Gorilla Trekking Packing List; Packing List for Africa Safari Vacation
What do i need to include on a Packing list for gorilla trekking Safari in Uganda or Rwanda? After you have made payment for your gorilla trekking safari which includes gorilla permit, accommodation, and transport, now you are excited to start packing clothes and all gargets that you may need in the course of your safari. To be sure that you pack the right stuffs for a gorilla trek and other Africa Safari, check the list of essential items that you may need to include on your list than packing a lot which may turn to be a burden on your trip.
Generally, Gorilla tracking places such as Bwindi Impenetrable forest, Mgahinga national park in Uganda and Volcanoes National park in Rwanda are located at higher elevations, these places become so cold, rainy and humid. You need to dress appropriately while trekking gorillas to protect yourself from insect bites, coldness, thorns and slippery areas. Below are some of our recommendations for gorilla trekking packing list. You may need the same stuffs for any other Africa Safari, if you are to have a good experience.
- Hand gloves; As you trek, you might need to support yourself on trees or grass and these might have thorns so with hand gloves you protect your hands from getting hurt.
- Long Sleeved Shirts and long Trousers but light ones; The jungle has a lot of insects including ants, thorny bushes and it might get cold so these light long clothes protect you from the insect bites and thorns. They will still not be heavy after socking in water in case it rains.
- Sturdy hiking boots, no clear paths that gorillas move through. Therefore you will pass through unclear pathways that may be muddy, slippery when it rains, and hard to pass, so you may need these strong hiking boots to move through easily. We recommend the ones you have used before than new ones as the one you used before may be comfortable for your hike.
- Cotton Stockings; On your gorilla trekking packing list, remember to consider long socks. You will be asked to tuck your long trousers into the stockings to avoid ants entering your trousers which may cause so much discomfort. It might not look smart but it’s worth it.
- Rain Jacket/ Poncho; These tracking areas receive rain at any time because Bwindi is a tropical rain forest, so it’s better to carry a jacket to keep you from being so wet when it happens to rain.
- Food and water; On your gorilla tracking day, you will need to pack snacks/ food and enough drinking water that will push you for the whole day. Trekking can be short or long depending on where the gorillas are feeding from and the speed of the entire team that you join for a trek. Therefore it’s wise to go with your lunch pack and water at least minimum of 2 liters depending on how much you take in a full day.
- Fleece or Jamper: Its essential to carry warm clothes such as a sweeter or jamper. A wool jamper will keep you warm in the cold evenings and mornings.
- Hand Sanitizers & Face Masks; To ensure your are safe while traveling and trekking, it’s essential to carry and use your hand sanitizer and face masks. Given that corona virus pandemic has become the a huge challenge in the world, face masks will protect you and wild animals especially the primates which share DNA genes with humans from catching the virus.
- A hat, Sun cream and Sunglasses; During dry seasons it might get so hot and these items are so essential to protect you from the sun and help you have good views.
- Flash light; Some parts of Africa may not have reliable light both in the rooms and in gardens, so if you are travelling to Uganda and Rwanda, pack your flash light to help you incase electricity goes off.
- Insect Repellants: To avoid disturbance of fries and other insects, carry insect repellants to use while on walking tours.
- Good Quality Camera, memory cards and extra batteries; Gorilla trek is a life time experience that needs to be kept in memories and these can be captured by taking photos. A bad camera or no batteries may ruin your maximum utilization of one hour with gorillas. So have a good camera and be prepared to take as many pictures as you can. Remember no flash allowed when photographing Gorillas and chimpanzee.
- A pair of Binocular, The trip may take you through different forests and other national parks, so besides gorillas, you get to see different species of animals and birds on the trip, that requires you to use binocular. Animals or birds might be at a distance so to have a good view carry a pair of binocular.
- Walking stick Remember these parks have thick forests so to get through easily you need to carry a walking stick, so you can get one from the park to use for free or carry one with you.
- Carry a back pack/ Rack sack; You need to have the rack sack or back pack, whatever you may call it in your country. This is where all your items needed for gorilla trekking tour will be packed such as lunch pack, drinking water, poncho, jacket, camera batteries, insect repellant and many others. If you can have one that is water proof, it will be great.
- Hair Shampoo; You may not be able to find a right shampoo for your hair while traveling in Uganda or Rwanda, so pack your specific type of shampoo that you will use in course of your safari.
- Toothbrush tooth paste, lip balm and personal Vaseline; You may not get exactly what you use at home while traveling in Some Africa countries, so carrying one from home will be the best idea.
- First Aid Kit; Clinics and Pharmacies in Uganda or Rwanda may not have remedies for your problem, incase you get any problem in the course of the trip, therefore pack your first aid kit with medicine and remedies you may need like pain killers and those of Allergies and vitamins.
- Extra money for tips & paying Porters/ Support staff, Porters are people that are hired from the park to help you carry your back pack where packed lunch, drinking water will be packed. Besides that they push or pull you in hard to reach places during the hike, they can even carry you depending on your need. These come at an extra cost but it’s worth it because the hikes are usually tiresome. Porters will be hired at the start point of your trekking at minimum cost of USD: 15 per porter, Payable at the end of trekking. Driver, guides and gorilla trackers can be tipped too at the end of tracking, to show that you have enjoyed the experience. Remember tipping has no limit and is always appreciated.
- Money; Carry new notes of your currency/ USA dollars. Badly handled US Dollar notes, the old bills by both series and in appearance or torn are not accepted in most places to visit. Check the series, US dollars with series below 2009 are always rejected. We recommend you carry new notes which start from 2009 and above. Torn notes will be rejected too. When exchanging in forex, bigger notes (bills) are $100, $50, they carry higher or better exchange rate. Small bills (notes) are $1, $5, $10 and $20 these are given lower exchange rate in most forex bureau across the country in Uganda or Rwanda.
- Charging Wall plugs: Uganda uses a British/ English style of charging plugs, while Rwanda uses French type of charging plugs. We recommend you carry both if your trip takes you to both countries.
General preparation for Africa Safari,
Travel with these things; Emergency telephone numbers, Updated version of your itinerary if you booked to travel with the tour agency. Travel insurance, Medical documents plus your medical history forms if any, Travel Documents which include your Passport which is valid for up to 6 months and necessary visas. Remember to keep the documents in your hand baggage especially originals and keep photocopies in different bag. Travel directories for reference purpose such as maps and telephone contacts for a tour agency that you are traveling with. Maps are essential if you are traveling on your own without a tour agency. Finally enjoy your Africa Safari !
