The Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda is the Ultimate Encounter with the Gentle Giants
The Gorilla Habituation Experience gives you more time with a Gorilla Family, and there are only 4-Participants.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda is an exclusive one-of-a-kind encounter with the Gentle Giants in the Rushaga area in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
It has become the most sought-after Primate Encounter in all of East Africa. The Gorilla Habituation is not offered in Rwanda or DR Congo, but only in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Rushaga region.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience might be the most sought-after activity by those wanting to trek Gorillas. Still, only a few are fortunate enough to do so since there are only four Gorilla Habituation Experience per day.
We will do our all to make the Gorilla Habituation Experience a reality. It, however, means that you need to plan early.
The Habituation Experience becomes the highlight of any safari in Africa. One of our Clients wrote, “The Gorilla Habituation Experience was the Icing on the Cake of our time on Safari in Uganda.”
David Attenborough’s words reflect the sentiment of many who have participated in the Gorilla Habituation Experience. “Spending time with these gentle creatures in their natural habitat was a profoundly moving experience.”
What is the Gorilla Habituation Experience?
Wild Mountain Gorillas are distrustful of humans. They will move away when you approach them, and you will not see them. If they feel threatened, they will respond by charging at you or attacking you at rare times.
For a mountain gorilla family to become part of the gorillas that tourists track, they first go through “habituation.” The habituation of a mountain Gorilla family takes two years or longer.
Uganda Wildlife Authority Rangers and Researchers conduct the Gorilla Habituation process. The gorilla family’s health is monitored by the Gorilla Doctors, who make forest calls.
Once the habituation process begins, the great apes are seen, observed, and monitored daily regardless of the weather. Those habituating the gorilla family determine when the group is ready for regular gorilla tracking.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience is where a limited number of trekkers four, not eight, like on a regular trek) join the Uganda Wildlife Authority Rangers and Researchers in the habituation process. The Gorilla Habituation Experience is with a family habituated for some months, which means they are somewhat used to humans.
7-Reasons why Trekkers choose the Gorilla Habituation Experience
1. Spend More Time with the Gorillas:
Often, we have heard one of our clients say after a regular gorilla trek. “It was too short – I wanted more than one hour with the Gorillas.” The Uganda Wildlife Authority does offer more time on a limited basis with its exclusive Gorilla Habituation Experience.
You will spend more time with the gentle giants of the forest. The length of time may differ depending on the location of the gorilla family on that day.
The maximum time is four-hours with a family. Your Trek begins at seven AM, and You return in the late afternoon. It is an all-day trek, taking place rain or shine.
Many want more time with the Gentle Giants, and up to 4-Hours with a Gorilla Family seems precisely suitable for most trekkers.
2. There are only four Participants, not eight:
One of the Gorilla Habituation Experience’s significant advantages is that there are only four trekkers instead of the usual eight on a regular trek. Another reason that trekkers are choosing the habituation experience over the traditional Trek
You are with the Uganda Wildlife Authority Rangers, who manage the Gorilla family’s habituation that you are visiting.
3. You are a Participant in the Gorilla Habituation Process
Gorillas are not used to having humans around them, and they will feel threatened and often run away or act hostile toward the intruders. The Gorilla Family you are visiting is undergoing the habituation process, preparing them for gorilla trekking visitation. They are becoming used to the presence of humans, and you are a participant in that process.
4. You have the best Photo Opportunities:
The Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda is one of the foremost primate photography encounters in the world. You have more time and many opportunities for that perfect shot.
There is the now ten-meter distance rule, but that has not kept photographers from taking some award-winning photographs on the habituation experience. Light Conditions in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest are something that you need to consider, and No-Flash photos are allowed.
We suggest that you not just spend time looking through your camera lens but focus on the Experience of experiencing your photographs.
5. It is a learning Experience:
The Gorilla Habituation is a learning experience. You have more time with the gorillas, and through observation and input from the Rangers about the daily routine of the gorillas, you get new insights into one of our closest cousins’ lives.
6. You can have a personal Experience without other participants:
We can arrange a private Gorilla Habituation Experience for you without any additional participants but your party and rangers. Please note that such an arrangement depends
7. You can add on other activities and Parks:
Uganda is more than Gorillas, and you can count on parks and places in the Pearl of Africa that will enhance your time on a Safari here.
Most Visitors to Uganda do not realize that the Pearl of Africa is home to the Big 7 – the Big 5 plus Rhinos. There are many things to see here, things and places off the beaten Tourist Map – Things that you will be able to do and see in neighboring Tanzania or Kenya.
We know Uganda and Rwanda. We live here and promote both countries because we are passionate about them and the hidden places that they offer for you to see.
Relax and Chill Out after the Habituation Experience – Uganda is more than Mountain Gorillas – sadly, that is a reality not realized by most travelers.
How hard is it to get Gorilla Habituation Experience Permits?
Gorilla Habituation Experience Permits are 1,500 USD each. To get them, you must go through an AUTO Tour Operator, such as ourselves. That partner with the UWA in the promotion and Sales of Gorilla Permits.
