Gorilla habituation experience rules and regulations to be followed

Gorilla habituation safari gets you closer to the semi-habituated mountain gorilla family for 4 hours after locating them. To regulate forest disturbance and reduce the impact of mass tourism, only a maximum of 4 tourists are allowed to accompany researchers and habituation during gorilla habituation adventures.

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Uganda, so far, is the only destination where you can do a gorilla habituation tour. However, the gorilla habituation process must occur before forming a gorilla trekking family. 

What is Gorilla habituation?

Gorilla habituation is the process of getting a wild mountain gorillas family used to the presence of humans without altering their nature. The method of gorilla habituation may take over two years, depending on how fast the gorilla family adapts to human existence.

Protecting mountain gorillas is the top priority for any gorilla trekking or habituation safari in Uganda, Rwanda, or D.R.Congo, so following the rules and regulations governing this safari is paramount. 

What Are the Rules And Regulations For Gorilla Habituation Safari?

• Wear a clean mask before going for gorilla trekking or habituation, and change into a clean one before meeting the mountain gorillas. This measure was adopted after the Covid 19 pandemic to reduce the chances of passing any communicable infection to the mountain gorillas. Unfortunately, they have about 96% human DNA and are highly susceptible to human infections. Sanitize your shoes, too, before stepping into the forest.
• Keep your voice low or quiet during gorilla habituation to avoid distracting the mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers. They are highly sensitive to unfamiliar noise in their habitat. They also operate a spy network that warns the rest of the family about your presence in the forest.
• If you have a contagious infection like covid 19, cough, cholera, and others, volunteer to stay behind so that you do not pass this infection to the mountain gorillas. Their massive death may retard the so far achieved progress of over 1000 mountain gorillas from the 1980s 300 mountain gorillas.
• Keep in a tight group during gorilla habituation so you don't make mountain gorillas think of an ambush. Avoid moving aimlessly in the wilderness to prevent looking suspicious before the mountain gorillas. They are very sensitive primates, very keen with intruders in their vicinity.
• No using flash photography when you locate the mountain gorillas. This scares them because they are frightened by new occurrences in their presence. Before taking photos of the mountain gorillas during habituation, wait for the habituation or ranger guide to observe the mountain gorillas' mood.
• Provoking the mountain gorillas during gorilla habituation is forbidden because you do not know their reaction. 
• When eating or smoking, do it at least 300 meters from the mountain gorillas to avoid the chances of them grabbing anything. Mountain gorillas are wild animals that must look for their food and not depend on human provision.
• Volunteer to stay behind if you catch a communicable infection like cough or dysentery that can kill massive numbers of mountain gorillas. Conservation of mountain gorillas has come a long way, and much investment has been applied. If you report your illness before gorilla habituation, you may be considered for a refund according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board policy.
• If you wish to have a long call, ask the ranger guide to dig a hole for you at least 30 centimeters deep and cover it well beyond recognition.
• When you have a litter, carry it out of the forest, and don't dump any garbage that can alter the nature of the forest where food for the mountain gorillas grows.
• Avoid spitting on the ground or vegetation during gorilla habituation. The mountain gorillas entirely depend on foliage, and you may contaminate their food with germs.
• Only persons 15 years and above are allowed to do gorilla habituation. This is because the time of locating the mountain gorillas is still being determined, yet the topography is slippery or steep for a child below this age to withstand.
• Suppose you wish to sneeze or cough during gorilla habituation. Do it away from the mountain gorillas and in a handkerchief or elbow to reduce the chances of passing infections to the gorillas.
• Keep a gap of at least 8 meters from the mountain gorillas to reduce the chances of transmitting any communicable diseases to the gorillas. They are wild animals despite the fact of being habituated to human presence. In case they move closer, stealthily move back to maintain the distance.
• Four hours of viewership are allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them. They may move into hiding sometimes because they still have wild traits. Be very patient and obedient when in front of the mountain gorillas. They want to show superiority over you while in the jungle, especially the dominant silverback.

What Is The Gorilla Habituation Permit Cost?

The gorilla habituation permit costs $1500 per person per trek for foreign nonresidents, $1000 for foreign residents, and 150000shs for East African citizens.

The cost of a gorilla habituation permit includes the following:

• Ranger guide fees.
• Park fees.
• Security.
• Gorilla conservation support.
• Local community support.
• A certificate after gorilla habituation.
• Four hours of gorilla habituation.

Gorilla habituation permits cost excludes tipping, porters, energy bites, packed lunch, and any other items of personal nature.

Is The Cost of a Gorilla Habituation Permit Worth?

The hefty price for a gorilla habituation permit is worth every penny. You contribute to the ongoing mountain gorilla conservation campaign amidst fun on an adventure. You meet some of the few leftover mountain gorillas in the world that are believed to have existed with the dinosaurs. 

Most people have gorilla trekking on their African safari bucket list, but the limited number of gorilla habituation permits released daily disqualifies them. Only four gorilla habituation permits are left for the public to book daily, yet only two gorilla families are currently open for habituation.

 Can I reschedule the Gorilla Habituation Permit?

Failing to go gorilla habituation is like missing your lottery ticket, but you can still reschedule. You must write to Uganda Wildlife Authority stating your desire to reschedule your gorilla permit. Attach some evidence to back this up.

When approved, your gorilla habituation permit is moved as requested. This is based on availability.

