Author: eatrails

Hiring and using porters for gorilla trekking – do you have to?

A common question about gorilla trekking is if it is really necessary for one to hire and use a porter? “Do I really need to take a porter for the trek? I am an active person and feel strong enough to make it without any help!”, says a guest booking a gorilla tour to Rwanda.

First and foremost, the porter’s primary role is to take the load off you by carrying your daypack and other items so that you can utilize all your energy for the trek which can be challenging, hard or difficult depending on your fitness level (how difficult is the gorilla trek).In addition to carrying your stuff he or she can provide physical support to you such as a push or pull when stuck or overwhelmed by a climb.

Porter provides tripod support for the guest to get the perfect shot

However you may be an active outdoors person who is hiking mountains regularly, and so you would find the gorilla trek is may be an easy to moderate hike…

Well there are other reasons one may want to take a porter than just proving support.

First of all, who needs to really take a porter for the gorilla?

The older people in 50, 60’s, 70s.. should not miss a porter

Any person irrespective of age but has not been active or has not properly prepared for any hiking should take a porter

Picked up any injury or strain in your legs during your preparation for the trek please take a porter

Do you love to support the local communities? Please take porters

Supporting the local communities by taking a porter

The porters are picked from the communities surrounding the gorilla parks. When you take one you are directly giving to the local communities which is a direct benefit from the tourism.

Supporting conservation by taking a porter

Porters are potential poachers and the income from got from being porters dissuades them from poaching. They actually become custodians of the gorilla habitats.

Therefore when you take porter you are contributing to conservation of the gorillas.

How much is a porter?

The porter for gorilla trekking in Rwanda is hired for 10$

The porter for gorilla trekking in Uganda is hired for 15$

How much should I tip the porter?

After the trek and seeing how much use the porter has been you can give extra fee in terms of a tip. You can tip as much as you want or you can afford. But $10 – $20 is a fair tip for the porter.

Uganda offers massive discount on gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permit prices for the covid time

Uganda has made cheaper the pricey gorilla trekking and chimpanzee tracking activities by introducing massive discounts on the two of Uganda’s most popular wildlife activities. The promotional gorilla tracking and chimpanzee tracking permit prices shall run for four months from December 2020 to JUNE 2021.

Uganda Gorilla trekking covid promotional prices are as follows:

Foreigners visiting Uganda -> gorilla trekking permit reduced from 700USD to 400USD

Foreign residents in Uganda & East Africa -> gorilla trekking permit reduced from 600USD to 300USD

Ugandans & other East African citizens -> gorilla trekking permit reduced from 250,000 Uganda shillings (70USD) to 150,000 Uganda shillings (41USD)

Uganda chimpanzee tracking covid promotional prices are as follows:

Foreigners visiting Uganda -> chimpanzee trekking permit reduced from 200USD to 150USD

Foreign residents in Uganda & East Africa -> chimpanzee tracking permit reduced from 150USD to 100USD

Ugandans & other East African citizens -> chimpanzee tracking permit reduced from 150,000 Uganda shillings (41USD) to 100,000 Uganda shillings (27USD)

With the tourism industry down due to the corona virus pandemic, the Uganda Wildlife Authority is aiming to make visiting and touring Uganda attractive with more affordable prices on flagship activities such as the gorilla trek. With several countries easing on covid 19 pandemic lock downs and allowing international travel, and recent confirmation of covid 19 vaccines which could be available before end of the year, this is perhaps the best time to visit Uganda and take advantage of cheap prices, absence of crowds and the nature being at its best as we come out of the wet season that leaves the environment lush and scenery spectacular. There has also been a 50% discount on access fees to several safari parks such as Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park to make a tour in Uganda very affordable.

Below is the official communication from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) regarding the promotional prices

 

Comparing the chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and Uganda – which country offers the best chimp tour

When it comes to safari destinations in Africa, Uganda and Rwanda are popular for their primate adventures and most visitors include one or both of the two countries in their African trips just for the primates. The two most popular primate adventures that attract tourists to this part of Africa are the gorilla trekking and the chimpanzee tracking. The gorilla trek is obviously the number one primate adventure which you can do in Uganda and Rwanda as the prime destinations. In this article I compared the gorilla trekking in Uganda versus Rwanda when deciding on the country for the gorilla tour. The chimpanzee trek is often an afterthought from the gorillas, which shouldn’t be the case because the chimps who are our closest relatives offer a different experience, which you could find is way more exciting than the gorillas!

