Coming face-to-face with rare and magnificent mountain gorillas is surely one of the most exceptional, magnificent, a soul-stirring, heart-pounding and forever indelible experience that will last with you, for a lifetime, however, to get to the gorillas, so that you can experience this moment, you will need to be in a good physical shape, as gorilla trekking is an active demanding.
Whether your trekking gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda or DR Congo, where the gorilla trekking is done, you will still require the same fitness level.
Once the gorilla permit is booked, which needs to be booked in advance, the pre- gorilla trekking home fitness preparations, commences.
The fact that gorilla trekking is a physically demanding activity, one requires at least an average level of physical fitness to be able to accomplish the gorilla trekking adventure easily. The more prepared you are, the more fun you’ll have on the trek to see the mountain gorillas.
Pre Trek Training Tips.
Even though some gorilla treks are moderately easy, physical preparations are highly recommended. Generally, this depends on the region and eventually the gorilla family you will be allocated to trek on the day of trekking. Some regions and gorilla families are easier to trek than others. But the ultimate physical capabilities of the trekkers is all that matters.
Gorilla trekking experience 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, however, we do advise you to take home fitness tutorial trainings, for your preparation on your coming gorilla trekking adventure.
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.
A simple physical exercise at home, a few months to trek, will create a huge difference, and make it very easy for you, what many consider to be a strenuous experience.
To prepare for the trek, it helps to familiarize yourself with the landscape and altitude that you’ll encounter. Be aware that the rainforest terrain can be muddy and steep, and the hike may take from 1 to 3 hours before the group reaches a gorilla family. In addition to hiking to reach the gorillas, guests also spend 01-hour with them, or 04 hours if they opt for the Gorilla Habituation Experience. Essentially a group of trekkers will follow the gorilla family wherever they are inclined to go. This 01-hour or full day Gorilla habituation experience may include hiking through the untamed greenery since the gorillas obviously don’t use trails. After the 1-hour or 04-hour viewing has ended, the walk back begins. Guests may also choose to join considerably longer hikes depending on the Gorilla trekking fitness levels. Being overly physically prepared is far better than being under-prepared.
No matter what your physical fitness goals are, being prepared for a gorilla trekking safari will help you enjoy the experience even more. Though the hike can be strenuous, travelers report that the overall experience is easy to tackle. Ultimately, endurance training will help trekkers attain good gorilla trekking fitness.
Here below are some preoperational fitness recommendations.
Practice walking.
Take short or long walks, every day in your life, whether in the morning or in the afternoon. This will keep you in good walking shape, for your gorilla trekking. Try out both low and high altitude walks, and on a free day, try out a long hour walk. Dedicate a few hours of your free time, to training, and increase the distance every time you go out for a walk. Keep fit, keep in good shape.
Practice long hike.
If you’re lucky and staying near a mountainous or hilly area, take a hike uphill and later down the valleys, to check on your fitness level. This will help to make your body get used to hiking higher altitudes. Dedicate a few hours of your free time to training, and increase the distance every time you go out to hike.
Stretching
After every walk or hiking or training, please do some stretches, to keep your joints active and limit chances of heart attack, muscle pulls and enhance your body flexibility.
Do Gym.
In case you’re in a place where you do not have space for walking or hiking, or you’re lucky you have a gym at home, please try out some exercise.
In conclusion, understand that mountain gorillas do live in mountainous areas, with tough terrains, and rugged. The trekking may turn out to be tedious and straining to achieve, but above all, being average physically fit, puts you in a better position to enjoy and achieve the trek at ease. Porters are available at the park headquarters at a small fee of 15 – 20 $.
You would like to know more about the porters, read our blog about the trekking porters.
Let’s get fit, and conquer the gorilla trekking at ease.
To book your gorilla trekking safari, speak with our consultants at One More Adventure Safaris, and have your gorilla trekking safari arranged for you.
Once you start a trip planned by One More Adventure Safaris, you fall into the One More Adventure rhythm. No request is too small, neither complicated, we curate the entire trip with you, from start until when you meet your interest and budget at hand. Our rapport with the local guides and continuous assessment of your interests and needs demonstrated the diamond standard of all safari specialists. We are also available outside working hours when a couple of things needs to get done.