Updated
Your fitness to trek after surgery depends on the operation, how well you have recovered and what your surgeon says. The trek can mean several hours on steep, slippery, uneven ground in humid forest, often far from a hospital, so you need to be able to walk on hills, keep your balance and carry little weight. Many people trek a few months after minor or keyhole surgery; after joint replacement, spinal, heart or major abdominal surgery, recovery usually takes longer. Here is how to judge your readiness and reduce the risks.
What the trek demands
The walk to a gorilla family takes from about one to six hours or more, at about 1,160–2,600 metres in Bwindi, often leaving the trail through thick vegetation. You will climb and descend steep slopes, step over roots and logs, and sometimes slip. A healed wound must also stand up to sweat, mud and scratches. The nearest well-equipped hospitals are many hours’ drive away, so complications are harder to manage than at home. See our guide to who can go gorilla trekking.
Different types of surgery
After joint surgery such as a knee or hip replacement, most people need several months of rehabilitation before they can manage steep, uneven ground; ask your surgeon specifically about slopes and the risk of falls. After abdominal surgery, the concern is strain on the healing muscles and the risk of a hernia. After heart surgery or a procedure such as a stent, cardiologists usually want to see that you can manage sustained effort on hills before approving a trek. In every case, written advice from your surgeon is worth having.
The journey matters too
Long-haul flights after surgery raise the risk of blood clots, so ask your doctor about compression socks, moving often and any preventive medication. The drive from Kampala to Bwindi takes 9–10 hours on roads that are rough in places, which can be hard after abdominal or spinal surgery; flying to Kihihi or Kisoro shortens it. Make sure your travel insurance covers your recent operation and medical evacuation, and declare it honestly. See our guide to travel insurance for gorilla trekking.
Making the trek easier
Tell the park staff at the morning briefing about your recent surgery; they may assign you to a family found closer to the starting point. Hire a porter to carry your bag and help on steep sections, use two trekking poles, and take your time. If walking is not possible, a sedan chair carried by local porters can be booked in advance. The permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November, so if your recovery is uncertain, book with flexibility in mind. See our guides to trekking with bad knees and trekking with back pain.
When to postpone
Consider moving your trip if your wound has not fully healed, you still need strong painkillers, you cannot yet walk uphill for an hour or more, or your surgeon advises against it. Gorilla permits can sometimes be rescheduled, subject to UWA’s rules and fees, so contact your operator early rather than at the last minute.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the operation; ask your surgeon, and be able to walk uphill comfortably for an hour first.
Often yes, after several months of rehabilitation and with your surgeon’s approval.
Yes, a sedan chair carried by local porters, booked in advance.
Only if you declare the operation; check that trekking and evacuation are covered.
