Can elderly travelers trek gorillas? Are there gorilla safaris for the disabled? Yes, Senior/Elderly and disabled travelers can also trek gorillas without any difficulties. With Superfine Safaris Limited, gorilla trekking is very possible for the elderly/seniors and senior travelers. If you are senior looking for a perfect gorilla trekking safari, you need not to worry. We offer exceptional gorilla trekking for the elders to Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo with ease. Gorilla Trekking remains the best wildlife experience in Africa, a must-do adventure for most if not all travelers on African Safaris.
Whereas trekking to see mountain gorillas has been ranked as a challenging venture, Superfine Safaris offers you the very best gorilla tours despite your elderly age. Superfine Safaris Limited guides you on the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking in Bwindi forest and the Virunga Conservation Area ensuring safety of both travelers and the endangered primates.
Who are the senior travelers?
Seniors trekking gorillas
We consider all travelers aged 60 years and above as elders/seniors. In most cases, travelers in this category are less physically fit and cannot hike for long hours and to areas of high altitudes. Superfine Safaris Limited arranges special gorilla trips for elderly travelers to ensure our senior clients enjoy gorilla trekking with no difficulty.
Firstly, we allocate you a senior travel guide with whom you share many things in common. We have a team of senior driver guides who have been in this industry for more than 30 years, with vast experience and knowledge of handling senior travelers. More so, we give you a very comfortable raised safari vehicle with which you will not feel the potholes and bumpy roads of Africa.
Travel tips for elderly travelers
Senior travelers are advised to be free and truthful to their travel agents to ensure proper planning and avoid any disappointments. Be true about your actual years! Senior travelers are encouraged to open up about their actual age so as to get a special treat as of their age. Also, disclose your hiking abilities to your driver-guide.
Travelers are also encouraged to open up about their physical abilities and hiking skills to their driver guides before the actual trek. driver-guide will go ahead to book for you a suitable gorilla family that suite your hiking abilities. In most cases, elderly travelers are given easy to trek gorilla families saving them long hours of hiking to find some gorilla families.
Hire a porter/ walking stick
Porters are very helpful for senior/elderly gorilla trekkers. Whereas hiring a porter is optional, its a must for senior travelers. Porters help to carry bags and also give a supporting hand for clients through muddy and slippery forest grounds. Also, hiring a porter is an indirect support for local people who earn a living from pottering to improve their standards of living. More still, do not leave a walking stick behind. This eases your hiking through the jungle forests making the whole experience memorable.
Hire sedan chairs
Senior travelers aged beyond 70 years are advised to hire sedan chairs to avoid difficulties during gorilla trekking. There a traveler is carried by a team of 4 local porters to and from the jungle. Hiring a sedan chair costs $400 inclusive of all services to be carried to, throughout and from gorilla trekking. Sedan chairs saves you altitudinal sickness which is common to elderly travelers.
Do physical exercises
A senior exercising for gorilla trekking
More so, elderly travelers are encouraged to do physical exercises as a preparation to trek gorillas. The recommended physicals include walking, jogging, and hiking among others to keep them in good shape. The trek to see gorillas is not a walk away venture but rather a strenuous adventure that entails walking and hiking. Doing physical exercises, therefore, prepares elderly travelers for the actual trek minimizing the challenges that can come up.
Cost of gorilla trekking Tour
There is no actual cost of gorilla trekking tour but prices rather vary from company to company, gorilla trekking destination and other activities inclusive in the itinerary. However, you are ought to know the prices of gorilla permits in Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo before deciding where to go for gorilla trekking. Rwanda currently sells the most expensive gorilla permits at $1500 each since May 2017.
In Uganda, a single gorilla permit costs $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents and UGX 300, 000 for east African citizens. The Democratic Republic of Congo sells the cheapest gorilla permit at $450 hence the best gorilla safari destination for budget travelers. Travelers are encouraged to book and reserve gorilla permits at least 6 months in advance to deal with the high demand for gorilla tour permits in Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo. Superfine Safaris helps you book and reserve permits
Best time to trek gorillas for the seniors
Whereas gorilla trekking can be done throughout the year, peak/ dry season between the months of June, July, August, September and December to February is the recommended time for senior travelers. During this time, rainfall is minimal which makes treks to see gorillas less challenging. Also, gorilla photography is best done in the peak season, which gives good memories. However, if you are traveling on a budget, them wet season is the best time for you. During this time, service providers especially lodge and hotels give discounted services, which help to cut the costs making it affordable for budget travelers.
Gorilla trekking packing list for senior travelers
Senior travelers are reminded to carry essentials if their gorilla encounter is to be successful and enjoyable. Among the things to carry for gorilla trekking include hiking boots/shoes, gardening gloves, rain jackets, sweaters, Ponchos, hats, sunglasses, energy-giving snacks, neck scarfs, insect repellants and bottled drink water among others. Any traveler with the appropriate packing list is assured of a memorable gorilla tour experience in Bwindi Forest, Mgahinga, Volcanoes and Virunga gorilla parks.
Seniors travelers can also trek gorillas with no difficulty at Superfine Safaris Limited. If you are a senior traveler, just contact us and we shall arrange the best gorilla safari for you to Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo at affordable rates with no difficulty.
