Gorilla Habituation Experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park: Gorilla habituation is a process where the wild mountain gorillas are trained to get used to human presence for trekking. Gorilla habituation experience is carried out in Rushaga sector southern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park and was introduced by Uganda Wildlife Authority in January 2014. The habituation process takes a period of two to three years to be completed and it’s done by a group of researchers, trackers, scientists, park guides among others who visit a selected family of wild gorillas on a daily basis until the gorillas get used to human presence. Once the researchers are confident that the gorillas can be visited, a mock exercise will be introduced to test the gorillas and when they pass the exercise the mountain gorillas will be opened for trekking.

Gorilla habituation experience starts early in the morning with a briefing about the rules and regulation at the park headquarters. After the briefing you will start trekking in the jungle where you will enjoy great views of wildlife species including birds, mammals, butterflies, other primates, different plant and tree species. Once the gorillas under habituation process are located, you will be allowed to spend four hours with them in their environment which gives you an opportunity to monitor their behaviors, engage in the naming process, watch them feed, breastfeed, groom young ones, play among others.

Cost of a gorilla habituation permit in Bwindi impenetrable national park

A gorilla habituation permit in Bwindi impenetrable national park costs USD 1500 per person for foreign non residents, USD 1000 for foreign residents, and UGX 750,000 per person for East African citizens. The habituation permit is issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the fee include four hours in the presence of the mountain gorillas, park entrance fees and services of a park guide.

How to book a gorilla habituation permit in Bwindi impenetrable national park

A gorilla habituation permit in Bwindi impenetrable national park can be booked directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) by contacting the offices in Kampala via emails or telephone calls. You can also book a gorilla habituation permit through a tour operator like Achieve global safaris. When booking through a tour operator you will contact us with your names, date, month and year when you want to engage in gorilla habituation experience. We will later check for permit availability and once the permits are available you will be asked to make a deposit for the permit. Once we receive the payments we will purchase the permit on your behalf and send you a scanned copy of the receipt as confirmation.

Gorilla habituation permits in Bwindi impenetrable national park should be booked 3 to 6 months in advance before the trekking date because they are few, competitive and usually get sold out quickly especially during the peak season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February therefore in order to avoid disappointments you are advised to book in advance.

Best time to go for gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable nation park

Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park can be done all year round though the best time is during the dry season/ peak season in the months of June to September and December to February. During the dry season there is less rainfall in the park therefore access roads and trails in the jungle will be passable compared to the wet season when trails are wet, muddy and slippery hence making trekking difficult.

Where to stay during your gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park

There are several accommodation facilities in Bwindi impenetrable national park where you can stay during your gorilla habituation safari. The accommodations range from luxury, mid-range, budget, campsites and they include Rushaga gorilla haven, Chameleon hill lodge, Gorilla safari lodge, Bwindi Backpackers lodge, Nshongi camp, Bwindi jungle lodge, Wagtail eco safari camp, Ichumbi gorilla lodge, Clouds mountain lodge among others.

How to get to Bwindi impenetrable national park

Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in the southwestern part of Uganda and it can be accessed by road and air transport means.

Road transport, when using road transport visitors will drive from Kampala or Entebbe via Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, and then to Bwindi impenetrable national park which takes about 8 to 9 hours to drive in a 4WD safari vehicle.

Bwindi impenetrable national park can also be accessed from Kigali Rwanda where visitors will fly to Kigali international airport and then connect to the park headquarters through Cyanika border which takes about 3 to 4 hours drive.

Air transport, when using air transport means visitors will book charter flights with Aerolink Uganda from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Kisoro airfield and then connect to Rushaga sector.