Gorilla Habituation Experience in Bwindi Forest

Gorilla Habituation Experience In Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Uganda : In addition to the normal gorilla trekking of one hour with the gorillas, Uganda also offers the unique extended mountain a dventure known as Gorilla Habituation Experience offering visitors 4 hours of being with the gorillas.

 This blog answers all the questions about this fascinating gorilla adventure from all the information you need to know, what to pack, where to stay among others.

Mountain Gorillas

Mountain gorillas are rare gorilla species living in the rainforest jungle of the southwestern Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Virunga Volcanoes that span the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and DR.Congo (Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in Congo). These are the only places on the planet where they are found.

Currently there are approximately 1063 mountain gorillas remaining in the wild.

Once on the brink of extinction, their survival is one of the greatest conservation success stories in Africa, the famous mammologist George Schaller was the first person to research gorillas in the late 1950s. But it was Dian Fossey – an American Primatologist who brought their plight to international attention, studying them for 18 years in the forests of Volcanoes National Park where she set up her research headquarters.

Dian Fossey lived with the gorillas in the rainforest, raised funds for rangers and protected the mountain gorillas despite extreme danger from poachers, culminating in her unsolved murder in 1985.

At the time, she had estimated that just 250 gorillas survived, under threat from habitat loss, extensive poaching and the crossfire of civil wars.

Habituating Mountain Gorillas In Uganda

To fund the conservation efforts, gorilla trekking tourism was started in 1993 when Bwindi Impenetrable Forest’s Mubare Gorilla Family became the first gorilla family to be fully habituated or familiarized to humans.

Now the park has set another precedent creating an experience through which visitors get involved in tracking a family of a semi- habituated gorillas, providing a fascinating insight into one of the world’s most endangered primates.

What Is Gorilla Habituation?

Gorillas are not always gentle in the presence of humans, it takes time and effort to achieved a relaxed, almost nonchalant attitude in a process called habituation which lasts for about 2 to 3 years.

In this process, wild mountain gorillas are gently introduced to the sight and presence of people. Habituating gorillas is painstakingly a slow process and 2 to 3 years might sound like a long time, but compared to chimpanzees which can take 10 years to habituate. It is a very fast process.

What Is A Gorilla Habituation Experience?

The exciting gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park allows you to take part in the gorilla habituation process by tracking a group that is only semi-habituated. During this experience, trackers visit wild gorilla families every day for a round two to three years, gradually getting closer and spending longer in their company.

At the semi-habituated stage, the apes are familiar with trackers but not strangers so this new gorilla experience can now help them get used to seeing different people.

In regular gorilla trekking encounters, trackers have already found your gorillas and they take you directly to them. In this gorilla adventure instead, you start from where the gorillas were last seen the previous evening.

You will walk with the trackers, learning the tell-tale signs that eventually lead to the primates’ nests such as knuckle prints in the mud, bent and broken vegetation and discarded food.  Now gorillas set up new nests every night then move on looking for food, what they leave behind is vital for checking their health and numbers. At the nests, the team collects samples of hair and dung before continuing their search.

It is only when you find the gorillas that the real challenge begins, the point of habituation is to follow the group and stay in their vision as they move. Eventually getting closer to reach that magical 7m cut-off point.

How Fit Do I Need To Be?

A gorilla habituation experience usually involves a quite demanding hike of few hours, so you need reasonable fitness to cope.

Unlike fully habituated gorilla families which mooch around patiently during your permitted hour, these gorillas move fast to feed, dashing through dense rainforest, storming up and team in hot pursuit. So, it is not for the unfit or fainthearted.

Is There An Age Limit?

Children below the age of 15 are not allowed to go on a gorilla habituation experience

Is Gorilla Habituation Experience Safe?

Yes, a gorilla habituation experience in Uganda is safe

However, you should note that all gorillas are wild but some are more wild than others, these semi-habituated ones have an air of unpredictability about them. There is a heightened risk of the silverback gorilla charging, but it is almost always a warning rather than an attack.

