Is Gorilla Trekking Difficult? Gorilla trekking in Africa will lead several travelers to several different gorilla species in different countries. That will give you the most rewarding safari experience. Among the different species that you can see include the mountain gorillas. You see them when you participate in gorilla trekking in Rwanda. You can also do gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Gorilla trekking is also in Virunga National Park and the eastern lowland gorillas are in Kahuzi Biega National Park, both in DR Congo.
One of the frequently asked questions about gorilla trekking in Africa is whether the activity is quite difficult. Important to note about the activity is the fact that the activity involves travelers hiking the Virunga mountains. And, they hike through several impenetrable forests to get to the habituated gorilla families or species that are undergoing the habituation process. The activity takes between 3-8 hours to hike to and track the species. This may make it quite difficult. However, once you make the right preparations for gorilla trekking, difficulty ceases to exist.
How to prepare for gorilla trekking
Perfect shoes
With the perfect hiking shoes, you will have the most rewarding safari experience. They will help you hike through the different vegetation covers for a rewarding safari experience in Africa. You should note that some of the Virunga mountains tend to get slippery when it rains in the parks. Some of them are relatively steep which makes them difficult to hike. However, with the perfect hiking boots, the whole activity can be made easy.
Insect repellent
The location of the gorillas is not the only reason why the activity may be difficult. There are different encounters you can come across. For instance, several bugs like mosquitoes, tsetse flies, and many others can irritate with the bites. Hence, they can make their gorilla trekking experience in the wild quite difficult and irritating. However, the insect repellent will ensure you avoid such insect bites.
A guide
A guide will also ensure you have a pleasant time in the wild for a memorable safari experience in the different destinations in the park. The guide will give you directions in the park since he’s more knowledgeable about the routes in the park. This helps you to avoid getting lost and also helps you get to the habituated gorilla families while hiking along the safe trails in the park that will ensure you access them without any difficulty.
Preparing Physically
Since the activity is quite challenging in the wild, you should note that the activity takes about 6 hours. This can cause leg cramps for travelers who are not well experienced with hiking in the wild. Therefore, you should consider exercising and taking long walks a week before your safari. This will ensure that you have the most rewarding safari experience as you enjoy the safari experience without facing any difficulties while you hike through the different vegetation covers in the different national parks in Africa.
Contact us to book a mountain gorilla trekking safari in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks. Also, you can participate in gorilla habituation in Uganda, a more satisfying experience where you spend 4 hours in the presence of semi-habituated mountain gorillas. This will allow you to watch how the species are trained to get accustomed to human presence. You will also watch the mountain gorillas by participating in gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park and also get to watch the eastern lowland gorillas in the wild by participating in gorilla trekking in gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park.
