I believe there are. My preference is to use one.

A few years back we were deep jungle trekking in Mahale's neighbor Masakoe and with five porters carrying supplies. On the third day the porter carrying our case of Gin slipped, all Gin bottles were broken. The poor pleading porter was sent back home. And we had to spend the next five days living on nothing but food and water.

regards - tom
rip W.C. Fields

After a couple of words I thought I recognized W.C. Fields!

We didn't have any at Kungwe and don't think there were any available, unless you prevailed upon a camp staff member to do it. What would you use one for? Sundowner said that it wasn't as strenuous as gorilla trekking, although it was hard enough for me! The main problem was when the chimps started moving down a river bed and we followed, hopping rocks.

If you search here for W C Fields you would see I tell this every opening I get, at least once a year .

regards - tom

I just prefer to hike with as little added weight as possible. But I don't have heavy equipment.

Did you bring binocs on your hike? They really weren't needed for the gorillas and surprisingly I never saw other birdlife or wildlife while looking for the gorillas. I have a feeling there will be more need for binocs in Mahale.

Tom and WC, no need to respond on the binocs. I'm pretty sure of your answer.

I really didn't carry anything but my camera. I had a small daybag and put the camera in it when it rained (nothing else in there.) I think the tracker or guide had water. A walking stick helped. No, I didn't take binocs. I just used my camera zoom lens to see stuff "up close." There were several species of monkeys that we caught a glimpse of, but they didn't hang around long enough for photos. Most of the time, the chimps were REALLY close to us. No one told them about the 10-meter rule!

I always bring my own water so I can sip a lot and make sure I don't get dehydrated. Thanks for the info.

I'd check with the camp where you're staying and ask the question. I bet they could accommodate you. What time of year are you planning to go? We were told the best time was August, although we had great success in September. There was a fruiting tree behind one of the tents at Kungwe that the chimps fed on twice during the 3 days that we were there. They showed up about 30 minutes after we arrived at camp; quite a welcome! The other camps brought their guests to Kungwe via boat to see them... we just walked over.

Going in Sept. Thanks ShayTay.

Are you asking about the availability of dark beer?

Why yes, for a toast with the chimps.

September... that's when we were there. I'd suggest Kungwe because of that fruiting tree. Also, they have one of the best guides in Mahale, Sixtus. The chimps are usually further down the mountain, nearer the lake in September, so that's good. We also went snorkeling in front of the camp; wonderfully clean, clear water. We also tried our hand at fishing; good thing supper didn't depend on our skills. By all means, raise a toast when the chimps visit!

And a toast to all of you!

Greetings, Atravelynn!

You've been very helpful to me in planning past trips, and it turns out that my husband and I will also be at Mahale in early Sept. Hopefully we'll cross paths! We're heading from Mahale to Faru Faru and Sabora, then to Beho Beho and finally will end up at Sabinyo Silverback for gorilla trekking. I've learned a great deal from you over the years and it would be nice to say thank you if the situation occurs. Regardless, good travels land great luck with the chimps!

Debwarr, maybe we can toast!

Feel free to email me at my screen name on hotmail. Good luck to you to with the chimps, the gorillas and everything else out there!

I'll send you an email. Hope our schedules match up.