Your trackers will have briefed you to stay calm, crouch down and avert your eyes, when they are still, you stay still, mimicking their behavior to make them feel at ease.

You crouch down when they do, copy them picking up grass pretending to eat it and talk to them in gorilla –language, a series of vocalizations that have specific meaning. To have a gorilla reply to your low throaty rumbling, signifying contentment is utterly spine –tingling.

Is Gorilla Habituation Ethical?

All things considered, yes, gorilla habituation and gorilla habituation experiences are ethical practices. I say this because the Uganda Wildlife Authority ensures that bot are done in a well-considered manner with the best interests of the gorillas in mind.

Also, gorilla habituation experience is offered at a high price and the money generated is used in large part to further the conservation efforts of the highly endangered mountain gorillas.

In an ideal world, the gorillas would be left alone in the wild. But the endangered primates require a concerted effort on the part of humans to protect their numbers from diseases, habitat loss and poachers. With this need in mind, the thoughtful implementation of gorilla trekking tours and gorilla habituation experiences is overall a good thing.

Which Sector Of Bwindi Offers Gorilla Habituation Experiences?

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park consists of 4 sectors, each sector acts as a self-standing gorilla trekking destination, has its own accommodation options and reached from a different approach from other sectors. Currently, your gorilla habituation experience is offered in the Rushaga Sector in the south.

Gorilla Trekking Vs Gorilla Habituation Experience: Which Is The Best?

Regular gorilla trekking tours costing US$ 800 per permit in Bwindi and US$ 1500 in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park offer a virtual guarantee that you will see gorillas up close and personal in a relaxed, even docile, mood for one unforgettable hour.

Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda costs US$ 1500 and offers 4 hours of being with a semi-habituated gorilla family, you may not get very close to the mountain gorillas and being in pursuit can be physically demanding and exhausting. Similar, you might spend some time just watching them sleep, buy you learn so much more about these awesomeapes in this edgier and more immersive wildlife encounter.

Whichever option you choose, mountain gorilla trekking is extraordinary, evoking a deep connecting with our closest genetic ancestors in a truly enriching and unforgettable experience.

What To Pack For The Gorilla Habituation Experience?

Your packing list for gorilla habituation experience should be as follows

• Worn-in, sturdy and water-resistant hiking boots or shoes
• A long-sleeved top (bare arms invite insect bites and scratches)
• Gardening gloves to protect your hands when you grip or move aside vines, which can be thorny
• A sunhat and sunscreen, as the sun can be pretty fierce when the clouds clear
• Long pants to protect your legs from being scratched
• A rain jacket (it can rain even in the so-called dry seasons)
• Bottles of drinking water
• A camera
• A walking stick
• Insect repellents
• Some lunch and energy giving snacks

Best Time To Go For Gorilla Habituation Experience

Gorilla habituation experience can be done year – round, but the two dry seasons from June to August and again from December to February are the best time to visit.

How To Get To Bwindi?

There are three 3 main ways to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the cheapest way is to drive from Entebbe or Kampala in Uganda or Kigali in Rwanda to the park. The drive from Entebbe or Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is between 8 to 10 hours.

From Kigali city of Rwanda, it is a drive of approximately 4 to 5 hours. This is the shortest and most convenient way to get to Bwindi Forest is to take a charter or scheduled flight from Entebbe or Kajjansi. The flight ends in Kisoro airstrip and takes one hour and a half. Once at the airstrip, you need to drive 45 minutes to your lodge in Rushaga.

Where To Stay

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a very large national park, however you will have to stay near to Rushaga sector. This is so that you can make the early morning meeting time (briefing) for the habituation experience.

There are budget, mid-range and luxury accommodation options available in this area and they include

• Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge
• Rushaga Gorilla Lodge
• Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge
• Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
• Gorilal Safari Lodge
• Rushaga Gorilla Camp
• Chameleon Hill Lodge