Gorilla Habituation

Gorilla habituation simply refers to the process upon which mountain gorillas are studied until proven that they don’t fear human encounter and are free to relate with human beings in a non-violent way. The process usually take’s 2-3 years upon a selected gorilla family before it’s commissioned for human encounter. Note; the gorillas learn to be calm and go about life in the presence of humans. So by the end of the long habituation process, the mountain gorilla troop is still wild; it still lives in its natural habitat and goes about its normal daily activities.

Where is gorilla habituation experience conducted?

The only place offering gorilla habituation experiences is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwest Uganda. More specifically, the only part of the park offering a gorilla habituation experience is the Rushaga sector in the south. The activity is rewarding since it offers visitors 4 hours with the gentle giants and a more sound opportunity to take nice photos, enjoy their routine work of feeding, playing, socializing and ask questions as you get answered directly by researchers about any behaviors of these primates.

How much does it cost to do Gorilla Habituation?

In Uganda gorilla habituation experience is the most expensive activity on a safari equally to gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda. The cost of the activity is USD$1500 but worth it given the experience of over 4 hours compared to gorilla trekking experience which is gives visitors only one hour once the primates are found in the jungle.

Note: apparently Uganda offers cheap gorilla trekking experience at a cost of USD$700 and it as well has more gorilla trekking families that are habituated for visitors than any other gorilla trekking destinations.

How many Gorilla habituation permits are offered to Visitors?

There are eight permits available for the gorilla habituation experience each day. The eight permits are divided into two groups of 4, one group for each gorilla family. It is advised that you book far in advance if you would like to include a habituation experience as part of your itinerary.

How to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Located in the southwest of Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can be easily accessed by air or road. Most travellers arrive in Uganda via the Entebbe International Airport, the largest airport in the country, located in Entebbe in central Uganda.

If you’re short on time, you can take a flying safari around the country. There are two airstrips servicing the Bwindi region – Kisoro and Kihihi – located just outside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Both airstrips offer daily flights from Entebbe, and the flight takes around 1.5 hours.

By participating in the Gorilla Habituation Experience you are supporting the crucial work in habituating gorillas and ensuring their survival. It is truly humbling to think that you will be one of the first humans to meet these gorillas.

Optional activities that can be tailor-made upon gorilla habituation experience.

An addition of Batwa trail exploration on your gorilla trekking experience where you encounter the Batwa community as they display several skills for example they will demonstrate their amazing hunting techniques, gather honey techniques, they will show and explain the different medicinal plants and how they get cups out of bamboo stems as well as how they build their traditional grass thatched huts. The women do most of the entertaining, they sing and dance for the visitors, your presence is another way of directly supporting to development of their different initiatives since enjoying the trail goes with a certain cost which is charged to both the foreign nonresidents and the foreign residents pay a sum of $80 dollars, the East African residents pay Ug.shs.50’000 before you start the tour. This money goes to what is called the Batwa community fund for improved service delivery to the communities.

You can as well enjoy the Common designated birding areas in Mgahinga and  Bwindi particularly include Buhoma waterfall trail, the Mubwindi swamp trail in Ruhija and the bamboo zone and these trails are enjoyed in the month of March and September but note that birding is generally good throughout the year in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The other benefit of enjoying bird watching in Bwindi impenetrable national park is that you will have a chance to get close to witnessing the seven IUCN red data listed species of birds and as well you may catch a sight of mountain gorillas and other wildlife which makes your adventure a memorable one.

Contact Munda Africa Adventure for your upcoming holiday and we shall make every minute count and memorable in either destinations “Uganda/Rwanda”.