Gorilla trekking for the elderly and people with disabilities in Mgahinga

Gorilla trekking for the elderly and people with disabilities in Mgahinga national park: Mountain gorilla trekking is a dream come true for most people in the world. Mountain gorillas are very interesting creatures that share 98% DNA with human beings and encountering them in their natural habitats is considered to be one of the great wildlife experiences around the world. Mountain gorillas are endangered species of primates and tourists can only see them in four national parks in the whole world.

Mountain gorillas can be seen in Mgahinga national park, Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, Volcanoes national park, and Virunga national park. The gorilla trekking activity is done by all kinds of travelers above the age of 15 years as long as they have a gorilla permit. The gorilla permit is a card from Uganda Wildlife Authority allowing tourists to encounter a mountain gorilla family.

Gorilla trekking is one of the most lived tourism activities in the world but it’s can be a very challenging activity sometimes as it requires enough fitness. A tourist needs to be fit enough to complete the gorilla trekking which takes one into the jungle for 2 to 7 hours. Trekkers move up and down the hills looking for where the mountain gorillas could be hence requiring one to be fit enough.

Even though fitness is one this required for one to carry out gorilla trekking, there are solutions for those that are not fit enough. Among the people not fit enough for mountain gorilla trekking include the elderly and those with disabilities. Sedan chairs have solved that fitness problem when it comes to such categories of people. Now the elderly and people with disabilities can trek mountain gorillas in Mgahinga using hired sedan chairs.

Gorilla trekking for the elderly and people with disabilities in Mgahinga

How is gorilla trekking for the elderly and people with disabilities organized?

After confirming a trip with your local tour operator and showing them, you have an elderly or disabled person in the group or you are old or disabled, a tour operator will be able to communicate with the park in the park to start arranging things on the ground. The people inside the park will arrange a sedan chair and porters who will carry it on the day of trekking.

On the day of trekking after the briefing, you will be driven up to the starting point of the trekking. When you get there, you will find the porters with a sedan chairs ready to carry you throughout the whole trek. The sedan chair has seat belts and chairs that make you comfortable throughout the whole trekking activity. The porters during the search for gorillas will move with you close to your group until you locate mountain gorillas.

When the mountain gorilla family you have been looking for is located, the porters will put you down and you will be able to watch them mountain gorillas so close to you. You will be given 1 hour to watch the members carry out daily activities, take photos, and learn a thing or two about their behaviors.

After seeing the mountain gorillas, the porters will again carry you to the starting point of the forest where a safari car will drive you back to Ntebeko Visitors Centre for your trekking certificate and later to your lodge. Will all being said, the elderly and disabled people shouldn’t miss going trekking when they get a chance.

What is the cost of gorilla trekking for elderly people and those that are disabled?

The gorilla trekking permit cost remains the same but tourists must add an additional extra fee of $400 to $500 for the sedan chair and the porters that carry it. There are porters who carry the sedan chair and there are those who carry the luggage. The gorilla trekking permit price costs $800 for foreign residents, $700 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 citizens of East Africa member states.

The elderly or those tourists with disabilities are advised to book their gorilla trekking permits or safari early enough let’s say 3 to 4 months or more. This is advised not only that gorilla permits in Mgahinga national park sell out quickly but also to make early arrangements for the sedan chairs.

Getting to Mgahinga national park.

Mgahinga national park is located in the southwestern part of the country in Kisoro district and getting there takes some 9 to 10 hours. For the elderly to avoid long distances, they are advised to book flights to the park if they can afford them. There are daily morning flights to southwestern Uganda and those that are visiting Mgahinga national park normally use Kisoro airstrip.

Bar Aviation Uganda and Aerolink Uganda have daily morning flights to Mgahinga national park. the flights are booked in advance and tourists do board from Entebbe international airport and Kajjansi airstrip. The flights last 1 hour and 25 minutes to land at Kisoro airstrip where a safari driver guide does pick you up and drives you to Mgahinga national park in a very short time.

Even though air transport is the advised mode of transport to Mgahinga national park, this shouldn’t stop the elderly or people with disabilities from visiting Mgahinga national park for gorilla trekking if they can’t afford the flights. There is road transport to Mgahinga national park and the roads are well constructed from Kampala to Masaka, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, and Kisoro to the park.

When should the elderly or people with disabilities trek mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park?

The elderly or people with disabilities can trek mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park at any time of the year however some periods are better than others. The dry season months from June to September and December to February are the best for a visit to Mgahinga if a traveler is old or disabled. There is a use of a sedan chair and the trekking trails are dry and easily passable compared to the rainy season when they are very slippery.

Where can the elder or disabled tourists stay in Mgahinga national park?

There are so many lodges in Mgahinga national park where the disabled or elderly can stay. The lodges are of budget, mid-range, and luxury options so it’s tourists who chose where to stay based on their travel budget. The lodges of Mgahinga include Mgahinga Gorilla Triangle Lodge, Musasa Mountain Triangle Lodge, Mountain Gahinga Rest Camp, Tiloreza Volcanoes Lodge, Mgahinga Safari Lodge, Mount Gahinga Lodge, and Mutanda Safari Lodge among others.