Gorilla Trekking for Senior Citizens, Disabled, and Elderly.

Gorilla trekking is Uganda’s must-do exciting experience. The adventurous activity takes place within the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, angelically placed in the southwestern part; it is home to half the world’s remaining population of Mountain gorillas, offering travelers the chance to meet the majestic creatures within their natural habitat. Bwindi is bisected into 4 sectors: Nkuringo Sector, Buhoma Sector, Ruhija Sector, and the Rushaga Sector, each of which hosts gorilla families living in groups of up to 20 members led by a male silverback. Gorilla trekking for senior citizens, the disabled, and the elderly is tricky for the start but completely doable.

Tracking Mountain gorillas does not segregate who does it, any age can do it,except those below the age of 15 years, who are strictly not allowed to participate. Doing the activity requires some level of fitness to be able to hike up and down of the rugged nature of the ecosystem, gorilla trekking is a very strenuous thing to do taking approximately 2-8 hours or sometimes the whole day starting at 7:090am with a briefing from the park rangers on how to conduct your self during the process, upon finding the gorillas an hour is allowed to view and watch the primates after which you return to respective guides with a gorilla certificate at the end of the day.

Gorilla trekking for senior citizens, disabled and elderly has been made possible in Bwindi, for those that are still able to walk it is recommendable to book gorilla permits in the areas where the Terrian is not very tough, these include the Buhoma Sector and Rushaga sector, it may not be as easy, but can be managed compared to other sectors, tracking gorillas is done on groups of 8 pax per gorilla family led by an experienced Uganda Wildlife game ranger, incases where the elderly or disabled has difficulties to walk we highly advise for the guests to hire a Sedan chair also known as the “African helicopter” it assists the guests to reach the gorillas with so much ease, this chair is can be arranged at about $300 per person. The porters handle the movement of the chair.

Porters are a big aid in the gorilla trekking for the senior citizens, elderly, and the disabled; they help to carry heavy equipment and backpacks for the guests to reduce the weight during the tracking. They can be hired pre-gorilla trekking experience or on the same day when going to do the activity. Porters are sourced from the locals, and this highly helps offer employment to the people of the community.

Mountain gorilla tracking is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA); it requires a gorilla trekking fee to be paid, a ticket that allows you to participate in the gorilla trekking experience. This year the permit is priced at $800 per person for foreign non-residents and $700 for foreign residents and 300,000 shillings for Ugandan citizens. It is advisable to buy permits before the date of tracking due to availability.

What to pack for gorilla trekking includes long-sleeved shirts and trousers, waterproof hiking shoes, waterproof covers for phones and cameras, ponchos, water bottles, gaiters, T-shirts, garden gloves, hats, insect repellent, sunscreen, backpacks, extra batteries for cameras, hand sanitizer, to mention a few, and any other important items of personal nature.

In conclusion, senior citizens, the elderly, and the disabled are perfectly able to do a gorilla trekking experience; it takes a lot of planning as well as patience from both parties, but understandably the best thing to do while on an atypical Ugandan safari.