Uganda offers two free chances for rescheduling the same gorilla permit, but the Executive Director approves the third time. A surcharge of 25% of the total gorilla permit cost is applied. 

How Much Is Gorilla Habituation Safari?

The permit price precedes the cost of the gorilla habituation safari. Currently, the gorilla habituation permit for Uganda costs $1500 per person for foreign nonresidents, 1000 for foreign residents, and 750000 shs for Eat African residents.

Other factors considered when calculating the gorilla habituation safari cost include

The number of people traveling for gorilla habituation whereby the more people joining the gorilla habituation safari, the less the person cost. You incur all the safari costs when you take solo gorilla habituation.

Time to book gorilla habituation safari, whereby the peak seasons, usually has high prices charged on all services 

while low seasons sometimes come with discounted service costs.

The number of days on gorilla habituation safari As you take more days on gorilla habituation safari, the safari cost increases. Most service providers charge per-day costs.

A number of other activities combined with gorilla habituation, where the more activities included in the gorilla habituation package, like game drives, chimpanzee trekking, birding, ad others, the higher the cost.

Safari package you choose for gorilla habituation safari. Gorilla Habituation safaris are packaged according to luxury, mid-range, or budget. Each has its inclusions and exclusions. The more inclusions, the higher the safari cost.

Where to purchase the Gorilla Trekking Permit?

The Uganda Wildlife Authority is the gorilla permit-selling and regulating body. You can purchase the gorilla permit through a tour operator like Encounter Africa Safaris. We can also book and assemble all necessary amenities supporting your gorilla habituation safari, like accommodation, driver guide hire, etc.

You can purchase the gorilla habituation permit directly from Uganda Wildlife Authority; however, be ready for the long phone call queue and delayed reply because the reservation office is extra busy.

What Time Do You Locate The Mountain Gorillas During Habituation?

The time of locating the mountain gorillas during habituation is still being determined. At the start of gorilla habituation, you follow the trail to where the mountain gorillas were seen the previous day.

Sometimes, the mountain gorillas under habituation are located 2 hours after starting or more depending on factors prevailing in the wilderness.

It would be best to have some patience before locating the mountain gorillas. The way is slippery at times, especially during the severe rainy season. This may cause a delay in finding the mountain gorillas.

When the pace of the people going to do gorilla habituation is slow, you may need more time to find the mountain gorillas. 

Are Mountain Gorillas Aggressive During Habituation?

Although these mountain gorillas are semi-habituated, they are not aggressive. In nature, the mountain gorillas are serene and shy. Physically, mountain gorillas look scary because of their dark hairy bodies, huge body size, and walk-by-knuckle movement. At a glance, the mountain gorillas are scary.

When you stare into the dark sunken eyes of the mountain gorillas, they get shy and retreat into the deeper ends of the forest. 

When angry, mountain gorillas hoot, thump their chests, pull grass around them, and so much more. You need to pay allegiance to their presence. Do as instructed by the researcher and rangers if this aggressive behavior is displayed during gorilla habituation. This is one way to show you mean no harm to them.

Follow the rules of gorilla habituation given during briefing to sustain your four hours in the presence of the mountain gorillas.

Is Gorilla Habituation Safe?

Gorilla habituation is safe because you are in the company of rangers and researchers with the gorilla family under habituation. Per your visit, they have most of the traits of the gorilla family and know how to react when the mountain gorillas rage.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers work with other Uganda security agencies to maintain law and order in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and its surroundings.

You need to pay attention to personal safety by not eating street food that may upset your stomach. If you wish to taste local cuisines, ask your driver guide for the best places.

Protect your property by not letting into your room other tourists you are not familiar with. Only some people on safari have good intentions like you do.

Only enter the forest with an escorting ranger guide. Not every forest dweller is habituated to human presence. You may encounter wild animals like forest elusive forest elephants, giant forest hogs, and vipers, yet you have no protective weapons.

What Else To Do After Gorilla Habituation In Uganda

Game drives

Uganda has a number of game parks where you get to spot a number of wild animals. Some of Uganda's game parks include Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park.

During game drives, you may spot animals like cheetahs, lions, warthogs, hartebeest, wild cats, aardwolf, giraffes, elands, impalas, oribi, sitatungas, cape buffaloes, zebras, bushbucks, waterbucks, and others.

Chimpanzee trekking

You need to book chimpanzee trekking permits from Uganda Wildlife Authority to visit some of the closest relatives of man in the wilderness. The price of Uganda chimpanzee trekking permits varies with the destination. Some Uganda chimpanzee trekking destinations include Kibale National Park, Kyambura Gorge, Kaniyo Pabidi Forest, and Kalinzu Forest.

Birding in Uganda

The ever-expanding bird list of Uganda makes it one of the best destinations for ornithologists in Africa. t the moment, over 1000 bird species have been recorded in Uganda. With a well-trained and experienced birding guide, you may spot a wide range of birds in different destinations like Mabamba Swamp, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mpanga Forest, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and others.

Uganda Water Activities

Uganda is endowed with a wide range of fresh and salty water bodies. A few of the water activities in Uganda include white water rafting on River Nile, launch trips in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls National Park, sport fishing on River Nile, boat cruises on Lake Vice, kayaking, and tubing, to mention but a few.

Contact us for more information and check out our trip advisor review.