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Gorilla discovery is a safari tour and travel company based in Uganda, fully licensed to conduct safaris within Uganda and Rwanda. We offer several tours and safaris in Uganda including Gorilla Tours, wildlife adventures, mountaineering trips

Gorilla habituation safari in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Gorilla habituation safari in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Gorilla habituation safari is about traveling to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and spending over 4 hours with the semi-habituated mountain gorillas. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is located in the southwestern part of Uganda harboring the highest population of mountain gorillas in the world.

Gorilla habituation safaris in the whole world can be done in only one destination which is Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. The number of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park does increase each year and this has enabled the park to have so many mountain gorilla families. Bwindi has the highest number of mountain gorilla families in the whole world.

For a mountain gorilla family to be fully habituated, the members first go through a habituation process which takes 2 to 3 years. Apparently, one mountain gorilla family is going through habituation in Bwindi and tourists can visit it for habituation activities. Bikingi gorilla family in the Rushaga sector is the only family open for trekking within Bwindi and a maximum of 4 people can visit it a day.

The gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

The gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is carried out only in the Rushaga sector of the park. In the morning of habituation, tourists move to Rushaga headquarters where they meet rangers who teach them the rules and regulations of the activity. A maximum of 4 trekkers do habituation together with armed ranger guides, doctors, and a team of researchers.

From the briefing points, tourists are driven to the starting point of the trek where they head into the jungle to search for where mountain gorillas could be. The search for the mountain gorillas takes 2 to 5 hours depending on the location of the group, the nature of the trails, and the speed of the trekkers. During the search, trekkers are able to meet some of the wildlife that lives in the park.

Once the semi-habituated mountain gorilla family is spotted, trekkers are given up to 4 hours to be with the members. During this time, they do take part in activities that make these mountain gorillas get used to human presence around them. Trekkers get opportunities to take pictures and record videos of mountain gorillas. It’s also from here that trekkers get to learn about the gorilla habits.

Once done with the gorilla habituation, trekkers let the mountain gorillas continue with their daily activities and they trek out of the jungle. While getting out of the jungle, trekkers are able to meet different attractions of the park among which include animals, birds, water sources, and vegetation to mention but a few.

What is the cost of a gorilla habituation permit?

For tourists to have a gorilla habituation safari in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, they must have obtained a gorilla habituation permit. This is got from Uganda Wildlife Authority a government agency controlling all activities within the park. Only licensed tour operators are allowed to purchase the gorilla habituation permits for tourists willing to visit the park.

Mountain gorilla habituation permits cost $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and UGX750,000 citizens of East African member states. There are only 4 gorilla habituation permits within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park a day and this means tourists who are intending to visit the park need to book the permits early in advance of 3 to 4 months or even more.

The most appropriate time to have a gorilla habituation safari in Bwindi

Gorilla habituation safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park can be done at any time of the year however there are months better than the rest. The dry season months from June to September and December to February are the best times when tourists can have habituation safaris. This is because the months are characterized by good weather which has little rainfall and plenty of sunshine.

During the dry season, the trekking trails are dry and easier to pass through which eases the movement of trekkers while searching for the semi-habituated family. The vegetation within the park tends to be short and scattered given tourists a clear view of the attractions more so the mountain gorillas. In the end, trekkers get to have clear photography and quality videos.

Gorilla habituation activities can still take place in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park during the rainy season a period which affects budget travelers and those who hate crowded places. In the low season, lodges reduce prices to attract a few travelers who are visiting the park However those intending to come should know that there is plenty of rainfall and little sunshine.

During the rainy season, the trekking trails within the park are muddy and slippery which affects the movement of trekkers as they search for the semi-habituated mountain gorilla family. The vegetation grows at a very high speed and when tall the trekkers don’t get a clear view of the mountain gorillas. Photography and recording videos become difficult if the mountain gorillas hide in the vegetation.

Where to stay during a gorilla habituation safari in Bwindi

Tourists who intend to visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park for mountain gorilla habituation should know that the activity is only possible in the southern sector of the park in the Rushaga sector. This means that accommodation to be booked should be within the Rushaga sector. Lodges include Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Leisure, Bweza Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, and Rushaga Havens Lodge to mention but a few.

Getting to Rushaga for gorilla habituation.

Rushaga, in the south of Bwindi, is an impenetrable forest national park that can be accessed by either road transport or air transport. Air transport is the quickest way tourists can get to the park for the flights take about 2 hours and driving to the lodges is about 1 hour.  Flights are from Entebbe or Kajjansi to Kisoro airstrip.

Road transport is another way tourists can get to Rushaga sector in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. It’s cheap but it takes 9 to 10 hours to get to the lodge in the Rushaga sector of the park. From Entebbe, tourists pass via Kampala, Mpigi, Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, and Kisoro to the park.