Gorilla trekking is one of the most common tourist’s activities in Africa attracting travellers from all over the world. Gorilla trekking involves hiking for several minutes or even hours depending on the location of the gorilla family.
Trekking mountain gorillas can sometimes become hard in case of bad weather making the trekking trails muddy and slippery,
Gorilla trekking can also be done by pregnant women but this involves a lot of planning to be made prior to arrival in the country because there are a lot of risks involved in pregnancy. Below are some things to consider if you are going to trek mountain gorillas while pregnant.
Pregnant women intending to trek mountain gorillas should inform the tour operators they tend to use in advance in order for them to prepare and also inform the park wardens so that they can allocate you to the nearest mountain gorilla family.
Luxury safari
While planning to trek mountain gorillas while pregnant, never go for budget gorilla trekking but rather luxurious gorilla tour. This involves using a standard chartered flight from Entebbe international airport to Kisoro or Kihihi airstrips depending on the sector where you obtained the gorilla permit from.
The flight to Bwindi only takes 2 hours compared to the driving distance that takes about 9 to 10 hours. After arriving at the airstrip, you must book a land cruiser with hydraulics as they are much more comfortable on the bumpy roads at the countryside.
Clients who can’t afford flights can opt to use road transport from Kigali to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park or Mgahinga gorilla national, the distance is about 4 to 5 hours compared to driving from Kampala.
Gorilla sectors
Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is composed of four sectors and some of these sectors are easy to trek mountain gorillas from while others are hard. Your tour operator should book permits in Buhoma sector which is the easiest to trek from and Nkuringo should be the last option.
Its recommended that you remind the park warden of your condition during gorilla allocation process that happens in the morning of briefing prior to trekking mountain gorillas. During allocation process a lot of factors are considered including age, physical abilities, health conditions and pregnancy.
Sedan seat stretcher
Gorilla trekking can be good physical exercise but too much hiking can be dangerous for pregnant women, sedan seat stretchers are provided for old people, people with disabilities and pregnant women alike. You will be carried all the way to mountain gorillas and back to the starting point. Though the cost is quite expensive it’s the best option for pregnant women trekking mountain gorillas and this should be booked in advance especially during the peak season.
Visit during dry months
The dry season in Uganda starts from June to August and December to February and this is the best time to trek mountain gorillas as the roads leading to gorilla national parks are in good condition and the trekking trails are not muddy and slippery.
Accommodation
It’s also advisable to consider the type of accommodation you will sleep in during your gorilla trekking safari and if you communicate your condition to the lodge then they can organize for you a comfortable bed to sleep in and give you an option of selecting a meal you crave for.
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