The Gorilla habituation safaris and experience in Uganda are one way of meeting the Mountain Gorillas. It is one of a kind person's wildlife lifetime event / moment. Encountering the gorillas is and ranks as one of Africa's most remarkable wildlife moment. Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a form of experiential tourism introduced by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) since 2014 to give visitors an in-depth understanding about the Mountain Gorillas. The experience or activity gives a person more time to visit and see the Gorillas as opposed to gorilla tracking, and time allowed to see these great Apes is 4 hours while in their presence whereas on a normal gorilla tracking safari, once visitors meet the Gorillas, they are only allowed one hour to watch them.

Habituation of the gorillas is a stupendous experience those seeking to meet and stare at the Mountain Gorilla should take on during their African Holidays particularly Uganda Safaris.

Are you asking yourself what gorilla habituation is? or what form of safari is the gorilla habituation in Uganda, this form of tourism (experiential), gives tourists/ visitors a clear and more understanding about wildlife (Mountain Gorillas) and its behavior. Habituation is an activity aimed at getting wildlife used to human /visitor presence without altering its natural environment. For the Gorilla habituation process, Habituators and researchers visit the identified wild Mountain Gorilla group usually on a daily basis to monitor it/ them, from the morning hours, through the day till the process is completed. Before any group of Gorillas is made available for tracking by tourists, it is first habituated, a process that can last for 2 and more years.

The first group of the Mountain Gorillas to become available for tracking by visitors in Bwindi was in 1993 and as of December 2018, the park has a total of over 18 families in the four locations of Buhoma, Nkuringo, Rushaga and Ruhija.

Therefore, to increase on visitor experience while on a Gorilla trip, UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) introduced Gorilla habituation at a cost of 1500USD a permit per person and only 4 people are allowed per day. There are only two groups in Rushaga the southern sector of Bwindi that are available for this visitor experience for the moment and this means a total of only 8 permits in a day, this therefore means if you are to participate in the Gorilla habituation experience, you need to reserve your permit well in advance.

Meeting the Mountain Gorillas on a gorilla tracking safari is an emotional experience, now imagine being behind the scene process of habituation of the gorillas.

To prepare for the gorilla habituation experience, one needs to be reasonably fit since it is a full day adventure involving trekking through the misty mountain forest. One needs to wake-up early enough and assemble to the park headquarters with a confirmed permit where you meet the guides (researchers and/or habituators), receive briefing on the etiquette, with your packed lunch boxes, you enter the forest at dawn, the morning sights, sounds and scents make the experience remarkable.  

You can reserve your permit for the habituation of the gorillas, well in advance since meeting these Great Apes is one of the most highly sought-after wildlife experience and as a result permits sell out quickly. Contact Us or UWA directly to reserve your permit. At Avens, we arrange gorilla habituation experience safaris both pre planned and custom made.

Sample safaris to Gorilla habituation In Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

3 Day Mountain Gorilla habituation Uganda Safari Experience

5 Days Habituation experience of the Gorillas in Bwindi & wildlife in Queen Elizabeth