Age Limit For Tracking Mountain Gorillas
Age Limit For Tracking Mountain Gorillas
Age Limit for Tracking Mountain Gorillas : Mountain gorilla trekking is a much sought after tourism activity in Africa and can only be done in three African countries and these are in the Democratic republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. Mountain gorilla trekking is an activity that gives visitors a chance to come face to face with the mountain gorillas in the wild in their natural habitat. All the three countries have received big numbers of guests looking for this experience and this activity is offered in four national parks.
The mountain gorillas can be trekked in the Bwindi impenetrable forest and the Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda, the Volcanoes national park in Rwanda and the Virunga national park of the Democratic republic of Congo. The mountain gorilla trekking permits are available for booking any day throughout the year however there is an age limit for the individuals interested in taking on this activity.
Age limit for trekking mountain gorillas
If you are planning on visiting for a mountain gorilla trek and you are travelling as a family or a group with minors, you should note that only the individuals above the age of 15 years will be accepted to trek the mountain gorillas. Every individual booked for a mountain gorilla trek, they will be expected to present their passport copy at the briefing of the activity and this is where your age will be determined if you are qualified for the activity.
For destinations like the Volcanoes national park, for one to purchase a mountain gorilla permit, you will need to fill in the passport details and if you are below the accepted age, you will be denied a gorilla permit. If you are able to purchase a gorilla permit much knowing that you are below the accepted trekking age, you will still be denied access to the park and this is a very important detail to know.
The Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is the only park that gives a provision for guests below the age but capable of taking on the activity to sign an indemnity form from the authority governing the park. The Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, like the other national parks and reserves of Uganda are governed by the Uganda Wildlife authority and they are the ones to approve the application.
Why the age limit?
There is a set age limit because people below the age of 15 years are considered still children and may not be able to handle emergency situations like adults would. The mountain gorillas are calm and gentle animals but you should keep in mind that these are still wild animals. In any case that the mountain gorillas are agitated and they become aggressive in the presence of the trekkers, the children may not be able to handle or even listen to the instructions of the ranger guides which will make the activity not enjoyable for the other guests.
The ranger guides advice on maintaining a 7 meter distance between the mountain gorillas which the children may not be able to comprehend or even follow and also advise against feeding the gorillas or mock them which may be an enjoyable experience for children to see what will happen if they did.
This mountain gorilla trekking experience will require the trekkers to maintain minimal to no sound while making their way in the forest. Children tend to be a bit noisy and hard to control and this would definitely agitate the wild animals. The older trekkers are much more capable of following the briefing and maintaining the code of conduct expected in the forest.
The younger trekkers tend to react on their emotions by screaming or running away and this will provoke the gorilla to attack or run after the children which will be a terrible experience. The adult trekkers can set their minds to the activity but the children may not be mentally prepared for the experience but just excited.
Trekking mountain gorillas is a physically demanding activity that will need an adult’s strength to complete the trek through the mountainous lands and the bushes. A child may get overpowered and want to return back to the trailhead or even be carried the rest of the way disorganizing the activity. They will need to be determined enough to complete the activity with the rest of the trekkers.
Children are the most affected by the communicable infections like cough and influenza and the mountain gorillas are prone to such infections so it would be a risk as it can be a deadly one to the gorillas unlike the human bodies that can fight them off.
Allowance
They can only be accepted to trek the mountain gorillas while under age in Uganda if they will be making 15 years the year of the gorilla trekking, if the children will be under full supervision by the parents and after signing the indemnity form in any case of an unforeseen event while in the forest.
Parents would have to send a photo of the child and declare the physically capability of the child along with a passport photo and there after sign an indemnity form. Also once the kids are accepted to trek, the parents should hire porters to carry the children in case they are fatigued.
Just like the mountain gorilla trekking experience, the gorilla habituation experience in the Bwindi forest as well as the researchers interested in studying in the Bwindi forest will be expected to be 15 years of age and above.
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Age Limit For Tracking Mountain Gorillas: Gorilla trekking is such a memorable experiences that everyone out to experience. But everything should be done at the right time and in the right place. People keep wondering the age limit for gorilla tracking and why there is an age limit. Here is why?
The Gorillas are emotional and usually fear and are scared by things like the flash light. They also charge depending on what they feel; sometimes they are overwhelmed and feel challenged so they want to fight back in self-defense.
The forest is thick and has a lot of trails within and so it may be difficult for a child below 15 to cope with the map and may suddenly go off trails as they too playful.
Lastly, kids are naturally playful and might slow the pace of the person responsible for them which indirectly affects the rangers and the group at large despite the limitations on the amount of time you are supposed to spend in the forests. A kid who is at least 15 years of age will easily follow instructions and be less playful whilst on the trek.
