How to organize a Bwindi gorilla habituation experience safari from Masaka City

How to organize a Bwindi gorilla habituation experience safari from Masaka. When scheduling a gorilla habituation experience safari from Masaka City to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you must secure a gorilla permit. The gorilla habituation experience is an adventure where a maximum of 4 tourists accompany a team of researchers and rangers in the wilderness to follow a semi-habituated mountain gorilla family.

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Securing the gorilla permit is the only confirmation that the gorilla habituation experience is happening, as only maximum of four permits are open to the public per day per family. Currently, Uganda has two gorilla families in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park available for gorilla habituation experience.

Consider accommodation during the gorilla habituation experience, as securing facilities in the southern part of vast Bwindi is the only choice. This sector has several options to choose from based on categories like luxury, mid-range, and budget accommodations.

Reserve in advance transport from Masaka to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, as road transport is the primary means to get to this park. Charter flight services can also be arranged on request, but booking is necessary to clear everything. 

Knowing the number of people traveling for the gorilla habituation experience is essential for all planning, from booking the gorilla permits to all safari amenities bookings.

What to consider when organizing a Gorilla Habituation experience safari from Masaka

Book Gorilla Habituation Permits

Because of the limited number of gorilla habituation permits, booking these permits in advance is needed, especially peak season permits. The peak season is normally June, July, August, September, December, and January. During this season, the demand for gorilla permits is at its peak, too, yet supply is limited to a maximum of four tickets per family.

At Encounter African Safaris, we can assist you in reserving the gorilla habituation permit when you ask us. Upon receiving your gorilla habituation experience inquiry, our tours consultant checks availability from the Uganda Wildlife Authority list. We are among some of the few companies accredited to have access to the Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permit list.

Some of the details we require before finding gorilla permit availability are the date for the habituation experience and the number of people traveling with us.

We advise clients to buy permits immediately when gorilla permit availability is favorable. This is because they sell out fast, yet a first come, first served basis is used. No gorilla habituation experience card is reserved without payment.

For identification purposes, forward us personal information like your full name as presented on the passport, date of birth, Nationality, and expiry date.

How much is the cost of gorilla Habituation experience card?

The current cost of the gorilla habituation experience card is $1500 for foreign nonresidents, $1000 for foreign residents, and 750000shs for East African residents.

The cost of gorilla habituation experience card covers researcher fee, ranger guide fee, park entrance fees, security during the habituation experience, mountain gorilla conservation, government tax, four hours with semi-habituated mountain gorillas., and local community support.

Exclusions in the gorilla habituation experience permit cost are Transport, accommodation, porter hire, sedan chair services if needed, and other personal expenses.

Reserve accommodation in the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 

Spending the night within or closer to the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you can get quicker access to the briefing point, is essential as you plan for the gorilla habituation experience safari.

The southern part of Bwindi has various accommodations categorized into luxury, mid-range, and budget facilities. You need accommodation booking because rooms sell out fast because of overwhelming demand worldwide. Try to avoid last-minute accommodation booking as options run low.

• Southern Bwindi Accommodation: Clouds Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Safari Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Backpackers' Camp, Camp, Ichumbi Lodge, Chameleon's Hill Lodge

Book transport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Road transport is the primary way to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park from Masaka city. The distance from Masaka city to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is about 245 kilometers for approximately 5 or 6 hours. Hiring a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle in excellent condition is advised because of the nature of the winding roads in the countryside, which are rough and slippery at times.

Charter flights are available from Kajjansi Airstrip or Entebbe Airport to Kisoro Airstrip, but booking is required to do all necessary clearances. Hire a transfer vehicle from Kisoro airstrip to your lodge because it is about 1 hour and a half drive to the southern part of Bwindi forest.

Select Additional Uganda Safari Activities To Combine With Gorilla Habituation Experience 

Enrich your Uganda safari memories with a combo of gorilla habituation experience and other activities. Uganda is a country endowed by nature, and visiting the western side allows you to enjoy the beauties of the Uganda safari destinations.

Before or after the gorilla habituation experience, you may do golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga National Park, have a birding adventure in Bwindi forest, do chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, launch a trip on Kazinga channel Queen Elizabeth National Park, visit the source of river Nile, enjoy game drives in Murchison Falls National park to mention but a few.

Pack The Right Gorilla Habituation Experience Gears

Remember to pack the right gear as you organize the gorilla habituation experience safari from Masaka city. The gorilla habituation experience involves walking in the jungle, which requires you to have the right equipment. You do not have to pack so many bags. Still, just the necessary gear like safari boots, long-sleeved shirts, trousers in wilderness-friendly colors, safari foldable hats, insect repellants, and garden gloves, to mention but a few.

Do pre-tour Gorilla habituation experience Exercises 

While planning the gorilla habituation experience safari, you must keep fit. This is because of the nature of the topography of this area, which is volcanic with so many ridges and plateaus. Sometimes, the mountain gorillas spend their time on the slopes of these highlands, so you have to hike to get to them.

