What to wear on a gorilla trek

I follow a blog about practical fashion on safari called The Girls' Guide to being on Safari. It is an exclusive guide for the future safari girl by Marian Myers who is related to a friend of mine who lives in Joburg. Marian describes herself as a bush-loving city girl who is now living in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Her husband is a wildlife photographer and they both spend alot of time in the bush so she knows of what she speaks.

Marian writes about the kind of things you want to know but have no one to ask. What to wear, what to pack, what shoes, what toiletries, where can I get stuff, etc. Going on a gorilla trek is different than being on safari in the bush so I thought I would dedicate a blog post about what to wear on this very specialized outing.

1. You will be trekking in a rainforest in the mountains of Rwanda/Uganda/Congo so dress for wet. I wore my Barbour safari jacket with a hood and a Barbour rain hat. Let me just say at this point that I buy most of my foul weather gear in the UK. They know foul weather! It did rain on our descent off the mountain and with my hood up, I managed to keep completely dry! 

wearing my Barbour to Buckingham Palace in 1993

Your jacket is very important so I will say a little more about it. I have two waxed Barbour jackets, a  lightweight green Eland and a mediumweight navy blue Border with a zip out faux fur lining for extra warmth. First of all, Barbours are guaranteed thorn-proof so if they tear or wear out, you can send your jacket back to the Barbour factory and they will repair it for you. (Vince has been really rough on his Barbour Border and has had it repaired and patched so many times, it is practically all new. He regards all those patches as badges of honor though. He wants to be buried in his Barbour!)

My lightweight one was perfect for the trek as the heavier one is more suited to colder climates. It would have been too heavy for the trek both in terms of weight and warmth. You are really working when you climb and it is not very cold even though you are in the mountains. Remember that Rwanda is only 2 degrees south of the equator.

Secondly, you do not need to be carrying all that weight on your back. My heavier Barbour is better suited to a game drive in the South African winter, a brisk gallop on horseback back in the UK in the autumn or a visit to Buckingham Palace!

those boots go well with gorilla

2. Boots. You are trekking uphill over rocks and mud. Once again waterproof is important. The porters wore rubber rain boots which suffice for the waterproof part. But you also need traction so in that regard my hiking boots would have been better than my wellies. If you choose to wear hiking boots, you must wear gators to protect your legs from the stinging nettles which will go right through your pants. I wore my Dubarry Gore-tex lined leather boots. Technically they are from Ireland and not the UK, but I bought them in London at the Chelsea Flower Show so I think the same foul weather principle holds. Besides Ireland knows a little something about foul weather too! Dubarry boots are impenetrable to water and stinging nettles, breathable and they go high up your calf to your knee. Choose a soft wicking fabric for your socks such as coolmax (NO cotton) to guard against blisters. (It is not cold so you do not need socks for warmth.) 

buy one of these with the name of your gorilla group after the trek

3. Dress in layers. I wore a breathable linen safari type shirt and underneath that, a wickable fabric tee shirt and bra. Our trek was considered a medium grade hike and I was very comfortable. I wore jeans and they were pretty resistant to the nettles. I did get stung a little on my thighs but it was minimal.

4. Wear gardening or work gloves. Your hands are most vulnerable to the stinging nettles,  especially if you are grabbing onto vegetation when you climb. Which you will. And it is a guarantee that of you slip and grab a handful of vegetation for support, it will be a fistful of stinging nettles.

A stick is essential for climbing as well. The porters will provide you with a walking stick if you did not bring one but they do make great souvenirs. Especially the ones carved in Rwanda with a gorilla on top! So go for it.

I hired a porter who carried my waterproof day pack which held my water bottles and tissues. (They rely on the income so even if you do not need a porter, you should hire one anyway.) I carried my pocket Canon camera in my jacket pocket.

stinging nettles!

A note for the guys: Vince wore a Gore-tex shell with a hood and plenty of big pockets, a US Marine Combat Boonie Hat, a pair of heavy canvas work pants which he says were impenetrable to the stinging nettles, a tee shirt, his Gore-tex hiking boots and knee-high gators. He also used his two retractable hiking sticks. Vince did not hire a porter and he carried his own camera.

The only other piece of equipment we might consider if we do it again is a camera harness system to hold your camera still while you trek uphill. Vince wore his camera inside his jacket and extra camera lenses in his jacket pockets during the trek but he said they bounced around alot and it was annoying.

Happy trekking!