4 epic hours with Africa's wild gorillas on The Gorilla Habituation Experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Apart from the regular gorilla trekking activity that grants visitors a one-hour encounter with a habituated gorilla group, Uganda Safaris bring visitors to spend four epic hours with a wild gorilla family on a Gorilla Habituation Experience. This unique opportunity enables regular tourists to observe a gorilla group undergoing delicate scientific observation.
The experience is only available in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest; those who have had the chance to participate in the habituation experience describe it as more immersive, engaging, and intriguing than the standard one-hour encounter with these majestic creatures.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience is exclusively available in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwestern Uganda. This high-altitude Afromontane forest covers an area of 321 km2, boasting a diverse array of flora and fauna, including the largest population of mountain gorillas in the world, chimpanzees, various species of monkeys, birds, duikers, and elephants. The park's rugged terrain comprises steep hills and valleys in an ecosystem that also supports a variety of insects, plants, and microorganisms.
To join this exclusive experience with wild gorillas in Africa, one has to book a costly trekking permit of $1500, book a night close to the visitor center in the mountains, and before sunrise, join local trackers, rangers, and primatologists on an early morning excursion. We explain more about the gorilla habituation experience in the following paragraphs.
Spend 4 hours with Uganda's silverbacks, observing their intricate social & family dynamics on this packaged Uganda safari.
Join local gorilla trackers on an early morning excursion into the impenetrable forest to find a gorilla group and spend uninterrupted electrifying moments with them. The trip includes everyting from gorilla permits to accommodation, meals, guides, and ground transport.
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What is the Gorilla Habituation?
Gorilla Habituation refers to a process where people (usually primate scientists, their assistants, and park rangers) repeatedly make non-threatening contact with a gorilla group until they lose their fear, ignore the presence of humans, and become an innocuous part of the gorillas' surroundings.
Scientists started habituating gorillas in Rwanda after Captain Von Beringe of the German colonial army and other Western scientists, including Louis Leakey, George Schaller, and Dian Fossey, "discovered" the mountain gorilla. Dian Fossey, in particular, camped in the forests of Rwanda and enlisted the help of other conservationists and residents to befriend the gorillas and eventually habituate them to human presence.
In her notes, Fossey described gorilla habituation in terms of human presence amidst gorillas no longer influencing the behavior of the animals. Drawing on experiences from Rwanda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) introduced gorilla habituation at Bwindi in 1991, starting with three gorilla families. The habituation process can take about 2-5 years, depending on the receptiveness of wild gorillas to people.
Gorillas that have not gone through the Habituation Process live far from human settlements. They are shy, will scamper deeper into the thickets when approached, and could be dangerous when startled. Although many unhabituated gorilla groups exist in the mountain forests of Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC, a few have been through the Habituation process and are available for tourism.
Today, Bwindi has about 19 habituated mountain gorilla groups available for tourism, while 44 groups are habituated across Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC.
Gorillas live in social groups (like human families) led by a dominant silverback male who protects and guides the group on foraging. The group size can vary from 2-3 individuals to 30, depending on food availability and competition. Females mate with the silverback and care for young gorillas dependent on their mothers for several years. Group individuals have unique personalities and communication methods using vocalizations, body language, and facial expressions, which researchers try to mimic and stay in sync with the group. Observing these behaviors is a fascinating experience for visitors who have the opportunity to join the adventure.
Grooming time; habituation experiences are like this, watching a typical gorilla family with the patriarchal male silverback (the big one) watching over everyone and everyone else spread up and relaxing, knowing Papa's got everything in control. A group can have up to 30 members, with several females, young ones, and on occasion, several other silverbacks who bow to the dominant one.
Benefits of Gorilla Habituation
Habituating gorillas is incredibly beneficial to scientific research, ecotourism, and conservation.
- Research: The gorilla habituation process allows people to get close to the gorillas in their wild environment, allowing researchers to study their behavior, social interactions, and physiology more accurately. The process helps improve our understanding of gorilla biology and enhance conservation efforts.
- Ecotourism: Habituated gorillas are a significant draw for tourists. Visitors who have the opportunity to observe gorillas in their natural habitat are often inspired to support conservation efforts and contribute to local economies.
- Conservation: Habituated gorilla groups can be more easily monitored and protected from threats like poaching, habitat loss, and disease. By habituating gorillas, conservationists can better understand the threats these animals face and develop strategies to mitigate them.
Visitors who participate in the gorilla habituation experience help scientists to observe how the gorilla group responds to different visitors and thus create operating procedures comfortable for the gorillas and safe for people to visit.
