Gorilla habituation experience in Uganda is done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) introduced gorilla habituation experience to all interested clients effectively from 1st January 2014. This was because of an intention to increase visitors experience of meeting and interacting with the mountain gorillas for up to 4 hours. All those interested in the habituation experience currently pay USD$ 1,500 per person, per experience.
According to UWA, two gorilla families were allocated for the gorilla habituation experience in Rushaga region located in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. These two gorilla groups in Bwindi are Bukingyi and Bushaho.
Gorilla habituation experience, clients get to spend more time with mountain gorillas compared to gorilla trekking tour, which is restricted to only one hour. Though it is true that gorilla trekking can take three quarters of the day, this usually involves trekking to and from the appearance of the gorilla. But the actual time spent with these giant apes for observation and photography is only one hour.
With mountain gorilla habituation experience, clients will be moving with researchers – the ones who habituate the gorillas. As a result, you will spend more time while seeing how mountain gorillas are habituated. This experience is likely to attract more tourists since they spend more time, of up to four hours, compared to those interested in doing double gorilla treks.
The only difference is that those going for this experience should expect to visit semi-habituated mountain gorillas which can decide to hide. They also sometimes behave in a manner which is not usual and the experience can be stopped upon advice from researchers.
What is gorilla habituation?
Gorilla habituation is a process where wild mountain gorillas are trained to get used to humans. Gorilla Habituation may take between two to three years to be completed for a given gorilla family or group. During this time, researchers keep on visiting an identified wild gorilla group on a daily basis, to make it get used to people. Researchers get to learn more about individual gorillas and the way they behave.
With time, these gorillas get used to these researchers and in the long run, each individual gorilla is given a name. Once researchers are sure that these mountain gorillas can be tracked, they then introduce mock exercises where some few people who may include scientists, journalists start visiting it. Once such a gorilla family has passed those mock exercises, it is then opened for trekking.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has about eleven habituated gorilla families which include Mubare, Habinyanja and Rushegura in the northern Buhoma section of the park. Then there is Bitukura gorilla family, Oruzogo and Kyaguriro in the eastern Ruhija section.
Nshonji, Mishaya, Busingye, Bweza, Kahungye in Rushaga and then Nkuringo gorilla family in Nkuringo section; both all in the southern part of the park.
At the moment, eighty eight gorilla permits are available for purchase from UWA. Two gorilla families have been put aside for gorilla habituation experience and are located in the Nkuringo and Rushaga side of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It’s for this reason that gorilla habituation safaris can only be done in the southern part of Bwindi.
Mountain Gorilla Safaris Elsewhere.
On our immediate neighboring country is Rwanda – the land of a thousand hills. The country is well known for good numbers of mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. Visitors are recommended to cross down to Rwanda for the opportunity to do another amazing gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda. Volcanoes is also known for golden monkey trekking.