What is the Cost Price of Hiring a Sedan Chair for Gorilla Trekking in 2024 – 2025? A traditional Stretcher or fabricated Sedan Chair for gorilla trekking costs between $300 – $500 per chair per day – The cost covers a day’s wage for a team of local porters that will carry you back & forth to where the Gorillas are found.
Important: Very few Sedan chairs are available at the various Gorilla trekking locations. Therefore, we advise you to pre-book this with your local tour operator to avoid any inconveniences.
The Process of hiring a Sedan Chair for Gorilla trekking in 2024 – 2025
If you think you might need to use a sedan chair to get to see the mountain gorillas in Bwindi, you’ll need to let your tour operator know at the initial stage of Planning your gorilla trekking holiday. When making reservations for your Gorilla Trekking Permit, your tour operator will then ensure that they secure a permit at the location where there is a sedan chair available.
Top Tip: The best way to ensure you have the sedan chair reserved for the day/date of your trek is to make a deposit payment. This way you are sure to have your sedan chair /traditional stretcher ride to where the Mountain gorillas will be.
Checkout: Local Tour Operators who can assist you book a Sedan Chair in 2024 – 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gorilla Trekking on a Sedan Chair or Traditional Stretcher
- How safe is it to go gorilla trekking in a Sedan chair or traditional stretcher?
Gorilla trekking on a Sedan chair or traditional stretcher is very safe. The team of local porters that carry you to where the Gorillas are found on the day of your trek are very energetic (Don’t judge them by their slim size, age, height, etc). These guys will carry you inturns – four at a time, and you’ll have a team of at least 12 able-bodied African men who have trekked the expanses of this impenetrable forest before – this is no experiment, they have done this before. Simply sit back and relax.
- Is it ethical to have people carry you around on a Sedan chair or traditional stretcher?
The answer to this might vary from an individual perspective. while many might look at it as though taking us back to the Colonial times when masters were carried around by African Slaves. Forget it and let us look at it as the only best alternative for people who want to see gorillas but are limited by age, or physical ability. Let’s be fair, it’s probably either they see the gorillas aided by the use of a sedan chair or traditional handwoven bamboo stretcher, or never. You only live once, do what you have got to do especially if you can afford it.
- Is there a weight limit for the person booking/using the Sedan chair or traditional stretcher?
There is currently no set weight limit for the person being carried in a Sedan chair or traditional stretcher to see the gorillas. Simply show up and these guys will carry you up to the gorillas.
Note: We have in the past had a Person of at least 150Kgs easily carried up to the mountain gorillas in Bwindi – we have so much faith in these local porters. However, the price of hiring the Sedan chair or traditional stretcher might change with the weight/size of the person carried.
- Is the payment ($300 – $500) valid for my additional gorilla treks in Bwindi?
The charge mentioned herein in this article is a daily charge. If you have more than one gorilla permit and would like to be carried in a Sedan chair or traditional stretcher for both trips, then ask your tour operator to try and negotiate a special discount well -in advance. please remember to pre-pay for Sedan chairs or traditional stretchers – it is the only way you’ll be sure it is booked/saved for you. Last-minute Sedan chair or traditional stretcher bookings are possible by might even cost a lot more
What to expect on the day that you’ll be going gorilla trekking on a Sedan chair or traditional stretcher
On the day of your gorilla trek, you will be briefed about the does & don’ts of gorilla trekking. You might be requested to wait a couple of minutes/hours up until the gorillas have been located. The team of local porters supervised by a Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Ranger will then discuss among themselves and will agree on the best, and shortest route to get to the location where the gorillas have been sighted. Getting there might involve driving to a location, and then being carried to the gorilla location – this process is entirely at their discretion, and all you’ll need to do is follow their advice – there is absolutely nothing you can do about it – please cooperate.
When is the best time to go gorilla trekking on a Sedan chair or traditional stretcher?
While it’s possible to go gorilla trekking in a Sedan chair or traditional stretcher all year round, we recommend planning to do this in the drier season months of June – August, or December – February when the grounds are fairly drier, making it a lot less challenging for the team of porters carrying you up into the mountains.
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