Wheelchair accessible gorilla tracking in Rwanda

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£1250

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3 Days excluding flights

More info:Based on 2 people sharing, excludes gorilla permits, which are USD1500 per permit

Tailor made

“A tailormade, wheelchair accessible tour of Rwanda delving into the country’s magnificent landscapes, turbulent past and meeting the famous mountain gorillas.”

Highlights

Description of Wheelchair accessible gorilla tracking in Rwanda

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you require a wheelchair at all times, or you are affected by mobility issues, that you cannot reach the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. This wheelchair accessible holiday to Rwanda ensures that you can admire these incredible, gentle creatures in their natural habitat as well as exploring many other parts of a truly fascinating African country.

Reaching the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park involves traversing mountainous landscape thick with vegetation, but if you are not able to trek yourself, porters are available to carry you in a throne chair, and also to carry your own wheelchair, out to wherever the gorillas are currently located. Keep in mind that the journey can be uncomfortable at times, and that getting to the gorillas can take several hours, but when you’re sat there just a few metres away from them you’ll be immensely pleased that you made the effort. Watching our close cousins as they feed, groom and play with their little ones, aware of your presence and perhaps curious, is an amazing experience.

While this is certain to be the highlight of your holiday, perhaps the most memorable holiday you’ll ever take, it’s certainly not the only attraction in Rwanda. You will also spend a tranquil day relaxing on the shore of Lake Kivu, explore the stunning Nyungwe Forest National Park, home to chimpanzees, monkeys and countless bird species, and gain a deeper understanding of the infamous Rwandan genocide while visiting the capital, Kigali.

As this is a tailormade and wheelchair accessible holiday, the operator will work with you before departure to ensure that your needs are met in every respect from accommodation to transport and suitable restaurants. Naturally you will need to be flexible at times, but you can expect the adventure of a lifetime.

Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.

01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com

Departure information

This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements

Accessible tourism overview:

This trip can be tailored for guests with numerous accessible needs and can also be organised with your own driver/guide.

Limited mobility:

A throne chair is available at an additional cost, porters are able to carry the guests with disabilities to see the primates. Accommodation and rooms on the ground level; Door to door transfers if privately guided.

Wheelchair:

A throne chair is available at an additional cost, porters are able to carry the guests with disabilities to see the primates. Wheelchair accessible rooms can be booked, wheelchair accessible attractions and restaurants suggested for clients.

Blind or limited vision:

This trip can be tailored for guests with limited vision, particularly trips with private/driver guides.

'Free from' food:

All dietary requirements catered for; our providers are very well versed in handling a variety of dietary requirements.

Vouchers

Accepted

Responsible tourism

As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.

To ensure the least disruption of the surrounding environment, the ecolodge that you stay at for the gorilla trek was constructed with locally available material.

The conservation of water is of critical importance in the environments they operate. The lodge conserves water through regular maintenance to reduce leakages, fitting flow restrictors on shower heads and taps where possible, watering the gardens and grass roofs at cooler times of the day, and implementing a guest towel re-use and water conservation programme.

All waste water from the kitchens, guest bedrooms and staff houses is run into a sewage system and biologically treated as it runs through natural sand filters. The water outlets are tested regularly. In this way they can be sure that they are not introducing harmful toxins into the protected environments in which they operate.

All of the waste produced is recycled, re-used or disposed of responsibly. Recycled paper is used in offices and in brochure production, and recycle waste paper and cardboard through local community paper-making. This has the added benefit of providing livelihood streams for our neighbouring communities.

The Impacts of this Trip

The lodge buys as many products manufactured within Rwanda as possible including local furniture, matting, baskets and local art for décor.

We employ local staff, including in management positions. We also actively encourage their growth and advancement within the organisation often with internal training to assist in this process. The first source of staff is always from the local communities around the area where the lodge / camp is based and only if skills required are not available do we search elsewhere.

The ecolodge supports the surrounding rural community by purchasing farm-fresh produce that is served in the lodge’s restaurant. Menus are tailored to utilise the best of the fresh fruit and vegetables currently available – this is generally a seasonal thing as within Rwanda there is a large range of suitable fresh produce available.

Dry goods and manufactured goods are also purchased locally with the emphasis on local products – tea, coffee, honey, flour, and sugar to name a few.

Environment