Four hour gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi

Four hour gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park gives trekkers an opportunity to be very close to the semi-habituated mountain gorillas making them get used to human presence around them. A maximum of 4 trekkers are lucky to do the mountain gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi on a given day. 

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is the only place to carry out mountain gorilla trekking in the whole world. More than 20 mountain gorilla families are within Bwindi and most of them are fully habituated and open for gorilla trekking in Rushaga, Nkuringo, Buhoma, and Ruhija sectors of the park. But there is one gorilla family in Rushaga that is still going through habituation. 

Bikingi gorilla family is the semi-habituated group available for habituation in Rushaga sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. A maximum of 4 people is allowed to habituate this gorilla family and be part of the activities to make members get used to the human presence around them. Below is how the gorilla habituation day goes like in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. 

Four hour gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi

Rushaga sector in the southern sector is where gorilla habituation takes place every day in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. A maximum of 4 trekkers are allowed to do this activity on a day and the day starts with early morning breakfast at the lodge and then a drive to the sector headquarters. 

At Rushaga headquarters, trekkers are taught the rules and regulations of gorilla habituation which enable them to be safe with the mountain gorillas in the wild. Armed ranger guides together with researchers and doctors head to the starting point of the trekking. Here they use different trekking trails to look for the semi-habituated gorilla family which is mobile.

Searching for the semi-habituated mountain gorilla family in Rushaga sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park takes 2 to 4 hours and during the search, tourists get an opportunity to see the different wildlife species, vegetation, and water sources. The time taken to locate the semi-habituated mountain gorilla family depends on the speed of trekkers, the nature of trekking trails, and the location of the gorilla family.

When trekkers locate the semi-habituated gorilla family, they are given 4 hours to be with the group. Following the rules and regulations, the trekkers together with the habituation team start the activities that make the mountain gorillas get used to human presence around them. This activity is totally different from normal trekking because trekkers get so close to the mountain gorillas.

Once the activities for habituation are done, trekkers are asked to move away from the gorilla family and trek back to the starting points. While moving out of the forest, tourists get to meet different animals in the park. Here they meet their driver guides who transfer them to the next destination. 

How much does one have to pay to get a gorilla habituation permit?

To get carry out gorilla habituation in Rushaga of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park you need to purchase a habituation permit. This is a card issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to allow tourists to be part of the activity that allows one to come near the mountain gorillas. Only licensed local tour operators are allowed to purchase these gorilla permits 

Only 4 gorilla habituation permits are available in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park on a day. Each permit costs $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and UGX750,000 citizens of East African member states. The fact that only 4 permits are available on a day, tourists intending to carry out such an activity are advised to book early enough before they sell out.

When should tourists visit Bwindi for gorilla habituation?

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is open for gorilla habituation experience all throughout the year. The most appropriate time for the activity is the dry season which occurs from June to September and December to February. The months are the best because they have good weather that is characterized by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine.

With the dry and passable trekking trails, trekkers will be able to access the gorilla family on time.  The vegetation is always short and scattered during the dry season which gives tourists a clear view of the mountain gorillas. The roads leading to the park are also dry and passable making tourists reach the park on time. 

Tourists can still go gorilla habituation in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in the rainy season which is from March to May and October to November a time when the park is receiving a lot of rainfall and little sunshine. The trekking trails are muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall and wet with unclear views of wildlife while the roads to the park tend to be slippery when the rains are heavy.  

Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park for gorilla habituation

Mountain gorilla habituation in Bwindi impenetrable forest is carried out only in the Rushaga sector which is situated in the southern part of the country. Tourists from Entebbe/Kampala or Kigali can access this sector in a single day. From Kigali, it takes 4 hours while from Kampala/Entebbe it takes around 9 to 10 hours. 

Tourists from Kigali access the Rushaga sector of the park by crossing the borders in Kisoro and driving to the southern parts of the park. From Entebbe/Kampala, tourists drive through Mpigi, Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, and Kisoro to Rushaga. The journeys come with stopovers and great views of different attractions along the way.