New year gorilla and chimpanzee habituation experience in Bwindi and Kibale NPS

When you decide to start New Year with a gorilla and chimpanzee habituation experience, you get extra 4 hours with a limited number of people maximum of 4 persons, on safari.

Doing gorilla and chimpanzee habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Kibale National Park is a memorable safari for the New Year. Refreshing your mind with a visit to some of the closest human relatives in the wilderness creates an entire year's impact.

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When you do a gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park as the year is still young, you also enjoy the cool breeze regulated by the forest. These tropical forests are home to other primates, like black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, and others.

It would be best to have a gorilla and chimpanzee permit for either adventure, which must be booked to avoid last-minute panic trying to secure these permits. During the festive season, gorilla and chimpanzee permits for Uganda are in high demand worldwide and sell out fast. The number of gorilla permits is limited to 4 per gorilla family per day, while chimpanzee permits to 4 per troop.

What is the gorilla habituation experience?

Gorilla habituation is an adventure where you accompany a team of Researchers and habituators in the wild to follow a semi-habituated gorilla family in the wilderness and stay with them for 4 hours. The age limit for gorilla habituation experience is 15 years and above. 

In Uganda, gorilla habituation happens in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, with currently 2 families so far set aside for this experience.

What is a chimpanzee habituation experience?

The Chimpanzee habituation experience is an adventure where together with a team of researchers and trackers, you follow semi-habituated chimpanzees in the wilderness to get them used to human presence without altering their nature. Chimpanzee habituation last four hours in the presence of the closest human cousins 

When Is The Best Time To Book Gorilla and chimpanzee habituation permits For Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Kibale National Park?

To book gorilla habituation permits at least 6 months to a year prior to the date is good to go, while chimpanzee trekking at least 3 months in advance. Permits for the festive season of which Newyear is part are sold out in advance, including limited accommodation options.

Since this is a busy tourism season in Uganda, you must reserve other safari amenities like accommodation and transport to gorilla and chimpanzee destinations in advance.

Booking chimpanzee habituation experience permits for Kibale National Park at least 3 months prior to the trekking date saves you last-minute panic to reserve the permit.

How To Book Gorilla And Chimpanzee Habituation Permits Of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park And Kibale National Park?

Select the date you wish to do either gorilla or chimpanzee habituation in Uganda. Note that either gorilla habituation or chimpanzee habituation is a one-day activity. You may pick a leaf from our Primate Safari Packages.

When you enquire from us, our safari consultant checks availability from the Uganda Wildlife Authority permit list. Encounter Africa Safaris is one of the accredited tour companies allowed access to this list. Hence, the hassle of calling to check for availability from the Uganda Wildlife Authority is no longer a worry to us. We can no longer make our clients wait for over 24 hours of turnaround time to confirm availability as we used to in the past.

Once availability is approved for either the gorilla or chimpanzee permits, we advise clients to purchase them as soon as possible. They get sold out fast on a first-come, first-served basis.

Forward some details like full names as indicated on the passport, nationality, date of birth, and passport expiry date. To confirm ownership and record purpose, these details are added to your gorilla or chimpanzee habituation card that you present on the safari day.

How Much Is Gorilla Permit and Chimpanzee Permit For Uganda? 

The cost of a gorilla habituation permit for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is currently $1500 per person per trek for foreign nonresidents, $1000 per person for foreign residents, and 750000shs for East African Residents.

Chimpanzee habituation permits cost Kibale National Park $300 per person per trek.

What is included in the Gorilla and chimpanzee habituation Permit Card cost for Bwindi and Kibale National Park?

The inclusions in the gorilla permit card cost are researcher fee, ranger guide fee, security during gorilla and chimpanzee habituation, local community support, four hours with either chimpanzees or mountain gorillas, Gorilla or chimpanzee conservation support, certificate of completing the trek and park entrance fees.

What Is Excluded In The Cost Of Gorilla Or Chimpanzee Habituation Permit?

Exclusions of gorilla or chimpanzee habituation permits are; porter fee as a porter is a person you can hire to give you a hand to lift your habituation gears and push when tired. More exclusions of a gorilla and habituation permits are no tips, transport to the destinations, accommodation, etc.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we put together your gorilla and chimpanzee habituation amenities to make this dream come true African safari experience is great and memorable for you. We categorize our safaris into budget, Mid-range, and Luxury packages. Each has inclusions and exclusions according to a gorilla and chimpanzee habituation safari.

Can I purchase The Gorilla or Chimpanzee Habituation Permit in Instalment?

Although paying fully for your Gorilla or chimpanzee permit is the best idea, you can purchase them in installments as long as you are within the accepted time.

Uganda Wildlife Authority accepts installment gorilla and chimpanzee permit purchases of 30% and 70 %, respectively. This applies to those who purchase their gorilla or chimpanzee permits before 90 days of the habituation date. You must top up before 90 days, either gorilla or chimpanzee habituation adventure day.

 Failure to comply calls for a penalty.

Can I reschedule My Gorilla or Chimpanzee Habituation Experience Permit?

In case you realize you are incapable of attending Gorilla and chimpanzee habituation experience but hope to do so in the future, you can reschedule your permits as below;

Procedure for Gorilla or chimpanzee habituation Experience Reschedule 

Write to Uganda Wildlife Authority requesting to reschedule your gorilla or chimpanzee habituation permits. These must be topped up first for those with the gorilla and chimpanzee permits purchased in installments.

