Did you know that you can experience epic gorilla trekking with a followup with the gorillas for up to 4 hours? This new adventure that was introduced last year can be enjoyed in the impenetrable jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in western Uganda. Known as the Gorilla Habituation Experience, this is one of the best rated adventures in Africa.
What is Gorilla Habituation?
Gorilla habituation can best be explained as the act of training wild gorillas to become accustomed to the sight of people. Habituation involves different groups of people involving the researchers / conservationists, trackers, tourists and rangers among others who take a period of about 2 to 3 years completing this habituation experience. It is basically a learning experience that has recently become a stable activity presented by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to tourists who want to have a first time experience with these giant creatures.
This encounter is highly restricted and only 4 persons are allowed each day to get involved in the gorilla habituation activity, therefore permits are ought to be booked to be done 6 months prior to the actual habituation day. Months of December, January to March and July to October are ideal for gorilla habituation encounter.
Tired of the same old, ordinary gorilla trekking? What about if you tried out a much broader and closer experience with gorillas?
Gorilla habituation is undoubtedly a lifetime dream for many, and it is a unique opportunity to spend ample time observing the Mountain gorillas in their natural habitat before the family is launched to the public for normal tracking. This activity can only be experienced in Rushaga region of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and nowhere else in the world.
During habituation, visitors join researchers, trackers and ranger guides who make up a select group to follow their allocated Gorilla family under training. Gorilla habituated is priced at $1,500 per person; this includes park entrance, community contribution and conservation fees. This experienced was introduced since 2015 to offer visitors a golden chance of witnessing what exactly happens “behind – the – scenes.
The experience allows visitors to spend up to 4 hours with the mountain gorillas under habituation. This time excludes the time taken while tracking them. Unlike the usual gorilla trekking which starts with a briefing at 8:30 am, gorilla habituation begins a little bit earlier – at around 7:30 am.
Get a chance to study about the habituation process and learn how the mountain gorillas react to human presence; while researchers on the other hand are getting to know mountain Gorillas, their family composition, behaviors, birth patters and most importantly the Silverback who leads the group.
During habituation process, people get to deeply understand gorillas and individually discover their personality traits and get to give each gorilla a very unique name, at a point when researchers are sure that the wild gorillas are fully acquainted with the presence of people, a mock exercise is done as a way of testing to prove their facts, and there after launched for trekking to normal tourists.
Unlike gorilla trekking which allows up to 8 people, habituation is only limited to 4 tourists every day. It is very fascinating to find yourself standing in the dense rain forest with a few of the only left mountain gorillas in the world. It is unimaginable to think that only around 1000 mountain gorillas are left in the whole world, and you are part of the proud few to trek or habituate them.
