Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda
Gorilla habituation experience offers a unique encounter with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat and it only done in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable national park, gorilla habituation offers you an amazing 4 hours’ encounter with mountain gorillas.
Bwindi impenetrable national park is the most famous gorilla destination in the world found in the southwestern part of Uganda on the rim of the Rift Valley, the park is a home to world’s largest population of mountain gorillas living in one of the ancient and very biologically varied rainforests in Uganda dating back to more than 25,000 years.
For years now, mountain gorillas have been globally recognized as one of the most wildlife attraction in Africa and a must see while on an Africa safari. Africa receives a huge population of tourists visiting majorly for an encounter with mountain gorillas which can only be found in the dense, humid and mountainous forests of East and Central Africa in Bwindi impenetrable national park, Mgahinga Gorilla national park, volcanoes national park and Virunga national park.
Unlike any other wildlife animal, Mountain gorillas are naturally afraid of humans and they will flee or become aggressive when approached, though a gorilla charging at a human is rare, it can occur if you approach a wild group (a group that has not undergone habituation process). Gorilla habituation process is intended to make mountain gorillas use to being in the presence of human being and in so doing, they become less hostile and harmless to human presence unless provoked, the process usually takes 2 to 3 years and can take up to 5 years. In this process the gorillas are named.
Gorilla Habituation process usually involves a group of trackers, guides and researchers who approach a wild gorilla ground in a non-threating manner with a purpose of finding the best way to communicate to them. However this is risky in the sense that gorillas most especially the dominant gorillas – The Silverback normally loves to exert its dominance and some kind of aggressiveness.
The key to gorilla habituation is to win the favor of the dominant male and once this is done, closeness to the group can then be followed. Once the gorilla group complete the habituation process, they are tested before being opened for visitors.
Review About Gorilla Habituation Process
Gorilla Habituation Process was started as early as the 1960’s in Central Africa and it was pioneered by Dr. Diani Fossey – an American primatologist, gorilla habituation process was started long side trackinfg, identification, range mapping among other research activities that are still being implemented to date by Gorilla Conservation authorities in Uganda, Rwanda and DR.Congo.
Gorilla Habituation is a useful tool for gorilla conservation programs and research in a sense that it allows for easy monitoring of the security, health, population, trends, social behavior and feeding habits of several gorilla groups. Through gorilla habituation, communities, government and business most especially tourism related businesses have generated revenue. Gorilla habituation comes with risks and is time consuming, it also exposes gorillas to risks such as diseases contracted from constant contact with people.
For a habituation process to be called a successful one, a lot of time has to be spared and dedicated to the process.
Gorilla Habituation in Uganda and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Forest
Conservation and habituation of Mountain gorillas started in the early 90’s following the declaration on Bwindi impenetrable national park as a national park in 199. This saw a three phase habituation process with the very first involving tree gorilla groups – the Katendegyere and Mubare groups in Buhoma Sector and the Kyaguliro group in Ruhija Sector of Bwindi impenetrable national park.
The Katendegyere group consisted of 11 individuals, by 1998 I had reduced to just 3 member and it crossed to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Sarambwe Game Reserve while Mubara Group which was under a dominant silverback Ruhodenza who died in 2012 currently consists of 12 individuals, this group has gone through a series of changes. The Kyaguliro group has been a victim to a poaching attach which resulted into a loss of 4 of its members, with new births the group currently has 18 individuals.
As gorilla trekking as an activity became popular in the mid 1990s, the need for habituating more gorilla families grew because the first group just couldn’t meet all the demands. This resulted in two more groups being habituated that is Habinyanja and Nkuringo groups, the Nkuringo group was opened for tourism in 2004 as a result of several challenges including inadequate infrastructure.
With the need to spread the importance of gorilla habituation to most sections of Bwindi impenetrable national park, the 3rd phase of habituation was started in 2006 with 2 extra groups being habituated and opened for tourism in 2008, these were Nshongi and Bitukura groups.
The Nshongi group found in the Southern sector of the park is the largest gorilla group ever record and consisted of over 30 members at the time, the huge number was as a result of a dramatic fusion in the group that led to its merger with another group. In 2008, two further groups were habituated – the Kahugye Group wit 30 members in the southern part of the park and the Oruzogo group in the western section of the forest with 20 members.
The Kahungye group splitted further by 9 members who formed the Busigye Group.
Gorilla Trekking Vs Gorilla Habituation Experience
Recently, gorilla habituation experience has been introduced as an activity to mountain gorilla lovers. Unlike mountain gorilla trekking, this activity offers visitors a chance to spend 4 hours in the presence of mountain gorillas while experience the fun involved in the gorilla habituation process under the guidance of researchers and trained trackers.
Gorilla Habituation Experience was pioneered in 2013 by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and it can only be done in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable national park, unlike mountain gorilla trekking where 8 people are assigned to each gorilla group and can only stay in the presence of mountain gorillas from 1 hours. Mountain gorilla habituation experience, visitors spend 4 hours in the presence of the gorillas learning more about their way of life, take more photos, watch them interact, feed, build nests, groom themselves.
Currently Gorilla habituation experience costs $ 1,500 while gorilla trekking experience costs $ 700.
Uganda Wildlife Authority has set a side 2 gorilla groups for habituation experience that is Bikyinji family of 22 members in the Rushaga areas and the Bushaho family which split from the Nkuringo family, this group consists of a dominant silverback Bahati – named after a place in which the group was first sighted., 3 adult females, 1 infant, a juvenile, one sub adult and a black back.
What happens during gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi?
On the day of gorilla trekking experience, you will join other visitors at the park’s headquarters in Rushaga for briefing conducted by the officials from the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the research team at 07:30 am, you will then commence with the activity at 08:00 am.
The minimum age for visitors participating in gorilla habituation experience is 15 years of age, it is recommended that those wishing to participate in this activity be physically fit and able to hike to the steep and denser part of the forests as the mighty apes, mountain gorillas move to hard to reach terrain and areas of the park.
Sick visitors are not allowed to take park in the experience as human diseases like flue are a threat to the gorillas, while in the presence of mountain gorillas. You are not allowed to use flash camera lights as they threaten the gorillas and may agitate them thus being harmful to the visitors.
The Best time for Gorilla Habituation Experience
The best time of the year to go for gorilla habituation experience is normally during the dry season which is also a high season running from December through to March and June to October.
However, gorilla habituation experience can also be done during the low season months of April, May, October and November. These months are however unfavorable for trekking as they are characterized by heavy rains which tend to make hiking difficult.
Note: due to high demand for gorilla habituation experience and low number of gorilla habituation permits issued per day, you need to book your experience early, at least 6 months prior to your visit.
Packing list for Gorilla Habituation Experience
- a long sleeved shirts made of synthetic material that dries quickly
- gardening gloves
- a hut
- long trousers
- a rain jacket
- bottles of drinking water
- hiking shoes
- a camera
- a walking stick
- insect repellents to protect you against mosquito bites
- energy giving snacks