However, some experts suggest that Habituating more than 70% of gorillas for tourism could undermine conservation efforts. They argue that exposing gorillas to human contact increases the risk of disease transmission and may cause stress and negative experiences for the animals. This stress could lead to behavioral changes, reduced reproductive success, and ecological disturbance, ultimately putting the welfare of gorillas at risk.
Overall, habituating gorillas can play a crucial role in conservation efforts, providing valuable insights for researchers and encouraging ecotourism that supports local communities while preserving these magnificent apes of Africa.
Conservation queen Dian Fossey, the pioneer of habituating gorillas in Rwanda's volcano forests, jovially interacting with a silverback in the 1970s. She introduced us to the peaceful existence with Africa's mountain gorillas and today's flourishing gorilla tourism.
How much is the gorilla habituation experience?
The gorilla habituation experience costs USD 1500 per person in the southern sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The habituation permit costs more than half the regular trekking permit of $700 per person and must be booked ahead through a licensed tour operator or directly at the UWA office in Kampala.
The experience begins early in the shy, misty morning light with a pre-trek briefing at the visitor center. Only a group of four tourists can join scientists on this expedition. During the gorilla habituation experience, visitors are accompanied by scientists and rangers and get to spend 4 hours following the gorillas as they forage for food and go on with their daily life. The rangers provide guidance to ensure the safety of both the gorillas and visitors.
It's hard to foretell how long it takes to track down and find the gorillas, but it can take anywhere from 25 minutes to a few hours to locate them. Nonetheless, the thrill is in the forest experience, from the smells to misty unmarked paths and immersive sounds until you encounter the dark-furred mountain giants.
To join the gorilla habituation experience, anyone above 15 can book a permit from the UWA offices in Kampala or through a registered tour operator like Gorilla Junction. A tour operator will book your accommodation close to the park entrance, provide your transport from the airport in Entebbe or Kigali, and make sure you are in the right place at the right time.
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Where to go for the gorilla habituation experience
The gorilla habituation experience happens only in Rushaga and Nkuringo Sectors, south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda's mountainous rift valley region. You can access the Rushaga and Nkuringo from Kisoro, the nearest town, 34 km/22 mi by dirt road. Or, you can fly from Entebbe International Airport to Kisoro Airport, a small airfield a 1.5-hour drive to the park entrance, but you must pay for a 4x4 transfer from your booked safari lodge.
Where to stay
To make it for the gorilla habituation experience early morning briefing at 7:00 am, you must stay at a safari lodge close to the visitor center in Rushaga Sector, Nkuringo Sector, or as far as Lake Mutanda. Here are the possible safari lodges where you could stay;
- Rushaga Gorilla Camp in Rushaga, a shoestring place to crash with somewhere to place your tent for $30. Otherwise, a cottage can cost $230 with breakfast.
- Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge in Rushaga, a lower-than-average place to stay for the price from $140 - 480 per room
- Gorilla Safari Lodge in Rushaga, average-rated accommodation an hour's drive away - price from $250 - $500 per person
- Chameleon Hill Lodge at Lake Mutanda, average-rated accommodation an hour's drive away - price from $230 - $350 per person
- Mutanda Lake Resort at Lake Mutanda, average-rated accommodation an hour's drive away - price from $130 - $255 per room
- Four Gorillas Lodge, an average accommodation 19 minutes away - room price from $400 - $650 per room
- Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, a mid-range to luxury award-winning safari lodge on a ridge overlooking Bwindi, a 45-minute drive - room price from $260 - $997 per person
- Gorilla Heights Lodge, a modern luxury lodge 45 minutes to Rushaga - room prices from $650 - $1000 per night
- Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, a luxury forest lodge in Nkuringo, an hour's drive to Rushaga - room price from $540 - $1200 per person.
Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge features the best mountain and forest views, cottages sprouting out from the mountainside, fireplaces in the rooms, and multi-award-winning services. It's located a 10-minute walk from the trekking center.
Mutanda Lake Resort sits as a lakeshore with breathtaking views over the lake curtained by the dark Virunga Mountains. If you are a sucker for lake views, this property is perfect to combine with your Uganda gorilla experience.
Rushaga Gorilla Lodge is medium priced with views across the gorilla forest, giving you easy access to Rushaga Sector in the south of Bwindi Impenetrable.
What does a typical gorilla habituation experience tour package look like?
A typical gorilla habituation experience tour package should have two or more nights in the mountains at a lodge near the park gate, with an entire day spared for the experience with rangers inside the impenetrable Bwindi forest.
