
Why you should hire a porter while on a safari in Virunga?
Why you should hire a porter while on a safari in Virunga? Virunga national park is located in the eastern part of DR Congo harboring 1/3 of the mountain gorilla population left in the world. The national park is a mountainous area hosting 3 Virunga volcanoes- Mount Mikeno, Mount Nyamuragira, and mount Nyiragongo. Some of the mountain gorillas have found their homes on the slopes of these mountains and this would require travelers to be physically fit and also hire a porter because carrying your heavy luggage while trekking might not give the best of the safari.
Trekking through the thick tropical rainforest of Virunga national park for 2-5 hours to encounter mountain gorillas is a very challenging exercise that requires you to hire a porter that will help you with heavy luggage and extra equipment. Mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga national park takes travelers through steep slopes and muddy terrains while searching for the mountain gorilla family assigned. The porters will help you pass through the muddy and challenging terrain by carrying your luggage since they have experience.
After booking a gorilla safari to Virunga national park, the next thing on mind is what to pack for the whole safari. There are different essentials required for one to have the best safari in Virunga national park and these include long-sleeved clothes, a rain jacket, waterproof hiking shoes, a camera, a pair of binoculars, and much more.
Hiring a porter when you reach Virunga national park is one thing you should think about. Porters are of great importance in the park as they help out the trekkers with carrying the luggage till the trekking activity gets done. Hiring a porter in Virunga national park depends on someone’s level of fitness and how heavy their luggage is.
Hiring a porter in Virunga national park is of great importance as it helps a trekker to move around the jungle with ease and comfort. The porters help you have a peaceful, less stressing, and enjoyable gorilla trekking safari in Virunga.
Hiring a porter in Virunga national park enables a trekker to concentrate on the adventure rather than being bothered by the heavy load. They move around the jungle easily and enjoy the whole trekking activity when the porters have luggage on their backs.
Hiring a porter is the best way to give back to the community because the porters come from the nearby areas and using them to carry your luggage means they are benefiting from the conservation of the park. After getting the jobs as porters, they do earn money which they use to earn a living.
Hiring a porter in Virunga national park is one of the ways to help them earn a living. Some of the people are men from the nearby areas looking for what to feed their families and the others are school children looking for fees.
Hiring a porter in Virunga national park is another way that reduced poachers in the area. The poachers used to kill mountain gorillas for meat for sale or food but the fact that they are hired and given some money they no longer do that and that has helped to increase the gorilla population.
Apart from hiring a porter, another thing you need during the Virunga gorilla trek are the walking sticks. The walking sticks are free and are got from the starting point of the hike. The walking sticks help you to balance during the hike and also pass through the muddy terrain.
How much is hiring a porter in Virunga national park?
Hiring a porter in Virunga national park to help you on carrying luggage the whole day is $15 – $20 and this means a lot to them. They benefit from the mountain gorilla conservation, feed their families, improve their lives and get education for themselves or their children.
Do I need to book a porter in advance?
No, you don’t have to hire a porter in advance because you can get them at the briefing point on the day of trekking. While carrying briefing at the park offices, you will notice porters around the area waiting for those that need their service. When you need the service of a porter on the day of trekking, you will need to tell the park ranger to get you the best porter.