In this article I compare the chimpanzee trekking in Uganda and the chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda to guide you in making a choice if you are wondering where to go for the chimps tour in Africa.

Pros: Why you should do your chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda

  1. Relatively cheap permit: The chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda costs $90 which is cheaper than the $200 charged when trekking in Kibale National Park Uganda’s prime chimp tour destination.
  2. Guaranteed sightings of chimps: The park will ensure you trek one of the only two habituated chimpanzee groups in Nyungwe National Park that is confirmed to be more accessible that day hence guaranteeing your sightings.
  3. Great hiking adventure because of the mountain landscape: Nyungwe forest National Park where the chimp trek is done is a mountain forest which offers an amazing hike for the active travelers and hiking enthusiast.
  4. Amazing scenery in the mountain forest: Nyungwe forest which is located on the rolling highlands rewards with breathtaking views as a bonus on your chimp trek.
  5. Add the canopy walk experience which is a highlight of Nyungwe: The best canopy walk experience by far in the East African region, a tour in Nyungwe is not complete without the canopy walk adventure in Nyungwe that will spice your chimpanzee trekking adventure in Rwanda.
  6. You can stay at Lake Kivu one of the most beautiful lakes in Africa, while tracking the chimps: Also, a big bonus to trekking chimpanzee is fall back to nearby Lake Kivu to offer great relaxation and amazing scenery after trek.

Here is a short 2 day chimpanzee trip to Nyungwe National Park

Cons: some reasons you may decide not to do your chimp trek in Rwanda

  1. Limited chimpanzee tracking permits: Rwanda has only one park for the chimpanzee tracking (Nyungwe Forest National Park) and just two habituated groups in the park. Since only 8 people can track the chimps in a day, that means only 16 permits are available in one day. The limited permits can be a hinderance to your trip planning as it is easy to miss the permits which sell out quickly.
  2. Hard trek: The mountainous terrain of Nyungwe can be a challenge for the trek and especially given the chimps are also very active primates. Older and less fit people may find the chimp trek in Rwanda quite a challenge

Pros: Why you may prefer do to your chimpanzee trekking in Uganda

  1. Many options for the chimp trek: There many destinations in Uganda for the chimpanzee trek. Unlike Rwanda which has just one park, Uganda has several destinations where you can do the chimp trek in the different regions and some of them include Kibale forest, Budongo forest, Kalinzu forest, etc… This abundance of the chimpanzee destinations makes it easy for you to incorporate the adventure in your Uganda safari trip.
  2. Many chimpanzee permits: With many destinations and many habituated chimpanzee groups, there is a lot of availability of chimpanzee tracking permits in Uganda and therefore not so easy to miss out.
  3. Can get affordable chimp tracking: Price of chimpanzee trekking permit differs according to the destination and one can find a cheaper chimp trekking permit for as low as $40, a great thing for the backpackers and students who may not afford the $200 price of the chimpanzee tracking permit in Kibale National Park which is the country’s major chimpanzee tours destination.
  4. Easier trek: Terrain of many of the destinations is not mountainous hence offering an easier hike that is favorable even for the older citizens or less fit persons.

Cons: Why you may not prefer Uganda for your chimpanzee trekking

  1. Some destinations do not provide a 100% chance of seeing the chimps. However the prime destination Kibale National Park offer 100% chance of seeing the chimps.
  2. Trek is less exclusive with many tracking groups setting off into the forest and can cross paths as each tracks down their habituated chimp group.

Covid 19 guidelines and requirements for tourists visiting Rwanda

After several months of closing the borders and stopping all passenger flights by the Rwanda government because of the corona virus (covid 19) pandemic, Rwanda finally opened up to passenger flights and tourists into the country on 1st August 2020. All the parks and other tourism destinations in Rwanda have been reopened for tours but with standard operating procedures (SOPs) put in place for each destination and activity.

Below I guide on what is required of the tourists before flying into Rwanda and during their trips in Rwanda during this corona virus situation:

The visitor must have done a covid 19 test not later than 72 hours before the date of arrival in Rwanda and shall present a certificate to prove the test which should obviously be negative. Only PCR tests are advised.

