Wicker in the Mist: A Non-Hiker’s Unlikely Passage to Uganda’s Remote Mountain Gorilla Sanctuary

When I booked my flights for a trip to Uganda, I was determined to see the famous mountain gorillas, but I admittedly felt daunted by the challenging trek to reach them. I am not a hiker or an outdoors person. It’s one thing to have snatched abs (thanks to the Tracy Anderson Method), and quite another to traverse steep, dense rain forest terrain for hours in the heat — especially as someone who’s allergic to bug bites and paranoid about sun protection.

The day before the gorilla trek, I spoke to my guide about my concerns. She revealed that there is an accessible alternative for travelers. “You can hire around eight porters to carry you in a sedan chair, also called an ‘African helicopter’. It’s an option for those who are pregnant, elderly, have disabilities or... are incapable,” she said, looking me up and down.

Judgments aside, her words took a weight off my shoulders. My gut told me that this was the best way for me to see Uganda’s gorillas without risking injury or having to bail partway. Upon learning that hiring porters supports their families and combats poaching, I had an even better reason to choose to be carried. Rather than thinking of the ‘African helicopter’ as “taking a shortcut,” it’s better framed around the fact that it supports local communities and conservation, while making mountain gorilla encounters accessible to everyone.

Not-So-Accessible Travel in Uganda

When I landed in Kampala, my first impressions of the capital were: “It’s giving Mad Max.” The roads are a blur of motorcycles, which whiz around trucks overloaded with passengers and vendors with bananas balanced on their heads. Nevertheless, I leaned into the chaos and was unfazed by the infrastructure, feeling safe in the care of my driver and guides.

However, I did note that most Ugandan hotels and restaurants are not accessible. Few have elevators, ramps or automatic doors, let alone sidewalks. The staff was always helpful — one balanced my suitcase on his head before taking several flights of stairs and a long cobblestone path. But those with disabilities or mobility issues are almost certain to run into unexpected obstacles or oddities. Case in point: a top-rated hotel had a universal public toilet labeled “Paraplegic.”

The one accessible bathroom in the contributor’s hotel [L]; the chaotic streets of Kampala, Uganda [R]

(claric69shots / courtesy La Carmina)

Such travelers might naturally assume then that they are barred from seeing the mountain primates, which are normally reached via a physically demanding trek at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or the aptly-named Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, both in southwestern Uganda. There are no clear paths through the dense tropical vegetation; hikers must cross rocky streams and move through the steep, muddy mountainside for up to eight hours round-trip. The high altitude, temperatures that switch from chilly to humid, and biting insects (mosquitoes, safari ants, tsetse flies) add to the challenge. Thankfully, the gorilla trek has been made accessible thanks to local porters that can carry visitors all the way in a modified stretcher.

Taking the “Helicopter” to the Gorillas

I traveled to Bwindi on a multi-day tour from Kampala — but you can speed-run the journey with an approximately 10-hour drive from the capital, or a 1.5-hour flight to Kisoro or Kihihi airports. A visitation permit costs $800, making it less expensive than the $1500 version in neighboring Rwanda, which also offers mountain gorilla treks. To protect the animals from stress and disease, a maximum of eight tourists is allowed to visit a habituated family per day for one hour.

(Julius Luwemba / Courtesy La Carmina)

If, like me, you wish to be carried by porters, you must make a reservation at least a day in advance at Bwindi or Mgahinga. The service costs $300 to $400; bring clean, new US dollar bills for payment, and still wear proper gear, including hiking boots.

On the morning of the trek, I greeted my seven porters (you might get up to 12, depending on your weight and needs). I got in the wicker sedan chair, which is padded with a cushion and affixed to long poles. Two men hoisted me up from the back and two from the front, handing me off to fresh arms when they got tired. I was amazed by how these life-long trekkers could move at a fast clip while transporting me up and down precipitous slopes and across rivers. Since they were faster than the hikers in my group, they stopped at intervals to set me down and rest.

The rugged landscape along the trek to the gorilla sanctuary is rocky and steep with few clear trails.

(La Carmina)

After about two hours, we neared the gorillas. I put on a mask to protect the great apes, and walked a short distance to meet them. It was mesmerizing to see their human-like expressions and familial interactions up close. A King Kong-like daddy snacked on leaves, while a juvenile gleefully swung in a tree. Three gorillas sat side by side like Buddhas in lotus pose, their kind eyes vibing with their visitors and the surrounding forest. Suddenly, the matriarch crossed in front of me, stopping to look back as if she sensed I was out of my comfort zone. And I was — the hike would have been brutal — but thanks to my porters, I was able to have this unforgettable moment with her.

How Hiring Porters Supports Conservation and Communities

Some may be uneasy with the optics of being carried by up to a dozen Ugandan men, but experts encourage hiring porters as a key way to strengthen community-led conservation efforts. At Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo in Munyonyo, I met Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, leading primatologist and founder of Conservation Through Public Health, an NGO dedicated to the co-existence between humans and endangered primates. She explained, “When you hire these porters, they’re supporting five other people in their family.”

Contributor La Carmina is helped across a stream by a porter.

(Julius Lawemba / Courtesy La Carmina)

Kalema-Zikusoka revealed that many national park workers are “born again” poachers, or former illegal hunters that have become conservation allies as porters, rangers, and educators. She urged even seasoned hikers to hire a porter for around $20 to guide them and help carry bags. This small fee goes a long way towards creating meaningful jobs in the community and keeping the gorillas safe.

Furthermore, Kalema-Zikusoka insists it is important to make the trek accessible to everyone so that they can personally connect with the endangered animals and their ecosystem. “Some tourists are quite old and in retirement, but they’ve come all this way to see the gorillas,” she said. “We have a unique opportunity in Uganda to host them at Bwindi, and [as a result] they’ll want to give back and take action to protect the wildlife.”

(Julius Luwemba / Courtesy La Carmina)

I wholeheartedly agree: after spending time with the gorillas, I’m moved to protect these gentle, intelligent creatures and help ensure their survival for future generations. As someone who isn’t physically up to a rain forest trek, I’m glad I had the option to ride the “helicopter” and not be excluded from this meaningful experience. Rather than feeling like I used a cheat code, I’m grateful for the opportunity to support Uganda’s gorilla population and the livelihood of my porters — in my own idiosyncratic fashion.