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How far in advance should I book Gorilla trekking in Rwanda?
Are you having less time and you want to spend more hours with the Mountain Gorillas, we have an Express Gorilla Habituation Trip in Uganda. A gorilla habituation trip in Uganda is an incredible and unique wildlife experience that allows you to spend more extended periods of time with wild mountain gorillas as they are being habituated to human presence.
Are you ready for an extraordinary journey into the heart of Africa’s lush rainforests Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park? Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime gorilla habituation trip in Uganda, where you’ll have the rare opportunity to observe and interact with wild mountain gorillas as they become accustomed to human presence.
Here is the summary itinerary for the Express Gorilla Habituation Trip in Uganda
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda Your adventure begins with your arrival at Entebbe International Airport. Our friendly team will greet you and transfer you to your accommodation in the bustling capital city of Kampala or the nearby town of Entebbe. Enjoy a relaxing evening and prepare for the exciting days ahead.
Day 2: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest After breakfast, you’ll embark on a scenic drive or a short domestic flight to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This dense forest is home to a significant population of mountain gorillas. Upon arrival, settle into your lodge nestled in the heart of the forest and savor the natural beauty that surrounds you.
Day 3-5: Gorilla Habituation Experience For the next three days, you’ll venture deep into the forest alongside experienced guides and researchers. Unlike the traditional gorilla trekking experience, this habituation adventure allows you to spend up to four hours each day with a specific group of gorillas, witnessing their daily activities and behaviors up close.
As you observe these majestic creatures, you’ll learn about their social dynamics, feeding habits, and communication. Your guides will provide valuable insights into gorilla conservation efforts and share their knowledge of the remarkable flora and fauna in the park.
Day 6: Departure After an unforgettable experience with Uganda’s mountain gorillas, it’s time to bid farewell to Bwindi Forest. You’ll make your way back to Entebbe or Kampala for your departure flight, carrying cherished memories of your gorilla habituation adventure.
This gorilla habituation trip in Uganda offers an unparalleled opportunity to connect with these gentle giants in their natural habitat while contributing to their conservation. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this unique and life-changing experience. Contact us today to book your journey into the world of mountain gorillas.
What is Gorilla Habituation Experience?
Gorilla Habituation Experience is a gorilla activity that involves trekking/walking and hiking through the forest to search for semi-habituated mountain gorillas which leave together in a given gorilla family group but are not used to human presence, once you find them you will participate in activities geared to making these mountain gorillas get used to human presence. Gorilla Habituation Experience gives you an opportunity to spend much time with the mountain gorillas that is four hours encounter different from the one-hour encounter during the normal gorilla tracking. This experience is unique given the fact it gives you an opportunity to learn more about mountain gorillas. It is done is a group of 4 visitors tracking a given semi-habituated gorilla group.
Where is Gorilla Habituation Experience done?
Gorilla Habituation Experience is only done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda. It is done in the southern sectors of Bwindi that is Rushaga and Nkuringo. Bwindi has 4 major sectors for gorilla tracking which include Ruhija, Buhoma, Rushaga and Nkuringo, gorilla habituation experience is only done in two sectors that is Rushaga and Nkuringo. With 12 gorilla families habituated for normal tracking in Bwindi it is only 2 gorilla families that are open for Gorilla Habituation experience in Bwindi.
Difference between Gorilla Habituation Experience and Gorilla tracking
Gorilla Habituation Experience and Gorilla tracking are both done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the difference is during Gorilla Habituation Experience you spend much more time with the mountain gorillas that is 4 hours while for gorilla tracking you spend 1 hour encounter with the mountain gorillas. On Gorilla Habituation you visit the mountain gorillas in a group of 4 people and for gorilla tracking in a group of 8 people. A gorilla habituation permit costs USD1500 for foreign non residents, USD1000 for residents and 750,000 Uganda Shillings for East African Citizens while a gorilla tracking permit costs USD700 for foreign non residents, USD600 for foreign residents and 250,000 Uganda shillings per person per trek.
