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What to wear for Gorilla Trekking??? Firstly can I just say it was amazing! It was a huge bucket list item and I can’t believe we actually did it. I also feel very lucky that we booked it when we did as they have literally just on the 6th May increased the cost from $750 each to $1500 each. You can find out more about the reasons why in the linked post. It does make sense but will put it completely out of reach to many people.
I read quite a lot of tips on what to wear when planing a Rwanda Gorilla Tour in Volcanoes National Park so I thought I’d summarise what we packed in case you find this useful!
- Use a small backpack as it is useful to carry your water, packed lunch, camera and binoculars. I’ll used the Dublin Backpack from Helly Hansen big enough, but light with useful pockets.
- Hiking boots/strong waterproof walking boots. The ground is uneven so shoes with good ankle support.
- Light jumper and light rain poncho as the temperature is variable and weather conditions can change
- Long wool socks designed for a mountain tropical forest
- Long-sleeved shirts and trousers, even if very hot. This is to protect against bugs/ants and stinging nettles (there are loads of HUGE nettles). I wore a long sleeved shirt from Regatta and a pair of hardwearing navy trousers also from Regatta.
- Sweater/Fleece for cool evenings and chilly mornings due to nature and altitude of the place. I took a zip up fleece and glad I did as the day we trekked it was actually pretty warm.
- Hat for sun protection and Sunglasses ideally with a neck strap (I didn’t wear mine)
- Sun cream
- Camera, Go Pro, Video equipment, anything to capture the magic.
- Insect repellant.
- Gardening gloves to protect hands from nettles and insects. (Essential)
- Binoculars.
- Snacks – It can take from 30 minutes to eight hours to find the gorillas.
- Water – Lots of it.
- Hire a Porter – Give back to the local economy!
and if you want to watch our video of our Gorilla Trek do take a look here and see how close we got!
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omg that made my heart stop for a few seconds, I have a shiver on my spine as i speak, what an incredible honour and privilege for him to come so near to your, I would have fainted in fear but wow that is incredible. I sort of get the prices going up, halve the people on the trip and maintain the money to cover the costs of the rangers, but so much better for the animals its their home not a zoo and should remain so, for a once in a lifetime experience it is worth anyone saving for, and if you save for it then you would respect the animals and the experience x
thanks for such a lovely comment
What a fantastic experience! I’ve been tracking too and I also found a hat with a visor so so so useful (not just gorilla tracking but generally rainforest walks) as it ensured water didn’t get in my eyes. I used wellington boots which arent comfortable but worked well in the wet forest.
Gardening gloves sound like a great idea!
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