What is the difference between a four-hour and one-hour gorilla trekking experience?

The gorilla trekking experience allows you only one hour with the mountain gorillas. This is because, during the habituation process, the mountain gorillas are helped to get used to human presence for just one hour. This is for conservation reasons, as mountain gorillas must keep feeding and lounging as this is part of their daily life.

Being with the mountain gorillas for four hours is called gorilla habituation experience. The gorilla habituation experience is an adventure where tourists escort a team of researchers and trackers in the wilderness to follow a family of habituated mountain gorillas and stay with them for four hours.

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The southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the only destination where you can do gorilla habituation for four hours.

Currently, Uganda has 19 gorilla families open for gorilla trekking, with 152 gorilla permits open for public booking. In contrast, so far, 2 gorilla families are available for gorilla habituation experience that is 8 gorilla permits open for gorilla habituation experience in Uganda.

No matter what time you are given with the mountain gorillas, whether one hour or four hours, every minute you stand before the only living mountain gorillas in the world is precious.

The area below is considered to find the difference between gorilla trekking for one hour and four hours.

Number of available gorilla permits

Since Uganda is the only country currently offering gorilla habituation experience, which is the safari that lasts 4 hours, at the moment, only four gorilla permits per gorilla family are open for public booking. In Total, Uganda opens the gorilla market each day 8 gorilla permits for public booking.

As the quest for extra time with the mountain gorillas grew from one hour of trekking, the Uganda Wildlife Authority introduced the gorilla habituation experience in 2014 to give tourists spare time before the mountain gorillas. Initially, tourists who wanted extra time with the mountain gorillas would book a second gorilla trekking day. This is still happening because of the limited gorilla families open for gorilla habituation experience.

Uganda currently has 152 gorilla trekking permits open to tourists booking. These permits are from 19 gorilla trekking families available for public booking.

The cost of either gorilla trekking or habituation Permit 

The cost of a gorilla habituation permit is currently $1500 per person per trek, including the four hours in the company of the mountain gorillas, while the cost of gorilla permits is presently $800 per person per trek.

Inclusions in the cost of the gorilla habituation permit our research fee, ranger guide fee, four hours with the mountain gorillas, security during gorilla habituation, certificate after gorilla habituation, local community support, briefing at the ranger station, and Gorilla conservation support.

Inclusions in the cost of a gorilla trekking permit are one hour with the mountain gorillas, security during the gorilla trekking, briefing, certificate after gorilla trekking, local community support, mountain gorilla conservation support, and ranger guide services.

Exclusions Of Gorilla Permits:

Transport to destinations, tips, snacks, accommodation, and other items of personal nature.

Trust Encounter Africa Safaris with planning and providing the best rates for your gorilla safari that suit your budget. We have been organizing safaris for over 10 years, and our expertise has fetched us a number of reviews on travel platforms like Trip Advisor, Safari Booking, and others. This experience has also fetched recommendations too. Customer satisfaction is our number one priority.

 No people are allowed to trek or habituate mountain gorillas

In the four-hour gorilla safari adventure, only four tourists can accompany a team of researchers and trackers in the wilderness to follow the mountain gorillas. This is because mountain gorillas must slowly be introduced to the presence of new faces other than those they are used to. 

During gorilla trekking, a maximum of 8 tourists can attend this adventure in the company of ranger guides. The mountain gorillas are by now fully habituated to human presence. When you finally find them, you realize they continue feeding as though saying, "It is you again." The mountain gorillas are more accustomed to human presence during gorilla trekking adventures.

Amount of time you are allowed to be with the mountain gorillas during gorilla habituation or trekking.

The four-gorilla trekking experience is called the gorilla habituation experience, while one hour in the company is referred to as a gorilla trekking safari.

Being before the mountain gorillas for four or one hour is for conservation reasons. Mountain gorillas are some of the most endangered primates in the world, with currently about 1000 mountain gorillas living. The Virunga area, which lies in only three countries, Uganda, Rwanda, and D.R.Congo, is home to the world's only mountain gorillas.

Strict rules that govern visiting the mountain gorillas were put in place to protect the existence of these gentle apes at the rim of extinction by the 1980s.

Status Of The Mountain Gorillas

The mountain gorillas tourists visit for one hour are fully habituated. Gorilla habituation is a process where a wild gorilla family is helped to get used to human presence without altering their nature. The time taken doing gorilla habituation is predictable as it may take 2 years or more depending on how fast the gorilla family adopts.

For the four-hour gorilla safari, mountain gorillas are semi-habituated and still possess some wild traits like hooting at tourists, moving into hiding, and others. It would be best to listen to the advice of the researchers and ranger guides because they now have some clues on how to respond when the gorilla family behaves in a certain way.