Keeping fit helps you stay energized before getting to the mountain gorillas, which may delay the rest of the group as the ranger guides follow the pace of the slowest trekker.

Select The Number Of Days You Wish To Be On Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari

As you plan the gorilla habituation experience safari, you must know the number of days you hope to be in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The least number of days on gorilla safari is 3 days of gorilla habituation experience. This allows you to drive to the park, do a gorilla habituation experience the next day, and depart on the third day.

You can also add more days in case you are to engage in other activities in other Uganda safari destinations, like chimpanzee trekking, game drives, and launch trips, to mention a few. 

At Encounter Africa Safaris, our safari consultants are always ready to assist you in planning the proper flow of your gorilla habituation experience itinerary with a combo of other activities. 

When Can I Book a Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari?

The gorilla habituation experience is open all year, but most visitors prefer the dry season with more forest activity. Mountain gorillas and other primates love being in the open during the dry season, although this area is famous for receiving rain at any time without warning.

The precipitation in the forest is less since more sunlight is allowed through the dense forest canopy. Trails in the forest are less slippery in the dry season since the rivers flow within the ordinary course. You must note that the dry season is also at the peak of Uganda's tourism season, so demand for gorilla permits is overwhelmingly high. To be on the safe side, you need to reserve the gorilla permits in advance.

In the wet season, demand for gorilla permits gets lower, so chances of finding last-minute tickets are more open. If you wish to travel at a discounted gorilla safari cost, the low season gives you a better advantage, although only a guarantee sometimes. The western season, which is March, April, May, and November, also acts as the low Uganda tourism season.

Can I Book Gorilla Habituation Permits In Instalments?

You can book gorilla permits in installments per the Uganda Wildlife Authority's policy. However, purchasing the permits is most preferred to remember to top them up. The Uganda Wildlife Authority allows installment gorilla permit purchases of 30% and 70 %, respectively; however, you only qualify for this when you purchase your permit before 90 days to habituation experience day and remember to top up before 90 days to habituation day. Failure to comply with this may attract a penalty according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority Instalment Gorilla permit policy.

How Long Is Gorilla Habituation Experience?

The time taken on the gorilla habituation experience is still being determined as it depends on the mountain gorillas' mobility. When the mountain gorillas feed closer to the starting point of the habituation adventure, they may be quicker to trace. If there is a fight between the gorilla family, you are assigned to and another family, the losing family may go into hiding, prolonging the gorilla habituation experience. 

Other factors determining when to find the mountain gorillas include the pace of other tourists, weather conditions of the days, and others.

Doing gorilla habituation experience requires having some level of patience and an open mind in order not to get bored before finding these charming mountain gorillas.

What Is The Age Limit For Gorilla Habituation Experience?

The age limit for gorilla habituation experience is 15 years and above. This is because of the nature of the terrain of this area, where you may be required to hike into the valley or on the slopes to find the mountain gorillas.

During briefing time, rules of gorilla trekking are given, which must be kept religiously; however, for a child below 15 years, it is easier to violet them unknowingly, like making noise while standing before the mountain gorillas. It's easier for a person to be intimidated by the outlook of the mountain gorillas, which is 

quite scary. You can quickly react by making noise, which may scare the mountain gorillas and cause them to retract into the deeper ends of the forest.

What are the guidelines for Gorilla habituation experience 

• Only four hours are allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them during the gorilla habituation experience 
• Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas when you find them. This is to prevent chances of passing an infection to these primates, as they are highly susceptible to infectious diseases like flu, cough, COVID-19, and others.
• If you are sick with a contagious infection, volunteer to stay behind so as not to pass it to the endangered mountain gorillas.
• If you want to eat or drink before the mountain gorillas, do it at least 300 meters away from them. They are wild animals that must search for their food.
• The age limit for gorilla safari is 15 years and beyond. This is because the way to locate the mountain gorillas has rugged topography, which requires you to hike sometimes to find the mountain gorillas.
• Only go into the forest with an escorting ranger guide. Although the mountain gorillas are fully habituated to human presence, some forest dwellers are not and may be dangerous to you alone.
• When defecating, ask the ranger guide to dig a hole at least 30 centimeters deep and cover well beyond recognition.
• Stay in a tight group with the mountain gorillas because surrounding them may cause them to feel ambushed.
• Please don't attempt to provoke the mountain gorillas because they are wild animals habituated to human presence. They still possess agitated behaviors 
• When taking photos, do it with a flash-less camera to not scare the mountain gorillas; they are often frightened by unfamiliar occurrences in their presence.
• When tracking the mountain gorillas, keep your voice low so as not to scare the mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers that may be interesting to add to your wildlife photo collection.
• Never dump garbage in the wilderness, as this alters the nature of the forest where mountain gorillas live.

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