Please state why you wish to move your habituation dates and attach evidence to back this up in case you have it.

Once approved, your gorilla or chimpanzee habituation experience dates are moved according to your new date, but all is based upon prevailing availability.

How Long Is Gorilla And Chimpanzee Habituation Experience In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park And Kibale National Park?

The time taken doing gorilla or chimpanzee habituation is hard to predict as it depends on a number of factors:

The proximity of the mountain gorilla or chimpanzee's food where the closer the feeding area is to the starting point of the habituation experience, the quicker you locate them and the earlier the return time.

The losers may go into hiding when there is a fight amongst the mountain gorilla families or within the gorilla family under habituation. If it's the gorilla family you are allocated to, you may take long in the wilderness.

During the severe rainy season, the mountain gorillas tend to spend their day at the slopes, to which you have to hike. However, the trails are slippery and soggy from a lot of rain and decomposing matter.

When allocated to do gorilla or chimpanzee habituation with a slow group, you may take a long in the wilderness as the rangers follow the pace of the slowest habituation. This is to prevent the chances of forgetting anyone in the wilderness.

Is Gorilla or Chimpanzee Habituation Experience in Bwindi or Kibale Forest Safe?

Yes, gorilla or chimpanzee habituation experience is safe, although you follow a semi-habituated primate troop. Either the gorillas or chimpanzees under habituation still possess wild traits like moving into hiding and hooting at their visitors and others. 

The researchers and trackers, by then, know how to react to the behavior displayed at the moment, so there is no fear of an attack from either the mountain gorillas or chimpanzees. In case they showcase unusual behavior, follow the advice from the ranger guide and researchers to prevent an unbearable situation.

Follow the advice during the briefing before doing a gorilla or chimpanzee habituation experience.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers coordinate Bwindi Forest and Kibale National Park security matters with other security agencies in Uganda. They are present in these areas to keep law and order where necessary.

You must also pay attention to personal safety by only entering Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Kibale National Park with an escorting ranger guide. The primates may be semi-habituated. However, other forest dwellers are not. They may attack you without help from a professional ranger. 

 Mind the safety of your belongings in your room by not letting intruders in who may harm your safety while on gorilla or chimpanzee habituation experience.

The safety gorilla and chimpanzee habituation gear can withstand the conditions in the forest, like safari boots, insect repellant, long-sleeved shirts and trousers, and so much more.

How difficult is Gorilla and Chimpanzee Habituation Experience in Bwindi and Kibale National Park?

Both gorilla habituation and chimpanzee habituation experience are done in the wilderness, where harsh conditions exist. Wear the gorilla or chimpanzee habituation gears.

Having some fitness level protects you from muscle pulls while you trek to find the mountain gorillas or chimpanzees.

The nature of the topography where gorilla habituation is done is ragged with highlands that you may need to hike in case the gorillas are spending their day there. On the other hand, the Chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale National Park happens in a relatively flat area, but you may walk for some time before finding them.

What Are The Guidelines For Gorilla and Chimpanzee Habituation Experience 

• Wearing a mask and sanitizing your shoes is a must before coming face to face with mountain gorillas and chimpanzees.
• No feeding of the mountain gorilla and chimpanzees during habituation. They are wild animals that must search for their food. If you wish to smoke or eat, do at least 300 meters from them.
• Volunteer to stay behind if you catch a communicable infection like covid-19 or flu, as these primates are at a high risk of acquiring it.
• When with the chimpanzees and gorillas, do not surround them as they may feel ambushed by your presence.
• Flash photography is not accepted during either gorilla or chimpanzee habituation because these primates are frightened by new occurrences in their presence.
• Spitting on vegetation or the ground is forbidden because you may pass germs to these primates and spread a communicable infection to the highly endangered primates.
• If you wish to defecate, ask the ranger guide to dig a hole about 30 centimeters deep and cover well later beyond recognition.
• Throwing garbage in the forest is forbidden, especially indecomposable litter. You alter the nature of the forest where chimpanzees and mountain gorillas thrive. Both primates are naturally vegetarian, feeding on leaves, stems, fruits, tubers, and others.
• Keep a space of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas or chimpanzees when you locate them to prevent chances of coming into contact with them. In case they approach you, retreat slowly without causing any suspicion.
• Provoking or mimicking the mountain gorillas or chimpanzees is not allowed as you do not know what you are saying.
• During the gorilla or chimpanzee habituation experience, only 4 hours are allowed before these primates.

What Can I Pack For Gorilla and Chimpanzee Habituation Experience?

• Safari boots to protect your feet from harsh forest conditions 
• Rain gears to protect you from getting wet when in the wilderness
• Long-sleeved shirt and trousers to protect you from stinging nettle and other harsh conditions.
• Toiletries are comfortable for your skin.
• A safari cap or large-brim hat
• Insect repellant
• Garden gloves in case you need to hold a tight grip
• A camera
• A pair of binoculars
• A pair of stockings to tack in your trousers
• Rainproof gears to use when it rains without warning.
• A torch
• Flip flops
• A waterproof backpack to hand to a porter in case you need one
•  Some hard cash.

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