Facts about gorilla habituation experience permits in Uganda

The method by which a gorilla trekking family is formed is known as gorilla habituation. To accustom a semi-habituated gorilla family with human presence without changing their character, a group of researchers and habituation experts will accompany them into the bush as part of the gorilla trekking experience.

The only place to experience gorilla habituation at the moment is Uganda. Two gorilla families are available for gorilla habituation in the southern regions of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Additionally, the Rushaga and Nkuringo gorilla trekking sites are located in this southern section of Bwindi’s impenetrable national park.

Gorilla Habituation Experience: What Is It?

You may watch a family of semi-habituated gorillas as they become accustomed to human presence without changing their natural behavior in the gorilla habituation experience. You also get to go with a group of habituators and researchers.

To be eligible for this activity, it would be ideal to have a current gorilla habituation permit.

What is a permit for gorilla habituation?

The Uganda Wildlife Authority issues gorilla habituation permits, which are cards that let people help a semi-habituated gorilla family become accustomed to people. Because gorilla habituation licenses are in high demand and each family is only allowed four permits per day, it is preferable to buy them in advance.

How much do gorilla habituation permits cost?

For foreign nonresidents, gorilla habituation permits cost $1500 per person per trek; for foreign residents, they cost $1000; and for East African residents, they cost 750000shs.

Four hours with the mountain gorillas, a certificate upon habituation, park entrance fees for the day, ranger guide fees, security, gorilla conservation assistance, and local community support are all included in the purchase of the gorilla habituation permit.

The price of the gorilla habituation permit does not include the following: energy bits, a packed lunch, porter fees, TIPPING, and much more.

Is there a refund for the gorilla habituation permit?

Making a reservation for a gorilla habituation safari is like winning the lotto; not going is like not winning the ticket.

If you are eligible under the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s refund policy, you can request a refund for your gorilla habituation permit. Notify the Uganda Wildlife Authority or the booking agent in advance if you anticipate being unable to attend gorilla habituation on the scheduled date.

If you are still eligible for a refund, you are given instructions on what to do next. Because money must pass through bureaucracy before it can be reclaimed, some patience is required.

Can the permits for gorilla habitat be rescheduled?

If you contact the Uganda Wildlife Authority, you can reschedule the gorilla habituation permit.

Send a letter to the Uganda Wildlife Authority asking for a new date for your gorilla habituation permit.

Your gorilla habituation permit is shifted to a requested date upon approval, just in case there is still a spot available.

Uganda permits two reschedulings for the same free gorilla habituation permit; however, the executive director must give his or her approval for the third time. Additionally, a 25% premium is added to the overall cost of the gorilla habituation permit.

How Secure Is the Habituation Adventure for Gorillas?

Despite being a wilderness safari, gorilla habituation is safe. A ranger guide with a machete to remove some creepers and clear the path when needed escorts each group of gorillas during habituation.

The security management of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park collaborates with other Ugandan security organizations to uphold law and order both inside and outside the park.

You need to be mindful of your own safety by avoiding consuming street food that could upset your stomach. You can be excluded from gorilla habituation as a result of this.

Ask your driver’s guide for assistance if you want to sample the local cuisine. The safest food points are known to the guide.

Enter the forest only with a ranger guide accompanying you. This is because there are wild animals in the forest that are not accustomed to people and could endanger you. even to keep from getting lost in a jungle as big as Bwindi.

What Takes Place During an Adventure in Gorilla Habituation?

You bring your gorilla habituation supplies, such as sanitizer and at least two clean masks, to the ranger station in the early morning. Since the return time is uncertain, don’t forget to pack a lunch.

Together with a group of habituators and researchers, the park warden and ranger guides walk you through the guidelines for gorilla habituation. You take pauses along the road, and if you have energy food, you can refuel without leaving any trash in the forest.

You clean your safari boots and follow the trail to the location where the mountain gorillas were spotted the day before, accompanied by a group of researchers and habituation. The mountain gorillas might be just starting to eat breakfast or leaving their nesting place.

When you find the mountain gorillas, what do you do?

The researchers and rangers must create a vibe surrounding the mountain gorillas before they approach them. When in their immediate area, the wild mountain gorillas are vulnerable to outsiders. You must wait for the situation to settle down before you can enter the gorilla family in the event of a conflict.

You are expected to observe, take notes, and attempt to establish a relationship with the mountain gorillas in accordance with the gorilla habituation principles throughout your time with the gorilla family. In order to avoid coming across as suspicious, you must show loyalty to the dominating silverback when he displays his majestic authority over the gorilla family.

One of the gorillas’ natural tendencies is to hide, so expect them to do so occasionally. They are not yet accustomed to being around people. Follow the researchers’ instructions and habituation when this occurs, as they may already be aware of how to handle it. On advice, only push your way to the area where the mountain gorillas have fled.

