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.
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.