Gorilla Trekking for Physically Challenged Persons is one of the best life time experiences, you can reward your loved ones. We do believe that everyone has a dream, and we do have to offer equal rights, love and care towards them.
Gorilla trekking experience, is the most thoughtful African safari adventure for most tourists, who dream to travel to Africa, for their holiday safaris, and this should not be limited to the physically challenged and impaired guests.
You may be having such a question in mind, can a handicapped or disabled do gorilla trekking? This is an important question I want to address in this article. The answer is YES! The handicapped, disabled, elderly or any physically impaired and challenged person has a chance of tracking the gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda.
Gorilla trekking may be taken as an off beaten track kind of activity, which requires one to be in good physical shape to undertake it, however, we do as well guarantee gorilla trekking for everyone, whether handicapped, elderly or physically impaired and challenged person.
There are two ways to go through the gorilla trekking
The first is hiring a Porter. The park porter provides physical support and walk companion to those with less mobility ability. This means we shall request for a close group, and the porter (s) will provide physical walking support.
We do advise our elderly clients to always take a porter (s) with them, for just in case they need support, the porters will be of great assistance.
We have had clients as old as 80 years trekking the gorillas successfully, some without even the assistance of a porter. The porters are the locals from the neighboring community, who are selected by the park officials, to provide the service to tourists who would wish to be helped to go along with their trek.
The second option is by the use of a stretcher seater.
Here, there are two forms of stretchers used. In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, the Sedan seat stretcher is used, commonly called the “helicopter” whereby the clients are lifted on fixed seat stretchers.
At Volcanoes National Park, in Rwanda, the Royal Seat stretcher is used to carry the physically challenged guests to the gorilla trekking point. The royal stretcher idea was borrowed, from back in the days, where the African kings and colonists were transported on the royal stretchers.
Both stretchers are carried by porters, who are members of the community, and the stretchers cost 400$. You will be accompanied by 4 porters who are handed the money after the trek.
You will be carried from the trekking starting point, to the gorilla family, and later back to the trekking starting point.
Requesting a porter (s) does not mean you disabled or physically impaired or challenged, but the trekking requires more physicality, and some clients are not fit enough for the long trekking that the trek may demand.
At One More Adventure Safaris, we do encourage our clients to often take porters, maybe to help them to carry their back bag, which do have their equipment such as cameras, binoculars to mention but a few.
Some clients might have done operations/ surgery, therefore we do recommend you to take a gorilla trekking porter with you. The porters cost 20$ and this is also a great way to support the local community, the best way they directly benefit from the impact of tourism in their community.
However, to conquer the gorilla trekking at ease, you will need to be in a good body shape. Physical fitness is highly recommended. You will need pre-gorilla trekking home fitness training prior to your travel, and as well as good gorilla trekking boots, with shoe gaiters and good socks, to make your gorilla trekking very comfortable.
Contact us, and we arrange for you the gorilla trekking experience to your beloved ones, who are physically challenged, elderly, or impaired. We shall take good care of their needs, and make sure they come face to face with the gorillas in the wilderness. Their happiness will just turn into stories that they will share for a lifetime. Do not leave grandee at home, at One More Adventure Safaris, creating memories, as we keep you exploring, is all we do for a living. Speak tour our consultants, and have it done. Let’s create a difference, as we impact to other people’s lives positively together!
