Elderly Rwenzori Trekking Tours – advise, info & tips from rwenzori Expeditions.

According to the records as reported at Uganda Wildlife authority , its clear that the oldest person to summit margherita peak in Rwenzori Mountains was the 78 year old that took on 10 days Rwenzori trekking that she booked with local operator that offered the best options to enable her fulfill her dream of visiting the rwenzoris and she also went to see the gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda which are all ranked as Active Adventures as per the team of Rwenzori Expeditions.

About the Senior Climber to Summit Margherita

The senior person to summit Uganda’s Margherita Peak was a Canadian woman named Beryl Park and She was 78 years old  when she topped the 5,109-meter (16,761 feet) pinnacle after just five days of hiking in 2010—a feat so impressive, it’s on par with some of the world’s greatest mountaineering exploits.

she also challenged everyone to go visit the mountain and climb to the peak. “Margherita will give you an opportunity to see beautiful flowers, birds and snow without having to go out of the country and if a 78 year old could, you too can trek to the top.”

Gift to Beryl from UWA

Upon her completion of the Rwenzoir trekking experience, she was invited at Uganda wildlife authority as sign of appreciation and she was gifted with the an umbrella which has the logo, a map of the mountains and a cake which was made in an image of the mountains.

Fast forward eight years and I’m in the remote Rwenzori Mountains National Park following—slowly—in Beryl’s boot steps. While I’m not here to make the summit push (Margherita is incredibly technical and not for the crampon-less) I am hoping to reach Mutinda Lookout, a 3,975-meter-tall (13,041 feet) block of granite towering over the valley.

Age really is no barrier on mountain Rwenzori Trek

When it comes to the age restrictions , there is no limit on age limit for trekkers and the restrictions only applies to the young age which is 12 years and signing of adult consent is required before the child can hike the mountain as the case for the Gorilla trekking with children in bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park.

The adulthood restriction doesn’t apply as we saw that in 2010 with Ms Berl’s achievements that trekked Rwenzoris at the age of 78 years and this provides a welcome reminder that age really is no barrier to climbing of the mountains of the moon in Uganda which also hosts the primate and tailoring the private tour to Uganda rewards you with the chance to add on the visit to the Primates for primate Trekking with destination experts from Rwenzori Mountains.

Indeed, this year over 40% of climbers who are climbing with our own company, Rwenzori trekkers are aged 40 or over. And 5% are aged 50 or more. we do advise you never to compare the Rwenzori trekking to Climbing Kilimanjaro Mountain since Kilimanjaro is the highest but not as harder as the Rwenzori Treks.

Rwenzori Trekking and Gorilla  Watching is possible with Rwenzori Expeditions the destination experts that have been offering Uganda Safaris for over 10 years. Elderly Gorilla Trekking tours are available and most group tours can select to do Buhoma Sector with local guides. On elderly Gorilla watching with children , your gorilla trekking in the forest ( Buhoma Sector) can last for 1-2 hours since we shall select the shortest gorilla trekking family within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Kindly we do advise that you communicate your requirement to the team at the time of booking with Rwenzori Expeditions .

Tips , Advise and info for Elderly ( Senior Rwenzori Trekkers)

The success on the mountain proves something that we have known for a long time. That in our experience, older climbers are just as likely to get to the top of Rwenzori mountains as those of any other age group.

Indeed, according to a statistic published by the park authorities many years ago ( this was the same information visible to the records of Rwenzori Mountaineering services ) , the category of people who are most likely to fail in their attempts to climb Rwenzori mountains are men aged between 20 and 30. Rwenzori Mountains National park is home to not only Margherita Peak, Africa’s third highest spike, but it’s also the playground for six of the continent’s 10 tallest mountains—a little-known, but impressive, African geography fact.

But that doesn’t matter. Because you’re also the arthritic tortoise that has just, that very same morning, stood at the very highest point in Africa. And the sense of pride you should feel at achieving that feat should keep you going as you manoeuvre your weary old bones slowly back to camp – and well beyond too!

But there are differences in how senior climbers perform on Rwenzori compared to their younger counterparts.

For one thing, older climbers tend to take longer to get to the summit that those under 50. This isn’t a problem: as long as the operator that has organised the trek is following the rules, there will be one guide for every two climbers. So there will always be a licensed guide available to trek with anyone who is falling behind the group trek.  If you thought it was tough climbing up, wait ’til you have to come down again

However, the slower pace set by older trekkers doesn’t usually make much difference on the way up. After all, everybody is advised to go slowly when going up Kilimanjaro, to give their body time to acclimatize. It’s on the descent, when people can finally go at their own pace, when older trekkers may feel left behind.

Our advice is simply this: don’t worry. You’ve paid a lot of money for Rwenzori trek, and in all probability this will be your only time on this mountain. So make the most of your leisurely pace to take in the views and enjoy the experience. And sure, you may feel lousy when you’re coming down from the top. It might also be a little frustrating to see your fellow trekkers skip effortlessly down the slopes while you crawl along like an arthritic tortoise.

But that doesn’t matter. Because you’re also the arthritic tortoise that has just, that very same morning, stood at the very highest point in Africa. And the sense of pride you should feel at achieving that feat should keep you going as you manoeuvre your weary old bones slowly back to camp – and well beyond too!

Advice for older climbers on Rwenzori Mountains

Do make sure that your body is still able to trek for a few hours a day, and for several days at a time

You also need to make sure you are happy sleeping in huts between each day’s trek. The obvious way to do this is to undertake a trek in your own country. If you can find somewhere to trek that is at altitude then so much the better. But if not, don’t worry: the point of the exercise is to determine whether you can trek and camp over the course of several days.

Do visit your doctor before you go

Do this to make sure that he’s happy for you to attempt the climb. If nothing else, visiting him will make you more confident about the climb. If you have a per-existing medical condition, he may be able to advise you how (and when) to take any medication when you’re on the mountain. He’ll also be able to check that there is no contraindications between your existing medication and your malaria tablets or Diamox.
Do let your agency know of any pre-existing medical conditions you may have

You also need to bring any medication you may be taking. Furthermore, you need to know, and inform your crew, of any special arrangements that your doctor has advised. The guides on Rwenzori aren’t qualified physicians, of course. But any information you can give them regarding your health may help them to make an informed judgement. Which, in turn, might just save your life.

Don’t try to pack too much into your Rwenzori itinerary.

Give yourself a day between landing in Uganda and starting the Rwenzori trek. Less essential, but perhaps a good idea if you have the time, is to take a day in between the trek and safari. We advise you to make a provision for some extra days within Rwenzori mountains and dont select the 7 days Rwenzori treks tour if your above 50 year . we offer 10 Days Rwenzori trek for elderly and 12 days Rwenzori & gorilla trek to see the gorillas and even hike Rwenzori Mountain.

Insurance for older climbers on Rwenzori

One of the difficulties older trekkers run into when preparing for a Rwenzori climb is that insurance for such an adventure can be really difficult to find. You can ring up an insurer, tell them of your plans to climb 3rd highest Mountain, followed by a Gorilla safari, and they’ll readily provide you with a quote. However, when you tell them that you’re over 70 (for example), the last thing you’ll hear before they slam the phone down is the sound of the blood draining from their face.

We recommend the  Silver Nomads are something to do with World Nomads and they are the best known insurers that offer trekking insurance for Elders within Africa.