Sedan seat stretcher is used to carry tourists who cannot hike to search for gorillas while in Bwindi national Park for either gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experiences. Bwindi National Park shelters half of the remaining mountain gorilla population in the world. The park has a total of 19 habituated gorilla families that are open to trekkers every day including 2 semi-habituated families (Bikingi and Kutu) that are set for the habituation process.
Bwindi National Park has other biodiversity including forest mammals, flora species, bird species and numerous butterfly species. Mountain gorillas like their name suggests prefer living in mountainous areas at an altitude of 1000m to 2000m above sea level in East African tropical rainforests. They withstand the cold conditions due to having thick and long fur that keeps them warm in extreme coldness.
Therefore trekking these giant primates may require hiking and passing through muddy trails, which necessitates physically fitness to be able to maneuver through the challenging terrain. Most travelers sought a gorilla tour in Africa and this activity can be done by all groups of people, including people with special needs like pregnant mothers, physically handicapped and elderly all can do trekking with the help of sedan seat stretchers. Sedan stretcher is a seat used to carry trekkers with special inabilities to hike through challenging jungles, and is done with the help of porters who are hired at a fee (usually $10 – 20$ each).
The sedan seat stretcher is hired separately, and is not included on a gorilla trekking permit price, you will seat with your luggage, be carried through the jungle by about 4-6 potters, and find yourself in the presence of a lively mountain gorilla family. If it’s gorilla trekking, spend an hour in their presence whereas for gorilla habituation, you will spend more than 4 hours in their presence while enjoying their daily routine activities. But you will be down on the ground while enjoying as you take photos and after the experience, Porters will carry you back to the starting point (at the ranger station) where you will meet your driver-guide for onward travel.
A modern sedan stretcher is made of a chair slugging in between poles and a seat belt to keep you in position. The price for hiring a sedan stretcher is between USD 300-500 and they are not very many which means that you need to book it after confirming your gorilla trekking/habituation permit. You need to note that, sometimes the price of hiring a sedan stretcher depends on the distance that will be covered and the weight of a visitor.
Best time to visit Bwindi National Park to be able to use the sedan seat stretcher.
This park can be visited all year round but you need to know that when you book your gorilla permit together with a sedan seat stretcher, it is advisable to take a safari during dry season – June to September and December to February.
This is when trails are dry making it easy to penetrate through with this sedan seat stretcher. Where as in the rainy season from March to May and October to November, trails are muddy and slippery making it impossible to maneuver.
How to get to Bwindi impenetrable national park for gorilla trekking?
Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in the far southwestern region of Uganda. From Entebbe International Airport in Central Uganda to this park, the drive takes about 10 hours of drive. You have an option of flying to Kihiihi airfield from Kajjansi airfield with either chartered or scheduled flights that operate daily. Another option is flying to Kigali – Rwanda and then take a drive northwards to Bwindi national park crossing via Katuna or Cyanika borders – a journey taking 4 to 5 hours.
You can seamlessly book your gorilla safari to Uganda and enjoy the best experience regardless of your physical inabilities or illnesses.
