How Long Is The Gorilla Habituation Experience Walk In Uganda

The gorilla habituation experience walk in Bwindi forest Uganda may take about 2 hours or more to get to the mountain gorillas. Gorilla habituation experience is an adventure where more time is allowed with the semi habituated mountain gorillas. The fact that mountain gorillas are free to move in the vast forest with no barriers to stop them not even country boundaries, expect to find them anywhere.

When starting the gorilla habituation experience, open your mind to finding so many inhabitants in the forest. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda is so far the gorilla habituation experience destination in the country and a biosphere reserve too. Request A Quotation

The mountain gorillas open for habituation experience are semi-habituated with some still timid to encounter humans. This is why tourists are accompanied by researchers or habituators who are slightly familiar with the behavior of these primates. Every tourists is expected to adhere to the gorilla safari rules explained by ranger guides at briefing.

Brief details about Mountain gorilla families under habituation Experience

The researchers identify a gorilla family that is ready to be included in the process of gorilla habituation. It may be a wild gorilla family or a break away family that sticks together for some time. Gorilla habituation process doesn’t interfere with the natural characters of mountain gorillas.

They keep monitoring the family until some members especially the dominant silverback finally gets accustomed to the presence of humans. Gorillas are very timid and suspicious of intruders in their vicinity. Not all gorilla family members are quick to accept human presence this is why the process takes some time.

During gorilla habituation experience, the gorilla family may retract into the jungle after noticing something odd so try no to violet the rules of gorilla safari.

Four hours are allowed with the mountain gorillas under habituation process but during the time before these primates ensure to abide by the gorilla safari rules. Upon noticing a change in the behavior of the mountain gorillas, don’t run away but stay as you wait for new advise from the researchers. Sometimes you may be required to try chewing foliage, show submission and more.  

Staying around the gorilla families is like bringing to life human evolution history because there life mimics human daily life. The mountain gorillas make use of the natural tools available to them to run there day today lives.

What Happens During Gorilla Habituation Experience In Uganda

On gorilla habituation Experience day every tourist for the day is expected to report to the ranger station for briefing and document verification.

Later, each tourist is allocated a gorilla family with maximum 4 tourists expected per gorilla habituation family. The ranger guide and a team of researcher lead the way towards finding the mountain gorillas

On the way, the trails may be quite wet most of the time, have falling over undergrowth or draped by vines and more but this should not scare you because you are secure.

Even though finding the gorillas may take some time, do not loose the passion to finally face the giant mountain gorillas. Look over to some other forest inhabitants including black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkeys and more. An array of bird species are residents of Bwindi forest as the forest has a record of hosting more that 350 bird species.

Four hours are allowed with the mountain gorillas during gorilla habituation experience but when with the gorillas, you may be requested to help document some observation you make about them, assist with collecting samples and more.

As you get away from the gorilla family, do it without causing any suspensions.

Can The Mountain Gorillas Turn Violent During Gorilla Habituation Experience

Mountain gorillas are naturally not violent primates but can charge when agitated. Some times when mountain gorillas show signs like throwing fruits, chest thumping, fighting, hooting and more, they may be suspicious.

Do not panic upon witnessing such behavior but remain calm as you wait for the ranger guide or habituators to establish the root cause of the matter and what to do next. Adhere to the new directives because while in the jungle, the mountain gorillas are the masters. Failure to abide may put the entire forest into a state of anarchy.

Try not to provoke the mountain gorillas, use a camera with sound or flash because this may scare these primates.

Just like humans, mountain gorillas have mood swings too.

How Much Is Gorilla Habituation Experience In Uganda

The cost of gorilla habituation experience depends on the category you choose for your safari that is luxury, mid-range or basic but the cost of the gorilla permit is universal. Currently, the cost of gorilla habituation experience permit in Uganda is $1500 for international nonresidents, $1000 for foreign residents and other Africans and 750000shs for east Africans.

Additional costs to incur during gorilla safari in Uganda include accommodation cost, transport costs, meals, personal expenses and more

In case you have additional Uganda safari activities to combine with gorilla habituation experience, you need to include this cost too.

How To Be Safe During Gorilla Habituation Experience In Uganda

To be safe during gorilla habituation experience in Uganda, you must attend briefing where the most currently information about the mountain gorillas and the general jungle is communicated.

On the way to find the mountain gorillas, keep closer to the rest of the trekkers so that you are not forgotten in the jungle. The ranger guide may follow the slowest trekkers but you nay get away for a short call and loose track of the direction taken by the rest of the group.

Wear the right gorilla safari gears so that your skin is not affected by rough surfaces in the jungle or biting nettles along the way.

When with the mountain gorillas, try not to stare into there deep brown eyes because they are shy primates that easily get suspicious with unfamiliar faces in their space. Even when you notice something odd about the mountain gorillas, try to stay calm as you wait for advice from ranger guides.

