What do I Pack for a Gorilla and other Primate Tracking tours in Places Like Rwanda, Uganda, Gabon and the Congo?
- Good, closed shoes: You’ll want shoes or boots you’ve walked in before. Comfortable, non-slip, ankle support. Lightweight hiking boots, waterproof preferably. Shoes that come above the anklebone and give support.
- Lightweight, neutral coloured clothing: Quick dry clothing is best for trekking. High humidity coupled with uphill trekking can be sweaty business.
- Rain jacket: The lodges will be providing them, but if you have a tried and tested raincoat, bring it along.
- Gaiters: Fashionable and necessary. Gaiters help keep sand, grass seeds and insects away from your ankles and socks.
- Waterproof trousers: It’s best to wear lightweight trousers that can tuck into socks or fit under gaiters for protection against stinging nettle.
- Hat: Rainy season or not, wherever you go in Africa a good coverage hat is essential.
- Camera: I like to bring my Contax Film Camera, However people like to bring Digital Cameras with Long Objectives.
- Waterproof backpack: You’ll want to keep your valuables like binoculars dry.
- Gloves: In dense parts of the rainforest, you’ll want protective gloves to push vegetation aside. Garden Gloves are ideal.
- Walking stick: If you have one you like...but they also provide them depending on where you are going. Good to have on any hike, a lightweight, fold-up stick will come in handy when you need a bit of support, and to move vegetation out of the way if you like that sort of thing.
- Sunglasses and Sun cream - you are at altitude - Eyewear: Better to wear contacts
- Cash: You may want to tip. Please note that if you are using USD - any notes used in Africa should be from after 2013 and not be crumpled. You can change money or get local currencies from most local ATMs.
- Energy Giving snacks. Gorilla trekking can take from 30 minutes to several hours and that’s why a certain level of fitness is required. I advise that you carry some energy giving snacks as supplements and lots of drinking water as you may not know when you will return.
- Hiring a Porter for your Track is top, you may not need them as you can carry your own back- pack, but it supports the community and therefore I always advise it.
- Sweaters for cool evenings and chilly mornings
- Ensure you treck in longs sleeved shirts and trousers to avoid insects such as safari ants entering your trousers.
- At a lower altitude, in the day it gets hot, so shorts or light pants, T-shirts or light shirts, preferably not white, dark blue or black. The evenings cool down but it’s not cold.
- Insect Repellent: Pick one that does not attract ants!
