Gorilla trekking difficulty – what is gorilla trekking difficulty?It is difficult to tell how difficult or how easy gorilla trekking can be in a given country or national park since the trek can be easy or difficult depending on different factors like location of gorilla families weather distance, nature of the individual among other factors. Therefore to enjoy the trek without destruction entails you to make better preparations before so that you enjoy the expedition.
Mountain gorillas occupy the thick forests of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda, volcanoes national park in Rwanda and Virunga ranges in DR Congo. All these parks have montane vegetation with thick forest cover at high elevation of an altitude of 2200 to 3000 meters above sea level. This therefore requires some level of fitness not to get tired before you reach to the gorilla family and can as well determine gorilla trekking difficulty.
The Afro-montane environment is as well accustomed to rains at any time which makes the grounds slippery and muddy making it hard to trek gorillas in the jungle thus choosing the best season is essential especially dry seasons of January, February, June to September and December which experience little or no rains. So gorilla trekkers are recommended to wear tough waterproof hiking boots with robust treads, should have firm ankle support and have a walking stick for easy movement in this terrain.
Tracking mountain gorillas is exhausting and associated with various challenges and more so tracking some gorilla groups is more challenging though adventurous than others. Clients can feel free to specify what conditions they can be comfortable with depending on their age, health conditions. Level of vigor where by those that can’t hike in areas of higher altitude or farther distances can be attached to a group in nearer places involving less strength during trekking.
The time spent trekking to see mountain gorillas vary from time to time. Hiking can be as short as 30minutes to several hours or even a full day depending on the location of mountain gorillas and the speed of their movements. Gorilla families in the jungle split in areas of high and low altitudes. This tells that some gorilla families are easy to find and as well determine gorilla trekking difficulty conditions.
There has also been gorilla trekking difficulty in relation with age required for gorilla trekking whereby children below the age of 15 years and elderly with 90 years are not allowed to trek in the jungle since they may face difficulties along.
Gorilla tracking permits are on high demand in high seasons in both Uganda and Rwanda which means that you have to book and make reservations four months before due dates to your planed trekking day. This therefore requires a lot of planning in order not to miss out on your travel dates.