On ground are trained ranger guides from Uganda Wildlife Authority who carry some protective weapons along as emergency weapons to use where necessary. The ranger guide also have knowledge of some knowledge of common languages used by the mountain gorillas and can use it to arbitrate.

On ground are other Uganda security agencies to offer extra security support in need arises.

As a tourist, security starts with you and you need to keep your valuables out of reach or do not carry them around during gorilla habituation experience especially those you are afraid to loose.

How Easy Or Hard Is The Gorilla Habituation Experience In Uganda

Gorilla habituation Experience is quite tedious because of the nature of the topography of Bwindi forest. Volcanic action affected the Virunga area where Bwindi forest is part. Several highlands make up the Bwindi area and as you draw closer to the forest you can clearly see this from the varied canopy layers.

The ground on which you walk to locate the mountain gorillas is wet and always soggy from the endless rains that fall with less sunray penetration to the ground. This keeps the humidity in the forest high and the ground soggy so retarding the walk.

Bwindi forest has tangled vegetation that has accumulated over time but the ranger may create a path by trimming some of the vines. Sometimes you may have to hike to where the mountain gorillas may be spending the day so you need to bear some level of fitness to go through the entire experience.

No matter the challenges you go through to find the mountain gorillas, facing them may make you forget for a moment these and focus on the presence of these amazing primates. This is the reality of the mountain gorillas other than that is documented or shown in animations. It is the moment of truth as when you prove the reality behind the endangered mountain gorillas and their rule in the jungle.

How Sure Can I Be To See The Mountain Gorillas During Gorilla Habituation Experience

During gorilla habituation experience be sure to meet the mountain gorillas. At times the mountain gorillas may move deep into the forest but rarely very far because of their bulky sizes and knuckle style of moving that do not favor fast movement so catching up with them is possible.

Even though mountain gorillas relocate from their usual feeding spot, they do not move far from the previous location all factors constant.  

On the way. The mountain gorillas leave clues behind life leftover foliage, foot prints, keep murmuring and much more as these the rangers can use to trace the gorilla family.

Each day a team of ranger guides gets into the daily routine to find where the mountain gorilla families nested and possible direction they hope to take for the day. From these clues ranger guides get to try and trace the mountain gorillas.

Even though the gorilla family is semi-habituated, they can partially stay with humans for sometime as long as every person adheres to the rules of gorilla safaris. Note that mountain gorillas are very sensitive around intruders in their presence so keep possible distance away.

 General Things To Do When With The Mountain Gorillas

Try not to stare in the deep brown eyes of the mountain gorillas because they are shy primates and over staring may cause them to run into hiding.

Provoking the mountain gorillas is forbidden because the family may retreat into the deep forest.

Take photos with a sound proof flash-less camera because the mountain gorillas are often scared by unfamiliar sounds in the jungle.

In case you wish to sneeze or cough do it far from the mountain gorillas or in a handkerchief so as not to pass infectious germs to the highly susceptible mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are prone to communicable infections such as covid-19, flu, cough and these may end in massive death.

Do not leave your belongings unattended during gorilla habituation experience because out of curiosity, the gorillas may pick them up or step over them.

Keep about 7 meters from the mountain gorillas to prevent so much closeness which may end in exchanging infections.

No feeding the mountain gorillas because they are wild animals that must depend on the forest to survive. Even when you have to eat or smoke, do it in about 200 meters from the mountain gorillas.

Try not to surround the mountain gorillas but keep in the tight group as this may cause them to feel ambushed. No making loud noise or sudden movements too.

Even though gorilla habituation or gorilla trekking happen, the safety of mountain gorillas takes precedence because their conservation has come a long way, By 1980s, the population of mountain gorillas was estimated to be 250 in the entire world however currently more than 1062 mountain gorillas are living. All this achievement is awed to the conservation team and support from those who often take gorilla safari.

Why choose to do gorilla habituation Experience in Uganda

Four hours with the semi-habituated mountain gorillas is allowed time that is quite a lot to immerse yourself in the natural aromas of nature while watching history of human evolution come to life. The mountain gorillas mirror the life of humans that is talked about in the history of early man.

When standing before the mountain gorillas, you may feel a beat of connection with lost relatives as the gorillas carry their lives like humans.

By purchasing the gorillas permit, you contribute to the conservation plan of the mountain gorillas. Over time, the mountain gorillas have been under conservation bodies both with in Uganda and beyond. More funds are required to continue supporting conservation of mountain gorillas.

Gorilla habituation Experience can be combined with other Uganda safaris including game safaris, chimpanzee trekking, birding in Uganda, water activities in Uganda and more. Uganda is a country endowed by nature with so much to see without crossing boundaries but your time and budget is the limit.