What is the best time for gorilla habituation experience in Uganda?

What is the best time for gorilla habituation experience in Uganda? – Spend more time with Gorillas

What is the best time for gorilla habituation experience safari? – There are a few experiences as powerful and moving as viewing wild Mountain Gorillas in the tropical rainforests of East Africa. Spread across Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Mountain Gorillas are the world’s most endangered apes and only around 1080 Mountain Gorillas remain.

Uganda is home to almost half of the world’s total population of Mountain Gorillas, and a Gorilla trek here offers the chance to spend up to one precious hour with a family of a habituated Mountain Gorilla family. However, for those who wish to enjoy more time with these fascinating creatures, Uganda also offers the rare opportunity to participate in a full day Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

You will have up to four spellbinding hours with a semi-habituated Gorilla family, accompanied by expert guides, researchers and trackers and truly it is one of the most remarkable wildlife adventures on the planet. Great Adventure Safaris provides you with some information you need to know about Gorilla Trekking and the Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda.

Unlike Gorilla tracking that limits one’s interaction with the Mountain Gorillas to only one hour, Gorilla Habituation allows you 4 hours in company of a semi-habituated Gorilla family with start counting when you reach the fresh trails from where they nested the previous night. Also you will spend a little more on a Gorilla habituation permit which costs USD1500 per person per trek compared to the one hour experience which costs USD700 per person per trek.

What is the Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda?

Gorilla habituation experience is the slow and gentle introduction of a wild Mountain Gorilla family of to the presence of humans. Wild Mountain Gorillas are habituated so researchers can study the species, treat them for sickness and injuries, protect them from hunters, and boost their conservation efforts with sustainable tourism. click on link to read more about how to habituate mountain gorillas

Two Mountain Gorilla families of Bukingi and Bushaho are currently being habituated in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. In order to become accustomed to the presence of humans, each Gorilla family has undergone a lengthy habituation process between 3-5 years managed by a team of expert researchers, conservationists, trackers and rangers.

National Park rangers start the habituation process by spending a short period of time with the Gorillas each day, maintaining a specific distance at the limit of the Gorillas’ comfort zone. Every few months they gradually increase the time and reduce the distance until they are certain that the Gorillas are ready for tourists to visit them.

Whilst the Gorillas are not yet completely habituated, they are used to trackers and rangers, but not to strangers or tourists. The Gorilla Habituation Experience will help to ensure that they will eventually become fully comfortable in the company of humans. By participating in the Gorilla Habituation Experience you are supporting the crucial work in habituating Gorillas and ensuring their survival. It is truly humbling to think that you will be one of the first humans to meet these Gorillas.

The experience offers a more relaxed and enriching encounter with the Gorillas. You will feel less rushed and you will have plenty of time to fully absorb this incredible wildlife experience. During your time with your Gorilla family you can immerse yourself in their world as they continue to go about their daily lives, feeding and interacting with each other, under the watchful gaze of the mighty silverback.

Gorilla habituation safaris in Uganda

Best time for gorilla habituation experience

Mountain Gorilla Habituation in Uganda can be done all year round, with consistent temperatures ranging from 20-25°C. The best time for Gorilla habituation is the dry seasons, from June to August and December to February. During these months, the primates retreat into the dense forest during the rains, and the jungle is less muddy and slippery for trekking.

The heavy wet season runs from March to May, with a second lighter rainy season falling in October and November. Although you can still go Mountain Gorilla habituation, be aware that the trails can be quite muddy and harder to navigate. The wet season can also offer the best conditions for Gorilla photography, as after a rain shower, the air is clear of dust and mist providing a stunning atmosphere to capture the Gorillas.

Why we love it?

The first thing you notice when stepping out on a Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is the sounds of the forest. The trees are alive with bird species, butterfly and insects, and the excitement mounts as you realize you are about to meet one of the few remaining wild Mountain Gorilla families.

Once you find a Gorilla family, the ranger advises you to keep a good distance, however the Gorillas do not always follow this rule. The Gorillas will suddenly come out of the bush and sit no more than five meters from you. The rangers and researchers will guide you how to behave in front of the Gorillas. There is no fear, just intense curiosity. The hour seemed to rush by as you move slowly through the dense forest, trying to catch another view of these magnificent creatures.

You might also Like;