Uganda Gorilla Habituation Experience
Uganda Gorilla Habituation Experience
Uganda Gorilla Habituation Experience is absolutely a beautiful activity one wouldn’t have missed on your Uganda bucket list or African continent. Uganda is proud of estimating half of the world’s endangered mountain gorilla population which is worth it .Note ,if you decide to engage in gorilla trekking you have a chance to spend up to one hour in the company of the gorillas in their inhabits .
They live in tropical rainforest of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park .The gorilla habituation is a process that takes between 2 to 3 years under training as they gently introduce the gorillas to human presence .This is essential for the continued researchers ,doctors ,journalists ,caretaker and conservation of the great apes.
Ideally those wish to take a more active role in the protection and acknowledgement of these endangered gorillas, you are lightly to join the rangers and conservationists in the gorilla habituation process of the two gorilla groups in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. During a habituation trek, you’re allowed to spend up to 4 delightful hours with these emotional gentle giants, the experience is an incredibly humbling experience.
In fact, the gorilla habituation experience involves in spending four hours with a group of gorillas possibly in the Rushaga sector in the southern side of Bwindi National Park. Then gorilla trek spends up to an hour observing the gorilla family. In Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park there are four gorilla sectors composed of 21 habituation gorilla families such as Buhoma sector, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga sector and out of the four one sector is put side for Gorilla Habituation Experience and the rest for gorilla trekking.
A gorilla trekking permit costs USD700 while the gorilla habituation experience costs USD1,500 per person per trek.
The experience of gorilla habituation is completely safe and the benefit of spending more time with gorillas is to understand their behaviors and social dynamics as you enjoy their unique bodies as well as fabulous photography’s.
The first part of any gorilla experience in Uganda depends on lengthy of trekking into the forest done with an expert team of guides and scouts, looking for tracks from where they were the previous day. The toughness clue of trekking is to find the gorillas nest from the previous night. It can take up to 7 hours to meet a gorilla family.
Once the location of gorillas is made, you will spend up 4 hours with them. Gorilla habituation experience is quite incredible that gives an insight into the lives of these great apes that few get to experience.
As you observe these gorillas up close, you enjoy interacting with each other in their small groups, you will begin to draw parallels between the mountain gorillas and we humans and the similarities are often the same.
The activity is a full day affair and after trekking return to the lodge for dinner and refreshment will be much needed and well deserved.
When to Visit Gorilla –Uganda Gorilla Safari
The Uganda gorilla habituation experience can be visited year around. Bwindi’s temperature hover between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius yearly. The country experiences two dry seasons from June to August and December to February marking the best times to visit, you’re recommended to book your gorilla trekking permit in advance since it can be peak season, gorilla permits can be on high sell and competitive.
Then wet seasons occurs from March to May season of receiving heavy rainfall in the park, so be aware to void these months on your itinerary planning. Though it offers some advantages for photographers, clear views as well as mist that creates a certain moody, wilderness look and feel of the park right from your hotel veranda.
What to Carry with you?
Camera; Carry your camera with enough batteries as well as waterproof covering.
A lightweight backpack; try to carry reusable water bottle, enough room for lunch, energy snack and others essentials like insect repellent, bite relief cream, after-sun and lip balm.
Binoculars; Provides clear viewing of birds and monkeys from a distance.
Waterproof hiking boots; You must carry good ankle that supports and grip to avoid any nasty blister and ensuring that you have good walking socks
Hat and sunglasses
Where to stay on Visit in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi boosts with classic and comfortable accommodation options which are every closer to the trekking sector you meant to trek. It so amazing to watch mountain gorillas right from locally run lodges with traditional architecture blended with modern amenities with elegant ‘’wood’’ and stone architecture such as Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Buhoma Lodge and Mahogany Springs Safari Lodge among others.
Getting there;
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in the south-west of Uganda and be can accessed both by road or by air.
By Road Transport
The park can be accessed from Entebbe or Kampala within 8 to 9 hours.
By Air Transport
You can still access the park by domestic flight right from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airport to Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrip both located close to Bwindi. The flight run daily and take about 1:30 hours to access the park.
