Are you a photographer looking to spend more time with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat? Then try out the Gorilla Habituation Experience where you are guaranteed to spend more time (4 hours) with these Giant Apes, although you will be tracking a semi-habituated gorilla family.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience is only offered in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and only in the southern sector of Rushaga. While you will have four hours with these Great Apes, the experience of creating paths through the dense forest is as thrilling as making contact with them.
Before gorilla families are opened for trekking, they have to first undergo habituation (training to make them used to human presence) and this period lasts 2 years by a team of Researchers, conservationists, Rangers, and trackers. For the Gorilla Habituation Experience, these Giant Apes are not fully habituated and you will notice that they are more timid and shy than the fully-habituated gorilla families.
A typical day during the Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda
Your day begins early with registration and briefing at the Park Headquarters at 7:30am, after entertainment from the local community group. This 30-minute briefing is provided by the experienced Park Rangers, taking you through the guidelines and protocols of tracking and watching these Great Apes in their natural habitat. This will be followed by the 3-6-hour walk through the jungle. With the use machetes, Rangers create way through the forest and this process is sluggish but generally exciting. Given their training and experience, information regarding different creatures encountered along the way will be properly explained by the Ranger guide.
The 3-6 hours or more will be utilized in walking through the forest to find these Giant Apes and because you are taking rarely-used trails, expect to fall, get scratched by vegetation and jump streams but all these will come to an end when you start approaching the Mountain gorillas. Gorilla nest are the first evidence that you are getting closer to the semi-habituated gorilla family and from this point, it will take another 30 minutes to one hour to make contact with the Great Apes. Afterward, four hours will be offered to learn about, watch and photograph them without being rushed.
During the four hours with the mountain Gorillas, you will get the chance to witness the leader (dominant silverback) mock charges, nursing females, playful infants, and juveniles grooming each other. Only one gorilla family in Rushaga is open for the Gorilla Habituation Experience and can be visited by only four guests. For this reason, only four gorilla permits are issued each day by Uganda Wildlife Authority.
How much is a Gorilla Habituation Experience permit in Uganda?
Gorilla Habituation Experience permits cost $1500 per person for foreign non-residents, $1000 per person for foreign residents and Shs. 750,000 per person for East African Citizens (Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi). Remember that only four gorilla permits are issued each day and therefore, it is advisable to book at least one year in advance. The price only includes entry fees, Ranger fees and the activity itself but excludes tips, porter fees and transportation.
What you need for the Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda
Just like standard gorilla treks, the Gorilla Habituation Experience involves going through the jungles and you will be spending a longer time. You need a rain jacket, a pair of sturdy and comfortable hiking boots with ankle support, gaiters, breathable and light-weight safari pants in khaki and other neutral colors, gardening gloves, a basic first aid kit, pair of binoculars for sighting far attractions especially birds, a spacious and waterproof backpack for carrying things you need during the Trek, a nice camera (avoid using the flash during photography), energy-giving snacks, insect repellant, comfortable long sleeved shirts, re-usable water bottle, safari hat and sunglasses for sun protection, toiletries (hand sanitizer, nail clips, toothbrush, hand and body lotion, hair comb, toothpaste, and wet wipes), and others.
What month is the best for the Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda?
The best months to take part in the Gorilla Habituation Experience are from June to September and December to February. These months are marked by little or no rains hence drier forest trails and scantier vegetation, which make it less challenging to walk through the forest.
The months of March to May and October through November are marked by heavy downpours which make forest trails wetter, muddier and slippery. For this reason, expect more challenging trekking experiences. However, the rainy season is perfect for photography owing to the fact that the air is cleared of dirt and vegetation is greener.
Where to stay during the Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda
For places of stay during the Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda, choose accommodation facilities in Rushaga or Nkuringo sectors that include Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Four Gorillas Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Nshongi Camp, and Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge among others.
Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for the Gorilla Habituation Experience
For air, you can fly from Entebbe International Airport/Kajjansi Airstrip to Kisoro, then continue 2 hours by road to Bwindi’s Rushaga sector.
For road transfers, it takes 8-9 hours from Kampala to Rushaga sector, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale and Kisoro.