Starting time for gorilla habituation and gorilla trekking

When you have to do a gorilla adventure for four hours, you wake up earlier to find the mountain gorilla still nesting or just out from nesting. This gives researchers, trackers, and tourists a better experience of the early morning routine of the gorilla family before they disperse to different points of the feeding area.

Gorilla trekking starts at 0745 hours each day. All factors are kept constant. All tourists trekking that day gather at the ranger station for and register, then the briefing. At this point, you may hire a porter to help you carry your gorilla trekking gear.

Having some fitness level helps you complete the gorilla trekking or habituation adventure without getting muscle pulls. To avoid boredom, having an open mind keeps you positive while you trek or do a gorilla habituation experience.

Gorilla Trekking and gorilla habituation is done in Uganda

In Uganda, gorilla trekking is done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. These parks lie in the southwestern part of Uganda. These natural forests are adjoining Virunga National Park in D.R.Congo and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

The four-hour gorilla trekking adventure only takes place in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park comprises Nkuringo and Rushaga areas.

Gorilla Habituation Precedes Gorilla Trekking Adventure

To have a gorilla trekking family, gorilla habituation has first to happen. The period of gorilla habituation is hard to predict as it depends on factors like a breakaway gorilla family is quicker to habituate than a wild gorilla family.

Under habituation, the gorilla family must first undergo mocks before being opened to the public to trek.

How dangerous are mountain gorillas?

Mountain gorillas may look scary outside but are very serene primates in nature. They have hairy, dark-furred bodies with brown sunken eyes. The mountain gorillas walk with knuckle locomotion, which makes tourists fear an attack.

Mountain gorillas are serene primates; depending on the time you are with them, you realize how vulnerable they are.

Despite their calm nature, you are recommended not to provoke them. Standing before the mountain gorillas has a limited time, four hours or one hour.

When angry, mountain gorillas may show traits like hooting, thumping their chests hard, walking on one foot, grabbing grass around them, and so much more. You do not need to panic upon seeing such behavior because, at times, it's not anyone's fault but a family feud.

Mountain gorillas undergo a habituation process, which may take 2 years or more, depending on how fast they adapt.

What is the age limit for gorilla habituation experience and gorilla trekking?

The age limit for both gorilla trekking and habituation adventures is 15 years. This is because of the nature of the area where these safari activities happen, which is volcanic. A child below 15 years old may be unable to withstand hiking to find the mountain gorillas. Sometimes mountain gorillas spend some time on the slopes of the highlands, so you need to hike. The way may be too steep for a child below this age.

At a glance, the mountain gorillas are scaring even first-time adults and children below 15 years, they may be prompted to shout. They were making noise while the mountain gorillas pushed them into hiding.

Children below 15 years give up fast if they are tired, yet when gorilla trekking starts, there is no turning back until you find the mountain gorillas. The time of finding the mountain gorillas is still being determined as it depends on factors like the proximity of their food, the pace of trekkers, and several others.

Having some fitness level is necessary during gorilla trekking, which a child below 15 years may not have. Although the ranger follows the pace of the slowest trekker, you do not need to delay the rest as they can get bored, too. To avoid such occurrences, children below 15 years are recommended to do gorilla safaris.

Some level of patience is recommended during gorilla trekking, which a child below 15 years may need to be in a position to have.

What are the guidelines for Gorilla Safaris?

• Anyone with a communicable infection cannot go gorilla trekking because mountain gorillas are susceptible to human infections. Yet, you do not know what it will do to the now-celebrated gorilla population.
• Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas when you locate them. This is to reduce the chances of passing any infection to these gorillas.
• Using flash photography is forbidden because it scares the mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are afraid of unfamiliar occurrences in their presence.
• When with mountain gorillas, you do not need to surround them because they feel ambushed, and when they get agitated, they may move into the deeper ends of the forest.
• Provoking the mountain gorillas is forbidden because they are shy animals that may get uncomfortable.
• Never smoke or eat close to the mountain gorillas because they may grab what you have, which may not go well with their health. Losing even a single mountain gorilla for careless mistakes is a significant loss.
• If you need to cough or sneeze, turn away from the mountain gorillas or cover your mouth to reduce the chances of passing germs to the mountain gorillas.
• For long calls in the forest, request the ranger guide to dig a hole for you 30 cm deep and cover all waste beyond recognition. This is to prevent the forest dwellers from exhuming anything.
• Littering the forest is forbidden because it alters the nature of the forest where mountain gorillas feed.
• Spitting on vegetation is forbidden because it is also unhealthy and disgusting to look at. Keeping the habitat where mountain gorillas live as you find it is the best practice.
• Wear a clean mask before meeting the mountain gorillas as a covid-19 precaution. Even your boots are sanitized before starting the trek.
• No person under 15 years is allowed to go gorilla trekking.
• Only four hours are allowed with the mountain gorillas during gorilla habituation and 1 hour for trekking when you locate them.

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