On arrival in Rwanda the visitor shall be required to take another Covid 19 test and shall not travel anywhere outside or within Kigali in the next 24 hours during which time the visitor shall be waiting for the test results.

The covid 19 test is done at $60, a cost incurred by the visitor/tourist.

Important to note is that during this time of waiting for the results the visitor is confined at the hotel until the results are back within 24 hours.

Also, only selected hotels are allowed to host visitors for the covid test so ensure your hotel is one of those that were selected by government. The standard rate at all hotels for this one quarantine night/day is 90$ per person including all meals.

If the test comes back negative you will then proceed on your tour in Rwanda but will keep maintaining the SOP guidelines.

Important to note that to visit any primates park in Rwanda, such as if you will be doing the gorilla trek in Rwanda‘s Volcanoes National Park or the golden monkey trekking in the Volcanoes N.P, or the chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park, you will be required to present a negative covid 19 test result done in the last 48 hours. Hence, if you have the gorilla trek on your Rwanda tour itinerary it is advised to do it first after being released from Kigali when the covid 19 certificate is still valid for the gorilla tracking requirement. However if you have to visit other places, say Akagera National Park for a safari, some days before your gorilla trek you will then be required to take another covid 19 test 2 days before your trek, i.e. 48 hours before the trek.

After the end of your tour and departing from Rwanda, you shall be required to take another covid 19 test 72 hours before your flight. Hence you have to include a full day at the end of the tour to allow for the covid 19 test and results.

hike to the twin falls in Rwenzori Mountains

This is a short one day hike in the base of the Rwenzori Mountain ranges that offers a taste of the rated best mountains for hiking in Africa due to their incredible beauty and natural diversity, rewarding you with an amazing experience of two beautiful waterfalls, locally called the twin falls – Rwatha & Nyamughasana falls (collectively called the Hon. Nyombi Tembo falls).

The longer Rwatha falls on the left and the bigger nyamughasana falls on the right

The two falls’ uniqueness lies in the fact that they are created by two distinct rivers from the Rwenzori mountains(River Rwatha and River Nyamughasana), flowing over the same rocks/cliff to create the two beautiful waterfalls side by side and joining their waters at the pool below and thereafter continue flowing as one River Nyamughasana. The reason why the locals decided to give the unified river the same name Nyamughasana is an interesting story you shall learn from the local guide.

nyamughasana falls

There are other sets of popular waterfalls in Uganda such as the Murchison & Uhuru falls in Murchison Falls National Park are also located side by side but both belong to the same river Nile, and the Sipi falls which has 3 sets of waterfalls located along the same river.

The starting point at Nyamughasana river crossing

The hike is 1.6 km long which starts with crossing through unified Nyamughasana River down the stream, dipping your feet in the coldwater and wading across. The water is quite cold with temperature about 6 degrees Celsius which offers much need soothing before taking on the rise.

steep trek after crossing River Nyamughasana

The hike starts with a steep rise going up to an altitude of about 1800 meters before starting the descend towards the waterfall. Along the hike you shall turn back to enjoy the breathtaking views across the mountainous landscape and the Nyamughashana river simmering in the valleys and disappearing in the mountains. The first half of the trek goes through short grasses and shrubs, and the next half is through a forest that with birds; a keen birder will take some time looking out for some species and if lucky, may record some mountain specials.

enjoying quality time at falls

After somewhat about 40 minutes you shall get down to the beautiful falls, an incredible reward after the hike. You can picnic at the falls for an hour, take a dive in the pool if you can bear the cold temperature in the water, or simply stay put and enjoy the tranquility.

After spending an amazing time at the falls, you hike the same way back. The round hike is 3.2km in total.

amazing landscape going through the countryside

The hike can also be started from the nearest town called Kyarumba and trek all the way to the starting point, this is roughly an extra 4km giving you chance to enjoy the landscape, see the villages and the life in the countryside.

This beautiful hike is a good addition to the safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park giving you a chance for a brief experience of Rwenzori Mountains after an amazing wildlife experience.

Book this trip to experience the Waterfalls hike in the Rwenzoris

4 days Queen Elizabeth National Park safari and Rwenzori waterfalls hike