Uganda, one of the most beautiful country in Africa has a lot a visitor can enjoy while on their safari. The game drives and boat cruises expose the visitor to amazing wildlife, bird watching and the mighty gorilla trekking adventure in either Bwindi or Mgahinga national parks. Gorilla trekking differs from habituation in terms of time, the number of trekkers among others factors.
Therefore, gorilla habituation has no specific definition but it’s well known as the experience where mountain gorillas are exposed to the presence of human beings as the visitors learn about the behaviours of these great apes at length than the regular gorilla trekking.
In the world, gorilla habituation is only done in Uganda’s Bwindi national Park located in Kanungu and Kisoro districts, South-western Uganda. The park has four sectors but habituation process only takes place in Rushaga, which is home to one gorilla family to be habituated. Gorilla habituation experience is open to tourists aged 15 and above after presenting your gorilla permits to the park warden.
Bwindi National Park is one of a few national parks where you can find the endangered mountain gorillas and research tells us that the park has the largest number of individuals compared to other national parks like Mgahinga, Volcanoes and Virunga in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo respectively.
Gorilla habituation activity.
Gorilla habituation starts at around 7:00am, East African Time after breakfast and then head to the park offices for a short briefing. Only 4 visitors are allowed to habituate one gorilla family per sector in this park. At the briefing point, be assigned to a game ranger / guide well-armed, plus researchers and conservationists.
Visitors are allowed to spend a maximum of 4 hours in the presence of these apes while enjoying their presence in a natural home while taking photos, recording videos and following them wherever they go. As the silverback, the leader of the family practices its dominance over other members while the female gorillas feed their young ones.
After habituation process, you will return to the park headquarters, be rewarded with a certificate of completion and that will mark the end of a habituation experience. Remember gorilla habituation permit in Uganda costs $1500, $1000 and 750,000/= UGX for foreign non-residents, foreign residents and East African citizens respectively.
These rates are fixed but after the experience, you will not regret it. All you need to have is a small backpack with a rain jacket, cap, enough drinking water and an energy-giving snack and a few other energy giving snacks. A pair of binoculars to magnify distant attractions like birds and camera to capture wonderful memories, strong gumboots for hiking, long-sleeved shirt and pair of trousers, garden gloves which will protect you from thorns, insect repellent among others.
A luxury gorilla Habituation experience comes with a luxury comfortable tourist safari vehicle with air-conditioning, drinking water, Wi-Fi connection, freezer, open rooftop, enough leg room, charging pots and comfortable seats.
Accommodation facilities booked are luxurious and cosy with swimming pools, spacious rooms, incredible views from the rooms and luxuriously-furnished rooms with yummy cuisine.
Best time to undertake a Luxury Gorilla Habituation experience in Uganda.
For the best gorilla habituation experiences, you are advised to take your safari in the dry seasons which occur in the months of December to February and June to September. These two dry seasons favour the habituation experience since the trails in Bwindi impenetrable forest are dry hence easy to penetrate than in the wet season that is in the months of March to May and October to November.
A luxury gorilla Habituation experience in Uganda is a success when you book with us in advance as only 4 visitors are allowed in the forest every day and habituation permits are always on high demand.
