Minimum age for gorilla trekking
Minimum age for gorilla trekking : Minimum age for gorilla trekking safari in Uganda, Rwanda or D.R. Congo; Gorilla trekking is an unforgettable safari experience that allows visitors to stay in the presence of habituated gorillas for one hour as you watch them do daily chores for one hour. In order to participate in gorilla trekking safaris, one must travel to East Africa, mainly to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda, which are home to habituated mountain gorillas that are open for trekking.
In Uganda, mountain gorillas can be trekked from two national parks; Bwindi impenetrable national Park and Mgahinga gorilla national Park. Half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas are found in these two national parks.
Gorillas can only be trekked in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, but these incredible primates can be found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park. However, lowland gorillas are only found in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, which is located outside of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It is a truly amazing and fulfilling experience that no one in the world would want to miss gorilla trekking.
The age limit for trekking, which is 15 years old and up, was determined by the governments of these three nations working with park management boards. For the following reasons, anyone under the age of 15 is considered a young person and should not go on a gorilla trekking expedition:
Gorillas and humans share 98% of the same DNA, making it likely that they could contract illnesses like the flu and cough.
Travellers under the age of fifteen are prohibited from trekking for another reason: if they are unable to deal with any aggressive behavior that gorillas may exhibit, they may think of fleeing or screaming for assistance rather than lowering themselves, which may cause the gorillas to retreat to their hiding places.
These young travelers are not mature enough to undertake such an experience because it will exhaust them due to the long walks required to locate the gorillas. Instead, they would prefer a quick and engaging activity that will keep their minds occupied. It also gets very hard to control them because they might keep coming near the gorillas, and you have to stand at least 10 metres in front of them.
Since it involves moving for long distances searching for gorillas, the young people may not afford to move for about 30 minutes to 6 hours trekking for gorillas and they are also not fit enough to hike up and down the mountains. This could make the experience go more slowly, or they might even ask you to return to the office before you get to the gorilla family you are supposed to trek with.
All of these may prevent young people from trekking with gorillas, limiting the number of individuals who can do so to only those who are mature and responsible enough to follow guidelines. However, those under the age of 15 who wish to participate in a gorilla trekking tour need not worry, as waivers are provided for those under the age of 15 who are physically capable of completing the trek.
Similar to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you will be permitted to go gorilla trekking if your parent certifies that you are old enough to participate, but only if you are 15 on the actual trekking day. There is no way that your underweight child can be discouraged from trekking, even if you are able to hire porters to carry them in sedan chairs or stretchers.
Beyond the gorilla tour experience, children under the age of fifteen can engage in a variety of other activities, such as nature walks, community tours, and much more.
