Rwanda before starting the gorilla trekking safari and refresh from jet lag, especially if you drive directly to the gorilla trekking destinations in Uganda or Rwanda.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we can assist you with Airport pick up once requested for where you may refresh.

1. Book a Sedan chair or woven stretcher for gorilla trekking.

If you have a physical disability or cannot go through with the trek because of limb itch, you need to hire a sedan chair. Each national park has sedan chairs or woven stretchers that you can hire at an affordable cost, and each cost varies with the make.

The cost of sedan chairs varies with where its made as the locally made ones are cheaper than the imported ones.

 When you book the sedan chair in advance, even the porters to lift it are reserved in time.

1. Do some exercises to keep fit For Gorilla Trekking

If you wish to participate physically to locate the mountain gorillas and your limbs are still fit to support you through the trek, although you are an elder, you need to keep your muscles fit. The way to locate the mountain gorillas is strenuous, especially when the ground is socked from the regular rains that fall and slippery ground.

Sometimes the mountain gorillas feed closer to the slopes, so you must hike to reach where they may be lounging or feeding.

1. Pack the Right Gorilla Trekking Gears

Although you will be lifted in a sedan hair or stretcher, you must wear the right gorilla trekking gear like safari long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, insect repellant, warm wear, backpack, etc.

Although you can hire some on the ground, especially in Rwanda, having personal gorilla trekking items helps you feel comfortable and safe during the trek. You may need to find out the size of the gorilla trekking gear on the ground if it will fit you. You may find them already hired by the time you get on the ground. Check our list of what to carry for a gorilla trekking safari.

Are mountain gorillas Safe For An Elder or Physically Impaired to Trek?

 Gorilla trekking is safe for anyone to do as long as you follow the rules given during the briefing. In the Rangers, guides are in place to protect you during gorilla trekking, as one carries a riffle while another carries a machete to clear the way.

On the ground are other security agencies for Uganda or Rwanda to give extra protection and keep law and order in the gorilla trekking areas.

You also need to pay attention to gorilla trekking rules by not provoking the mountain gorillas by hooting back as they hoot, as you may need to be made aware of what the sound means. Avoid eating street food that can cause your stomach disorder, and do not allow any stranger into your room for the safety of your property and others.

Is Gorilla Trekking Difficult?

The way to the mountain gorillas is sometimes strenuous because it is in a Volcanic area with ragged mountains that you may need to hike. If you can still carry on with gorilla trekking and have no muscle pulls or limb itch after gorilla trekking, you must have some fitness level. You do not have to do vigorous exercises but stretch your muscles more than normal.

In case you are to use a sedan chair, kindly be respectful of the porters to encourage them to take you through the entire experience.

How Long is Gorilla Trekking Safari?

The time of locating the mountain gorillas is still being determined, as is the return time from gorilla trekking. The mobility of the mountain gorillas in the wilderness and the conditions prevailing in the forest determine how long you are to take to locate the mountain gorillas and their return time. Some tourists have emerged from gorilla trekking after 2 hours or more than three-quarters of the day.

Although they are bulky in size, mountain gorillas have to search for food that can support their sheer size through the day and night. This sometimes pushes the mountain gorillas to wander in the wild, prolonging the gorilla trekking.

It would be best if you had some patience to come out happy and successful from the gorilla trek.

Which Country Is Best For Gorilla Trekking For The Elders and Disabled of Uganda and Rwanda?

Uganda and Rwanda are some of the three only mountain gorilla habitats you can select for your gorilla trekking experience. Each gorilla trekking destination has outstanding traits that make it a great safari destination. The moment you are face to face with the mountain gorillas is exceptional because you feel a connection with the mountain gorillas. You may need to remember all you have gone through to locate the mountain gorillas.

Some of the differences in which country is excellent for gorilla trekking can be identified with

 The cost of gorilla permits

The Uganda gorilla permit costs $800 per person per trek, while the Rwanda gorilla permit costs $1500 per person per trek.

The number of gorilla trekking families

Uganda has about 19 gorilla families open for public booking, 152 mountain gorilla permits, and two gorilla habituation experience families open for the public to book. Rwanda has about 15 gorilla families, with 96 gorilla permits available for public booking.

The time is taken to drive from Airport to gorilla trekking destinations

The drive from Kigali International Airport is about 3 hours to Volcanoes National Park, while from Entebbe Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park is about 8 to 9 hours.

Optional activities to combine with gorilla trekking

Uganda has a variety of activities to connect with gorilla trekking, like chimpanzee trekking, white water rafting, visiting the source of the River Nile, game drives, and others. At the same time, Rwanda is limited to optional activities to combine with gorilla trekking. 

The steepness of the gorilla trekking area

Generally, Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park has steeper landforms than Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Although the entire Virunga area is volcanic, Volcanoes national park has five highlands as its backdrop, including Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Muhabura, Mountain Sabyinyo, Mountain Bisoke, and Mountain Karisimbi.

Contact us for more information.