How To Book Express Gorilla Habituation Trip in Uganda
You will need to have your gorilla habituation permit secured in advance to confirm that you are booked for Gorilla Habituation Experience in Bwindi Forest National Park. Once you have your planned dates of travel confirmed we will need you to send us an email here so that we check for the availability of gorilla habituation permits online with the Uganda Wildlife Authority once we confirm permits are available for your planned dates we will let you know so that we can send you an invoice for you to make payment for the permits. Once the payment is done and we have received it on our account we will go ahead and purchase your permits immediately and send you a scanned copy of the permits for your records and perusal, this will confirm you are booked for Gorilla Habituation Experience in Bwindi Forest National Park. It is advised to book your Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda in advance atleast 2-3 months prior your visit given the fact it is only 4 people who go for gorilla habituation per group, they are two groups available making the gorilla habituation permits limited to 8 permits per day and sell out very quickly on first come first serve basis.
How much is a Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari
The Gorilla Habituation permit price shares a much more cost for any Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari in Uganda on top of other services like transport, accommodation and guiding. A gorilla habituation permit costs USD1500 for the Foreign nonresident, USD1000 for the Foreign resident and USD70 (750,000 Uganda Shilling) for the East African Citizen per person per trek, this gorilla habituation permit gives you an opportunity to spend 4 hours encounter with the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Forest National Park. On top of the gorilla habituation permit you will also pay other services for a successful gorilla trekking safari which include transport, accommodation and guiding. Our 4 Days Uganda Rwanda Gorillas cost starts from USD1272 per person. Contact us here and we will book for you according.
What is the best time for Gorilla Habituation Experience?
Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda is best done in the months of June to October and December to March during this time it is a dry season in Uganda with mild rainfall making it easy for the treks in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, as well during this time the vegetation is not fully grown and it is easy for viewing the mountain gorillas offering great sights for photographs. During the other months of April, May and November which is normally a wet season this makes the vegetations grow high making the sightings unclear however during this time the treks tend to be shorter given the fact mountain gorillas don’t move further distances looking for food, food is readily available. Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda can be done throughout the year given the fact it is a very well-organized activity and you have 99% chances of seeing the mountain gorillas.
Where to stay during your Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari in Bwindi
Gorilla Habituation Experience is done in the southern part of Bwindi Forest National Park, with this it is recommended to stay at this part of the park. Accommodation in the southern part of Bwindi Forest National Park ranges from Budget options include Rusgaha Gorilla Havens Lodge, Karungi Camp, Nshogi Camp among others these cost USD90-100 per person per night, mid-range include Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge among others these cost USD150-200 per person per night, Luxury options include Four Gorillas Lodge, Clouds Gorilla Lodge and Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge these cost USD250-700 per person per night.
How to get to Bwindi Forest National Park for Gorilla Habituation Experience
By Road; The southern sector of Bwindi Forest National Park can be accessed through the main safari circuit from Entebbe/Kampala which approximately 8-9 hours drive. You will need to turn off at Muko along the Kabale-Kisoro road you will see the sign post of Uganda Wildlife Authority which you will follow upto to your booked lodge for accommodation in either Rushaga or Nkuringo sector.
By Air; You can fly from Entebbe International Airport or Kampala’s Kajjansi airfield to Kisoro airstrip to access the southern sectors of Rushaga and Nkuringo. Scheduled and chartered flights are available and operated by domestic airline operators of Aero link and Fly Uganda.
Why book Through Eco Adventure Safaris a Express Gorilla Habituation Trip in Uganda.
Eco Adventure Safaris organizes trips to Bwindi Forest National Park for Gorilla Habituation Experience Combined with many choices of activities as well customized Uganda Safari packages. Our magic in organizing authentic experience stems from the fact that we have overtime assembled a team mixed with young and energetic staff guided by well experienced mature managers and directors who are Ugandans and passionate about what they do. Eco Adventure Safaris is highly rated and reviewed on trip Advisor to help you learn on the experiences of the other travelers who have traveled with us. Contact us about Express Gorilla Habituation Trip in Uganda.