The tour usually begins with a night near the International Airport in Entebbe. Some tourists take the long 11-hour drive across the countryside the following morning, while others prefer the 1-hour domestic flight to Kisoro Airport, a 1.5-hour drive to the park. Alternatively, others take the Kigali route, driving 3 hours from Kigali to the border and another 2-hour drive to the park. Either way, visitors can't see the gorillas the day they travel until the following morning since daily expeditions begin at first sunlight.
On the morning of the gorilla habituation experience, trekkers will gather at the visitor center; a park warden will group them into fours and assign them armed park rangers and an English-speaking guide. Outside the briefing center, a group of porters will be hoping you hire them to help you navigate the steep terrain and carry your backpack, hire one. They come in handy when you are tired. Besides, you'll directly support the local community by employing a porter. They also carry rich information about the forested mountains and speak English fluently.
During the habituation experience, scientists and gorillas get into a series of intense exchanges which will profoundly rub on you. First, scientists watch out for traces of the gorillas, such as vocalizations, swishing or cracking branches, and particular scents to locate the gorillas. The gorillas detect the possible presence of humans based on the crackling sounds as your group walks on dry leaves and your scents.
The first visual encounter between the gorillas and your group can be tense. Gorillas, presumably unsure of your intentions, may charge or keep walking, and you follow. In turn, the scientists make calming grunts while carefully maintaining a maximum distance of 32 feet. They observe the bodily gestures of the gorillas and their vocalizations and react to these by, for instance, grunting back in response to gorilla grunts and mirroring their behavior. They will ask you to mimic the gorillas' behavior by sitting, picking, and eating leaves, scratching your bodies whenever the gorillas do so. The encounter continues on for 4 hours until the lead guide announces that you should leave.
A typical gorilla habituation experience tour is 5 days, with three nights in Bwindi, and will cost about $3,200, including permit processing, transport, transfers, and accommodation in an average-priced room (about $300/night) with meals. Usually, some travelers extend their Africa primates tour in Uganda with a wildlife viewing safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park via the tree-climbing lions in Ishasha Sector or continue into Kibale National Park to discover the chimp empires on a chimpanzee habituation experience. In that case, you would need 3-5 extra days to extend the trip at about $300 - $500 per day. The chimp habituation experience permit costs $250, way cheaper than the gorilla permit.
How close can you get? Well, 10 meters (32 ft) is the standard limited distance visitors should maintain from the gorillas. And they should be wearing a face mask. You see, gorillas are just like us and can be infected by the same diseases we carry. So to protect them and visitors, there are a couple of rules, and distance is one of them. Although, gorillas may not understand that and will come to you. That's when the whole experience gets exciting!
Must know tips before you go for the habituation experience
- The Gorilla Habituation Experience happens only in the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda's southwestern mountainous region at 9842 feet above sea level. It is a physically demanding experience in uneven, slippery, muddy terrain, requiring participants to be physically and emotionally prepared. It takes place in misty mountain rainforests where rains are unpredictable.
- Pack clothes that will guard you from the wet and cold weather. Bring a light rain jacket, waterproof hiking shoes, a backpack to carry your lunch pack and gear, lightweight trousers, and a long-sleeved shirt.
- If you're planning a gorilla habituation experience, it's ideal to go during the dry seasons of June to September or December to February when the weather is drier and more comfortable for trekking in the rainforest. Keep in mind that these periods are peak tourist seasons, which means there's high demand for permits and good accommodation. To avoid disappointment, we recommend booking your permits and accommodation at least six months in advance.
- We highly recommend spending at least three nights outside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to fully immerse yourself in the gorilla region. Keep in mind that you'll need the first night for arrival, the second night after the gorilla experience, and possibly a third night to explore the area. Bwindi also offers other exciting day adventures that don't involve mountain gorillas, such as nature walking trails through the forest, cultural encounters with the Batwa tribe, excellent birdwatching expeditions, and sustainable community walks.
- It's best to book a packaged trip with a licensed tour operator to avoid any logistical and transfer issues. Most licensed operators will handle everything, including booking permits, finding suitable accommodations near the trekking location, arranging meals, and providing transportation in a 4x4 car with an English-speaking driver guide. To ensure you're dealing with a legitimate operator, verify them on the Uganda Tour Operator (AUTO) website or the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) website; for example, Gorilla Junction on the UTB website has a license number UTB/RTT/TO/2022/100506 with a verified email address.
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