Mountain gorilla habituation experience in Uganda

Mountain gorilla habituation experience in Uganda: Uganda is the only country in the world where tourists can carry out mountain gorilla habituation. This is an activity that involves tourists visiting the jungle and being around the mountain gorillas for 4 hours while helping the members get used to human presence around them. In Uganda, gorilla habituation is carried out in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, which is home to the highest population of mountain gorillas.

Mountain gorilla habituation is every traveler’s dream come true because it comes with four hours around the semi-habituated mountain gorillas. Tourists from across the globe would love to have that time around the mountain gorillas, making them get used to human presence around them. To be part of this once-in-a-lifetime activity, tourists need to visit the Rushaga Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in the southwestern part of Uganda.

Gorilla habituation experience in Uganda

This is one of the exciting activities every tourist would love to be part of. On the day of habituation, trekkers wake up early in the morning to have an early breakfast at the lodge. Then they are given a packed lunch because the activity can last for hours, which is not expected. Trekkers are also given enough drinking water to use throughout the activity. Driver guides transfer the trekkers to the sector headquarters, where briefing and validation of habituation certificates take place.

At the briefing center, trekkers are taught the rules and regulations of habituation for the safety of the mountain gorillas and the people themselves. Entertainers from the nearby villages take trekkers of the day through dance and drama before heading to the jungle. Trekkers with excess luggage are able to hire porters at a very affordable fee to help them throughout the whole activity. Once all is done, trekkers are driven by their driver guides to the starting points of the trek.

Gorilla habituation is done with the help of armed ranger guides, gorilla doctors, and researchers who guide trekkers on how to treat the mountain gorillas. Searching for habituated mountain gorillas takes the team through a number of trails, meeting some of the forest attractions. It takes 2 to 4 hours to locate the semi-habituated gorilla family, and once the members are spotted, the activity begins.

Trekkers are taught how to make the mountain gorillas get used to human presence around them, and they are allowed to be part of the activities. Trekkers can also record videos and take photos of the mountain gorillas for future memories. Trekkers are lucky to watch these mountain gorillas carry out day-to-day activities for over 4 hours, and these include nesting, hunting, playing, mating, and breastfeeding, to mention a few.

After 4 hours around the semi-habituated mountain gorillas, tourists are asked to move away from the gorilla family and let the mountain gorillas continue with their day. While getting out of the jungle, trekkers have chances of meeting other wildlife like the elephants, antelopes, monkeys, chimpanzees, and different bird species, to mention a few.

At the end of the four-hour gorilla habituation, trekkers are awarded gorilla habituation certificates for their participation and conservation of mountain gorillas. Trekkers meet their driver guides and drive to their next destinations or lodges. The short journeys come with great views of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and meeting local people.

What is the cost of mountain gorilla habituation in Uganda

To carry out gorilla habituation in Uganda, tourists need to have a gorilla habituation permit, which is a document issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority to allow tourists to encounter semi-habituated mountain gorillas in the wild. Uganda has only 4 gorilla habituation permits currently, and these are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. We always encourage tourists who intend to travel and see these semi-habituated mountain gorillas to book in advance.

A single gorilla habituation permit in Uganda costs $1500 for foreign non-residents and $1000 for foreign residents and the Rest of Africa, while citizens of East African member states pay 750,000. These rates include entrance fees, guide fees, and community development contributions. On the day of trekking, trekkers present the permits to the park authorities for verification, and if valid, they go for the activity where they spend 4 hours around semi-habituated mountain gorillas.

The best period for gorilla habituation in Uganda

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, where mountain gorilla habituation takes place, can be visited all throughout the year. The best months, however, are the dry season ones, which happen from June to September and December to February. They are characterized by little rainfall, with the trekking trails less muddy. Trekking is easy when the trails are easier to pass through, as the location of the mountain gorillas becomes quicker.

Tourists can still go for gorilla habituation during the rainy season, although there is plenty of rainfall, which can make the activity less interesting. The trekking trails are muddy, the vegetation is tall with unclear views of some of the attractions, and some roads to the trekking points are impassable. Tourists who trek in the rainy season, however, find the tour packages discounted since tour operators and the lodges reduce prices to attract a few people who travel during the rainy season.

What to pack for a successful gorilla habituation in Uganda

For gorilla habituation to be successful, trekkers must go to the jungle with the right essentials. Trekkers must have enough food, drinking water, and energy-giving snacks to keep them full throughout the activity. Other things include waterproof hiking shoes, a pair of gaiters, long cotton socks, long-sleeved pants, long-sleeved shirts, gardening gloves, a light backpack, a rain jacket, insect repellents, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, a camera, and a pair of binoculars, to mention but a few.

Accommodation on a gorilla habituation safari in Uganda

Gorilla habituation in Uganda is currently carried out in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Tourists who intend to do the activity need to stay in lodges within the sector so as to travel for short distances on the day of trekking. The lodges in Rushaga include Gorilla Leisure Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Burunga Lodge, Mutanda Lake Resort, and Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge, to mention but a few.

Getting to Rushaga sector of Bwindi for gorilla habituation

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park can be accessed by both air transport and road transport. Air transport is the quickest way tourists can get to the park, and the country has different airlines to fly tourists, such as Aerolink Uganda and Pearlsky Limited. Tourists flying to Rushaga take about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to Kisoro Airstrip from Entebbe International Airport.

Tourists can still access the Rushaga sector of Bwindi by road transport from Kigali or Entebbe International Airport. Kigali is the closest, taking 3 to 4 hours by using the Kyanika border in Kisoro to the park, while from Entebbe to the park takes 9 to 10 hours. From Entebbe, tourists drive through Kampala, Mpigi, Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, and Kisoro to the park. The road transport is long but comes with great views of Uganda’s attractions along the way.