Try to maintain a distance of roughly 8 meters from the mountain gorillas as a norm for gorilla habituation. They silently retreat as they get closer. As a way to preserve memories for later use, take pictures throughout the habituation hours.

You are permitted to spend four hours with the mountain gorillas before gradually leaving to rest at your resort.

During habituation, how dangerous are mountain gorillas?

The mountain gorillas are not aggressive, despite being partially acclimated during our adventure. Rather, in spite of their intimidating stature and physique, mountain gorillas are quiet and reserved.

Avoid looking directly into the mountain gorillas’ brown, sunken eyes as this could make them suspect you. The silverback may give the order for the other members of the family to withdraw into the deeper woodland ends if he notices something strange about the strangers nearby.

The mountain gorillas may become enraged or start a stampede in the jungle if you provoke them.

The mountain gorillas can pull grass around themselves, bang their chests, hoot, walk on one foot, and do a lot more when they’re upset.

No visitor has ever been attacked by a mountain gorilla in the history of gorilla habituation.

What Is The Gorilla Habituation Adventure’s History?

The rest is history. In 2014, the Uganda Wildlife Authority began a gorilla habituation adventure. As a result, visitors were able to spend more time with the mountain gorillas and felt honored to have contributed to the creation of a gorilla trekking family. Gorilla habituation offers you more time, but you can still go gorilla trekking more than once.

A select few have the chance to accompany a group of researchers as they observe and record information on the mountain gorillas for four hours.

Being the first firm to book guests for a gorilla habitat safari in Uganda, we at Katland Safari take great pride in being the first to create history.

What is the duration of the Gorilla Habituation Adventure?

Depending on the conditions in the forest, gorilla habituation takes different amounts of time.

Depending on where the mountain gorillas spend the day, you could occasionally find them two hours after the walk begins or later.

The gorillas may go into hiding if they quarrel with members of their own family or with another gorilla family, which would make it more difficult to find them.

For a while, mountain gorillas feed in a specific location. After their food supply runs out, they relocate; it could take some time to determine where the habituated gorilla family has gone.

Even the speed at which individuals do gorilla habituation is important. It takes longer for gorillas to get habituated when they move very slowly.

Your progress in the forest may be slowed down by slick pathways and damp ground during the intense rainy seasons.

With all of this in mind, you experience a mixture of intense thrill and anxiety when you first see the mountain gorillas. Before you find the mountain gorillas, you might need to recall everything you have been through.

Because mountain gorillas are free primates simply living their lives, gorilla habituation requires some time.

Is It Hard to Habituate Gorillas?

Because the Virunga region is primarily volcanic in topography, hikers should anticipate traversing slopes and plateaus where mountain gorillas might spend the day.

You must be reasonably fit, or rent a sedan chair if you are physically incapable.

Wearing the appropriate safari boots that can handle muddy terrain and slick slopes will help you survive a gorilla habituation experience. Ask for a walking stick to provide additional support while you search for the mountain gorillas.

Just before you embark on your journey, you can hire a porter to carry your gorilla habituation equipment. You may walk about freely and snap the greatest pictures with less interruption thanks to this.

During a gorilla habitat adventure, who is a porter?

A porter pushes you to finish the trip when you’re exhausted and carries your gorilla trekking equipment in the woods.

What Role Does a Porter Play in Gorilla Habituation?

To keep you energized while you search for the mountain gorillas, the porter helps carry your gorilla habituation equipment.

Because porters are locals, hiring one directly supports the conservation effort to save mountain gorillas. In addition to examining the forest supply, they make some money as porters, which they utilize to fund their everyday needs.

WHAT ARE THE GORILLA HABITUATION ADVENTURE DOS AND DONT’S?

The environment of the forest where mountain gorilla food grows is altered when trash, especially indecomposable trash like plastic wraps, is dumped in the wilderness.
It is not permissible to spit on the ground or foliage since this contaminates the food that the mountain gorillas eat.
When you find the mountain gorillas, stay around 8 meters away from them. They are quite prone to infections from people.
Due to the forest elements surrounding this activity, gorilla habituation is only permitted for those who are at least 15 years old. The many hours of gorilla habituation may be too much for a child younger than this. A toddler might find it difficult to tolerate the damp conditions, even on the ground.
If you want to eat or drink, stay at least 300 meters away from the mountain gorillas. This keeps them from snatching up human food. Since they are untamed creatures, they have to look for nourishment.
You only get four hours to see the mountain gorillas before you leave them to go about their daily lives.
COVID-19 volunteers stay behind when they have a contagious illness, such as a cough, to avoid infecting the extremely vulnerable mountain gorillas.
Because the mountain gorillas are vulnerable to strangers, it is prohibited to provoke them.
To avoid frightening the mountain gorillas during gorilla habituation, never use flash photography.
During gorilla habituation, avoid dispersing as the mountain gorillas can perceive an ambush.
As a precaution following the COVID-19 outbreak, use a mask before you approach mountain gorillas.