ruthargis

We will be doing a 3 day trek in Rwanda in late Sept. and although I have received a great deal of great information from all of you in planning this part of our trip I am wondering just what to expect in the way of weather, hiking conditions etc. Will definitly help me in making my final packing decisions.....thanks so much, Ruth

gshah18

End of September is the end of the dry season. If you're lucky, it might start raining some, clear away the haze, and make visible the amazing views of the "thousand hills" and all the volcanoes which are not otherwise visible.

Temperatures will be pleasant during the day (likely around 75 degrees or so) and quite cool at night - probably around 55 degrees or so. If it rains, it gets cooler.

Its chilly in the morning, so its tempting to take your fleece on your hike, but you quickly do not want it. I would wear it in the morning, but leave it in the car once I got to the starting point for the hike. I wore a short sleeve shirt, and a long sleeve shirt over it and was fine. I kept a rain coat in my backpack in case. For pants, I was wearing a cargo pant thickness pant. I had my zip off thin and comfy nylon pants, but people were reporting that they were getting stung by nettles through those pants so I opted for the thicker cotton and was happy.

I liked having hiking boots rather than just trail hikers, but either will do. I just like the extra ankle support and and it was nicer in areas of deep mud.

Some people were coming in gaitors. There are no leeches, so I'm not sure why they were doing this unless they really really wanted to keep their socks clean. I think tucking your pants into your socks works just fine - but no matter what, anytime you stop, make sure you haven't stopped near safari ants.

Bring gardening gloves or something similar to wear on your hands.

ruthargis

gshah18....thanks so much for the good advice...will definitely take something hvy enough to keep out the nettles...what would you think of wearing jeans? Already have garden gloves and will definitely wear good hiking shoes....Ruth

fbirder

The problem with jeans is that they're not much use if it rains - they get wet easily (which means you're wet) and they get very, very, heavy.

I'm also off to Rwanda next month. For gorilla trekking I've got a pair of polyester/cotton trousers with a water-repellant finish. These are thick enough to keep out the nettles, dry in all but torrential rain and light enough to be comfortable walking in the heat. They're made by Regatta (don't know if they're available in the US)

gshah18

I wouldn't wear jeans, but its not a disaster if you did. I just find them too heavy and tight and hot. I'd much rather be in some cargo pants. I will say this about getting wet - who cares if you get soaked. It's not like you are coming back to a tent or need to walk all day in them. Just get wet, get back to your hotel, shower, and change. The only thing to consider with rain is how to keep your camera gear dry and how to stay warm in case its cold.