5 Activities you Can Add On Your Gorilla Habituation Experience Trip In Bwindi Impenetrable National park

Gorilla habituation Experience alone may not fulfil the Africa safari dream to Uganda but there are 5 activities you can add On your gorilla habituation experience trip In Bwindi Impenetrable National park. Uganda is a country gifted by nature and indeed tailoring a good safari itinerary that includes other activities expands your knowledge about the country.

 Many ancient explorers considered Uganda as one of the must African destinations to visit like Sir Samuel Baker and his wife visited Winston Churchill, a number of British royals like the fallen Queen Elizabeth II  and Prince Phillip her husband plus many others.

Most Popular Gorilla Safaris

• 3 Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking
• 5 Day Gorilla and Chimp
• 8 Day Gorilla Tracking
• 2 Day Bwindi Gorilla Via Kigali
• 3 Day Uganda Gorilla Via Kigali
• 5 Day Chimp and Gorilla Habituation
• 3 Day Fly in Gorilla Habituation
• 3 Day Fly in Safari to Murchison Falls National Park
• 3 Day Bwindi Double trek via Kigali
• 5 Day Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Gorilla habituation in Uganda is the act of following semi habituated mountain gorillas without altering there nature. 4 hours following the mountain gorillas and taking notes are some of the activities you do during gorilla habituation. You have extra time with the mountain gorillas compared to gorilla trekking where only one hours is allowed with the mountain gorillas.

Other than gorilla habituation in Bwindi Impenetrable National park you may consider adding others activities like Birding, nature walks, game drives, launch trip in Queen Elizabeth National Park, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, hiking in Mgahinga National park, launch trip to Murchison Falls National Park, white water rafting on River Nile, bungee jumping on River Nile and so much more.

Highlights

Chimpanzee habituation In Kibale National park

Birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National park

Game drive and Launch trip in Queen Elizabeth National park

Hiking In Mgahinga National Park

Community Visit In Bwindi National park or Mgahinga National Park

Gorilla habituation With Chimpanzee habituation In Kibale National park

Taking on gorilla habituation with chimpanzee habituation combo in Kibale National park is one of Africa’s unique primate safaris. After following the mountain gorillas, you take on the adventure to follow the semi-habituated chimpanzee of Kibale National park.

Although chimpanzee habituation is now an all year round activity, doing it during favorable time with less rain and little undergrowth is more fun. During the period of June to September Uganda receives generally less rains and the chimpanzees feed on the ground or closer to the ground. This gives you enough time to interact with the chimpanzees although you watch from a distance. The severe rains seasons that is March to May and November most of the times the chimpanzees feed from up the trees because they are afraid of water on the ground.

 Consider booking a chimpanzee habituation permit currently costing $250 per person. You are allowed only four hours to follow these chimpanzee when you meet them. This activity requires you to wake up earlier than others to start the day at about 0530hours when the chimpanzees are denesting until renesting time at about 1900hours. Only 4 trekkers are allowed to accompany a group of researchers and ranger guide on this mission.  This is to minimize mass tourism and not to ambush the not fully habituated chimpanzees with a crowd. Just a few lucky tourists are able to get the difference between gorilla habituation and chimpanzee habituation.

Gorilla habituation in Bwindi Impenetrable National park happens in the southern sector so expect to take about 7 hours to get to Kibale National park. Time for returning after gorilla habituation is not known so its quite hard to draw an itinerary considering to be in the both places on the same day.

Birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National park

Bwindi Impenetrable National park is Africa’s prime birding destination with a bird list of approximately 350 bird species inclusive of 23 of the 24 Albertine rift endemics noted to be living in Uganda,

The different vegetation zones of this forest favor the survival of montane forest birds, wetland birds and others that love the environment surrounding this forest.

You can do gorilla habituation in the southern sector do birding in Nkuringo area and then transfer to Ruhijah area for a more intense birding Uganda safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The drive to Ruhija area gives you chance to do on road birding as you bypass the ridge-top route into the deep valleys, undisturbed rain forest comes into view. High opportunities of spotting a number of birds during the walk to Mubwindi swamp are open for you. Identifying more than 100 birds species in a day is possible with Bwindi Forest.

A few of the birds you may have a chance to identify include dazzling Black Bee-eater, Handsome Francolin, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Cinammon-chested Bee eaters, Canopy and Mid-storey flock, Mountain Masked and Chestnut throated Apalis,Western Green Tinker bird, Rwenzori Batis, white-Tailed Crested Flycatcher, collered Apalis, Canopy and Mid-storey flocks, Grauer’s Wabler, Shelley’s Crimsonwing and others.

Game drive and Launch trip in Queen Elizabeth National park after Gorilla habituations

Planning to extend your Africa safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive and a launch trip on Kazinga Channel is rewarding. Since this park is enroute to Bwindi Impenetrable National park, you may decide to do game drives and the launch trip after or before gorilla habituation.

From the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National park, you may travel for about 74 km to Ishasha or 170 km to Mweya Park headquarter. Passing the Ishasha sector depends on the condition of the bridge over Ishasha River that washes it off sometimes during heavy rains.

Enjoy a game drive in the Ishasha sector home of the tree climbing lions, and topis. When you drive through Lake Edward flats, you may get to spot a number of birds and wild animals. 

When you rise up for early morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National park, you may get to see a variety of wild animals like leopards, lions, hyenas, topis, elephants, cape buffaloes, warthogs, giant forest hogs, water bucks, bush bucks, uganda kobs, mongoose to mention but a few.