Once you tell us that you would like to go on a Gorilla Habituation Experience and give us dates, we will check for Permits and lodging availability. Habituation Experience Permits are best paid for immediately upon booking a Safari with us.
Please Note: There are only four habituation experience permits per day compared to 152 regular trekking permits. It means that you must plan.
If you are visiting other African countries, plan your gorilla encounter first, then the other portions of your time in Africa.
Be flexible with the dates for your Gorilla Habituation Experience, making it easier to find permits for you.
Which months are the Best for getting Gorilla Habituation Experience Permits?
Which are the Best Months of the Year when Gorilla Habituation Experience Permits are Available? As you plan a Safari in Uganda, knowing about the permit availability is good. The peak-season months are when the permits are sold out far before the actual dates.
The Best Months of the Year when Gorilla Habituation Permits are Available are during the shoulder seasons, the time between the dry season, and the year’s rainy season.
The Best Months for Gorilla Trekking Permits are April, May, October, and November during the off-season. Most luxury lodges will have discount rates.
It rains mostly at night and during the early morning around dawn during the rainy season (We do not have all-day monsoons).
The reality is that Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a tropical Afro-Montane Rainforest, and it can rain on any day. Primate Trekking takes place in Rain or Shine – no one complains about the rain, and most wear a rain jacket or poncho. If you come from the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. or British Columbia, you will feel right at home.
Where does the Gorilla Habituation Experience take place?
The answer presently is only in the Rushaga area, which is in the southern region of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The Habituation Experience cannot be done in Buhoma, Ruhija, or Nkuringo Area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest nor in Mgahinga Gorilla Park, but only in the Rushaga area.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience has its trailhead in the Rushaga apart from the usual Trekking Trailhead.
Getting to Rushaga from Entebbe by Road is a nine to ten-hour drive. Via Aerolink is a ninety-minute flight that is quite scenic but adds extra dollars to your safari Cost.
The Shortest route by road is from Kigali, Rwanda. Fly into Rwanda and Trek Gorillas in Uganda. Kigali is a regional airport, and we have been using it for over five years. It has proven to be the most convenient route to Rushaga for most clients.
The quickest way is on a Fly-In Safari from Entebbe International Airport. Land at the Kisoro landing strip, and Our driver’s Guide will meet you. It is a 45-Minute drive to Rushaga.
Where do I stay on a Gorilla Habituation Safari?
There are many suitable Lodging Choices for your Gorilla Trekking-Habituation Experience, Southern Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Independent travelers often overlook staying at the right Lodge while on the exclusive Habituation Experience or a Gorilla Trek.
We take the confusion out of picking the right Lodge for you near the Habituation Trailhead.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience requires a bit of drive time from the Lodge where you might be staying. The Habituation Experience is at 7:30 am, half an hour earlier than the typical Trek.
The Southern area of Bwindi Impenetrable offers many midrange and luxury lodging choices.
Is the Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda Safe?
Is the Gorilla Habituation Experience Safe? That is an often asked question. Uganda has Gorillas but not Guerrillas. You can find guerillas in other countries while trekking the gentle giants, but not in Uganda.
Uganda is a safe, secure, and stable Mountain Gorilla Destination. It is the only Mountain Gorilla Destination with no guerrilla activities in over 20 years.
Your safety, security, and well-being are on everyone’s mind, including ours. The Uganda Wildlife Authority Rangers with you are armed, and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is patrolled 24/7 for suspicious activities such as poaching.
There have been no safety and security incidents in Bwindi Forest, and no tourists have been harmed in over 20 years. Going on a Habituation Experience is safer than crossing the road in Kampala, and you will feel safe and secure the whole time on your Trek. You are our Passion.
Gorilla Habituation Safaris in Uganda:
It is only in Uganda where you can go on a Mountain Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari. One gorilla group is habituated in the Rushaga area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. Only four permits are available.
You can easily access Rushaga from points in Uganda and take a short drive 4-hour from Kigali.
Gorilla Habituation Experience can be part of any Safari that includes Trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
We can adjust the Safari to include the Habituation Experience – depending on permit availability, which is quite limited compared to regular Trekking.
You have to be flexible with your dates to include the Gorilla Habituation Experience in your Safari.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience – Our Take:
We are a Gorilla Tour Operator and act as facilitators for the Gorilla Habituation Experience. Call us a matchmaker. We set and arranged the date and the meeting. However, we do not control what takes place in your prearranged meeting. Not even the rangers and trackers do that. You are not in a controlled situation. You are in the wild, where sometimes things are unpredictable, and it is all up to the Mountain Gorillas.
You visit a gorilla family in their living room in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and what takes place is up to the gorillas. Our clients have called this Experience unbelievable, better than expected.
2022-2023 requires your flexibility to plan this activity since there are only four permits per day than over 150 regular gorilla tracking permits. Often, we have to inform potential clients – no more habituation permits.
To Plan ahead is the best advice that we can give.
