How to prepare for a mountain gorilla trekking : Mountain gorilla trekking is a chance to get within 6 meters of the wild yet habituated gorilla sub species. The mountain gorilla is a sub species of the Eastern gorilla a species under the gorilla genus. The other gorilla sub species are the cross-river gorilla and the western lowland gorilla, sub species of western gorillas. The other sub species of the Eastern gorilla is the eastern lowland gorillas.
The eastern lowland gorillas are commonly visited in the Kahuzi Biega national park of the Democratic republic of Congo while the mountain gorillas are found in four national parks which are the Volcanoes national park of Rwanda, the Virunga national park of the Democratic republic of Congo and the Mgahinga gorilla national park and the Bwindi impenetrable forest national park of Uganda.
Mountain gorilla trekking can be strenuous but yet adventurous and this should motivate you to book a Rwanda safari for a chance to be a part of this. To enjoy your mountain gorilla trekking, you will need to be physically prepared and mentally as well as you will need to be in the best mental space to complete this adventure full of twists and turns. You will need to motivate yourself at many points while on the search.
The duration of mountain gorilla trekking is estimated and being an hour and can go up to 8 hours and there will be a few factors that determine how long you will spend in the forest. This activity deals with nature and nature can be as unpredictable as can be. The time taken on the activity depends on the gorilla home chosen, the topography of the gorilla home visited, the gorilla family chosen and another factor on a personal basis will be the physical fitness of the trekker.
The gorilla trekking is eased by trackers who set out into the forest much earlier than the guests and spot the areas in which they should look but sometimes these animals move away but close to the spotted area. Here are a few highlights on how you can prepare for your gorilla trekking experience to make the most of your time with the gorillas.
Rest;
By resting, we mean relax mentally, get rid of any mental stress or expectations or even fears of the mountain gorillas. You may be nervous as you will be in a foreign country but with the guidance of your tour operator and driver guide, you are sure of enjoying yourself. The added advantage of booking your safari with a tour operator is to be able to relax on your trip and just enjoy with less worry, How to prepare for a mountain gorilla trekking.
Focus;
Focus on enjoying yourself and achieving the ultimate goal of this visit. Most guests can with an anticipation of visiting a certain gorilla family and also capture great moments. Wake up in time to prepare for this day so that you are not late and begin to panic.
You maybe excited to try out new dishes or get to interact with the local people and decide to have a night out or evening out and this is not advised as you may get exhausted and fail to make it for the activity early morning. This is an early morning and full day safari so you will need to get your ample rest. This is also why guests are encouraged to spend a night close to the park.
Get physically ready;
You may not need to be a body builder or routine work out person but once you are booked for a gorilla safari, you will need to make your body get used to the activeness to reduce chances of muscles sores and the kind.
Do some physical exercises like short walks or jogging, walking up and down the stairs, simple plunges and the basic physical stretches. Even if you have not done any of this but you are sure you are physically able, you will take on your safari and enjoy. There are options for these interested in the activity but cannot walk extensive hours. They are either allocated a closer gorilla family once they make their weakness declared or if you may need, there are porters that can carry you on a stretcher as the cars cannot drive through the parks.
Preparing physically reduces the fatigue after mountain gorilla trekking and also expect to climb high altitudes to reach these mountain gorillas.
Pack right;
Packing right will limit or help the guests stay within their budget and also not panic to make last minute purchases when already on ground. Gorilla trekking is done in a natural rain forest so you will need to pack forest walk like gear and these include great trekking shoes preferably ones you have used before, waterproof clothing, insect repellants, long trousers and long sleeved shirts to protect your skin from rubbing against the bushes.
Being a rain forest, rain showers are expected any time so ensure to wear waterproof clothes and a waterproof backpack incase of a shower. A sweater would come in handy too. Do not forget your camera and batteries behind.
With these major highlights, you are assured of enjoying your gorilla safari. Get in touch and let us discuss further on how best to prepare for a mountain gorilla trekking.
