Is there a minimum age or age limit on gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda?
Yes, currently mountain gorilla trekking is the most popular and exciting wildlife adventure in East Africa, and in the whole world mountain gorilla trekking is only possible in three countries of East Africa which are Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, each day that passes the number of tourist and travelers who wants to see mountain gorillas in its natural habitat has increased as the world get to know more about gorillas.
Due to the increase in the number of people who wants to trek mountain gorillas, gorilla permits may be extremely difficult to secure during certain months of the year (peak seasons most especially in the months of June, July, August, September, October, December, January, and February so as many people are planning to go for gorilla trekking in Africa often wonder if there is a minimum age or age limit for gorilla trekking because some people would wish to go as a family including their children.
The Minimum Age limit for gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo?
The official minimum age limit for gorilla trekking is 15 years and above, anyone below the age of 15 years will not be allowed to trek or see mountain gorillas in either of the three countries but if you book through us Kisoro Tours, we can arrange for you so that there can be exceptions in Uganda only, in Rwanda and Congo it may not be possible to have some exceptions as they strict with the age limit for gorilla trekking.
Who set the minimum age and why is the age limit at 15 years for gorilla trekking?
One of the reasons why there is the minimum age for gorilla trekking and set at 15 years, is because most children traveling at the age of 15 years are considered to be young and they may not be able to handle the terrain, altitude, and reactions during the hike up and down in the thick forests of Africa.
Fully habituated mountain gorillas are not aggressive, they are gentle and calm but if they feel threatened, sometimes they can misinterpret an action of a trekker which makes them feel unsafe where they can be aggressive and some children may not flow the instructions from the park/ranger guides to staying calm when gorillas come crosser to them instead children can start running or screaming which is not recommended because the best way to calm down a charging mountain gorilla is to act submissive so that the gorillas know that they are still the boss so in this cases, it’s not easy to control their emotions in such adventuress activity so this is one of the reasons there is a minimum age for gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo. the event that a gorilla charges.
It is much easier to control adults with gorilla trekking everyone has to follow the instructions from the park/ranger guide and all set rules that are set to flow during trekking which include keeping a distance of 7 meters between you and gorillas teasing or mocking the gorillas, how long does gorilla trekking take? Gorilla trekking can last between one hour to three-quarters of the day so completing gorilla trekking requires one to be determined because sometimes even the park rangers may not know how long it will take especially if you trekking a gorilla family that is far away from the starting point.
This means young children below 15 years may not complete the trekking due to lack of fitness and children-related issues, their thing is that most children below the age of 15 years usually have running noses (flu) which is not good ideal going for gorilla trekking because mountain gorillas can be very prone to human diseases most especially
Communicable diseases like cough and flu so after compressive research that’s how the minimum age or age limit for gorilla trekking came about.
Is there any other opportunity in which children under 15 years can be allowed to go mountain gorilla trekking in Africa?
Do not get disappointed because you cannot go gorilla tracking with your children you think and believe that they are strong enough to complete gorilla tracking but they are not 15 years which is the minimum age, do not be disappointed because there are some exceptions for children under 15 years to go for gorilla tracking just contact us, we will organize your dream trip of gorilla tracking with your children within Africa.
The gorilla tracking exception for children under 15 years is only possible in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park because we all know that there are many children who are much more physically fit than many adults, to enable us to organize this gorilla tracking tour for your child who is under 15 years of age we will ask parents to provide us with the child photo for to prove to the authorities during the process of acquiring gorilla permit for children who are under 15 years, the current photo and a copy of the child’s passport are to prove that the child is 13 or 14 and he/she is approaching 15 years and his/she is physically fit to complete trekking.
Another way of getting children below 15 years to be allowed to trek gorillas is when there are accompanied by parents, parents will require to sign a consent/indemnity form to protect the company in case of anything during trekking, if you get a chance and your child is allowed to trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest, they will be allocated a gorilla family that is not far from the starting point and also you can hire a porter to help out to carry your child belongings like camera, packed lunch and other that he needs during trekking.
Are there other activities that children who are too young for gorilla trekking can do while their parents are trekking?
Yes if your child is too young below 13 years and they cannot be allowed to participate in gorilla tracking, there are many other activities that children can do while the parents are doing gorilla tracking, children activities include guided nature walks which means that there is some chance that they can meet gorillas on a lucky day, community walk which takes them to local schools, churches, and homestays with your guide or with a lodge staff, and they don’t want to do anything they can stay at the lodge with your driver/guide or a lodge staff engaging them with different local and international games or watch children’s movies at the lodge with your driver/guide or with one of the staff at the lodge.
Conclusion on who is eligible and who is not eligible for mountain gorilla trekking?
in conclusion, all people who are 15 years and above can take part in mountain gorilla tracking because there is no limit or maximum age for gorilla trekking after 15 years if you are 100+ years you can still make it to the mountain gorillas because, for the old and disabled people who cannot walk for long distance, we can arrange porters to carry you to the gorillas and back.
You can reach us at info@kisorotoursuganda.com or call us at +256785790925 also on WhatsApp for free information or a free quote