Taking different tracks in Queen Elizabeth National Park opens chances for you to enjoy wild drama like the Kasenyi track is a common spot for lions because of the Uganda Kobs that love feeding from this grassland.  A game drive in the crater lakes area brings into view amazing crater lakes both dry and wet at the base of the rift valley.

Taking the voyage on Kazinga channel during the launch trip in Queen Elizabeth National Park is the highlight of your park experience. You get to see the beautiful feature like Rwenzori ranges erected above the rift valleys. At the banks a number of wild animals move down the channel to take a bath and quench from the channel,. Schools of hippos and crocodiles cannot be missed, as they are the usual suspects in the water.

 The Kazinga channel banks have a magnet for a range of birds because of the freebie from the marshy banks.  This voyage takes about three-hour but full of overwhelming beauties worth adding to your collection of safari Photos so do not forget to carry a camera.

Hiking In Mgahinga National Park

Climbing the Mgahinga Mountains after gorilla habituation is soaks you into the unseen beauties of this mountain gorilla habitat. This may take about 8 hours of the return trip. 3 of the five Virunga volcanoes are shared with Uganda and there can be hiked in a day when requested in advance. They include

Muhavura Mountain which locally means the guide which is the landmark of the area. Its top ends in a beautiful crater lake. The mountain is at an altitude of 1700m to 4100m. You hike through gorgeous alpine vegetation with an outburst of great panoramic views as you emerge from the thick vegetation cover. Enjoy the look at the rift valley floor, Rwenzori ranges, lake Edward and others.

Gahinga Mountain locally means small piles of stone that the mountain used to spit out into the farm land tidying them with volcanic rock. Hiking it takes about 6 hours of a return trip, you go through bamboo forest to arrive at the lush swamp in the crater summit.

Sabyinyo Mountain locally means old man’s teeth crafted from it weathered top that sagged in to form a ring of stubby peaks. The mountain has three peaks that is the first peak, peak two and peak three that can be reached through a muddy scramble. You get to see Uganda, Rwanda  and D.R.C from the summit of this mountain.

Community Visit In Bwindi or Mgahinga National park

Visiting the community after or before gorilla habituation is amazing as you get to learn how they spend their day to day lives. They are mainly farmers that spend the biggest part of the day in the gardens.

These community based initiatives were set up to bring the locals people to appreciate the presence of the mountain gorillas in there area. The funds collected are repatriated into community based projects like road maintenance, building school, community healthcare and others

Buhoma community walk and cultural performances located in Buhoma area of Bwindi impenetrable National park is the local project that immerses visitors into the life of ordinary people. This project is accessed from the Northern area of the park. It may last about 3 hours as you learn how banana beer is locally brewed, venture into how traditional healer do their work and upon request watch traditional dance group.

Nkuringo Community walk can be done after gorilla habituation in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. A local guide with knowledge of the community can take you to some of there prominent hangouts that is the banana beer brewer, traditional healer, blacksmith, rural homestead.

Batwa Pygmies and Garama cave  in Mgahinga National Park  is another community project worth visiting after gorilla habituation in the southern park of Bwindi impenetrable  National park. This was one of the ways to give the Batwa pygmies a source of income after being evicted from the park. This was done for conservation reasons, as humans were a big threat to mountain gorilla existence.

In the early 1990s, the mountain gorilla conservation program was initiated but the Batwa pygmies had to first be relocated from there sole provider Bwindi forest.  To keep there past life alive, they currently conduct this community walk. They take visitors through demonstration activities like honey harvesting, fire making, how they buried and so much more. They conduct songs and do live performances for their visitors at the Garama cave. In the past this cave was their retreat point after raiding the Bafumbira gardens.

How To Get To Bwindi Forest National park For Gorilla Habituation

By Road

The cheapest way to Bwindi Impenetrable National park is by road. Several routes lead to Impenetrable National park. you need to depart Kampala or Entebbe early morning to avoid traffic Jam. The countryside also has bumpy roads that need some time to ride over.

Kampala to Kabale to Kanungu to Buhoma

This road trip from Kampala city or Entebbe on a tarmac road covering a distance of 414 km. Continue by a curving marram road for driving 120 km through Kanungu and Kanyantorogo.

Kampala to Kabale to Rujija to Buhoma

Drive on an unfinished road through Kabale to Rujiha and Buhoma for about 95 km .

Kampala to Ntungamo to Rukungiri to Kihihi to Buhoma

When you depart Kampala to Ntungamo to Rukungiri you take about 390 km connect with a murram road to Buhoma for 82 km.

Kampala to Kabale to Nkuringo

Kampala to Kabale is about 414 km carry on to Nkuringo is about 150 km lasting about 4 hours on a winding murram road

Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kihihi to Nkuringo

A drive from Queen Elizabeth National Park to or from Nkuringo area of Bwindi Impenetrable National it is about 170 km from Mweya and 74 km from Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. in case you use the Ishasha area, remember to lookout for tree climbing lions in the figs.

Scheduled Flights or Charter flights to Kisoro

Daily domestic flights from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Air strip fly to Kisoro Airstrip. You must hire a transfer vehicle to your lodge since no cabs are in place at the air strip.

Charter flights are in place for anyone who prefers a more private gorilla habituation experience.

What to Pack For gorilla Habituation In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

• Having a few items as baggage but packed with relevant safari gears to assist you during gorilla habituation and other additional activities is comfortable.
• A camera
• Safari tracking boots
• Insect repellants
• Foldable Safari hat
• Sweater or fleece
• Garden gloves
• Energy bites
• A Travel adapter and charger
• Pajamas to wear in the night
• Toiletries
• First Aid box
• Light water proof bag
• A pair of binoculars
• Medicated insect repellant

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