What is the age limit (minimum age) for gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi
In Uganda, gorilla habituation is limited to those who are at least 15 years old. This is due to the fact that gorilla habituation involves walking into the bush for a while before seeing mountain gorillas. Gorilla habituation in Uganda is restricted to a maximum of four visitors who spend four hours with the mountain gorillas. It is advisable to initially comprehend what a gorilla habituation safari is.
Gorilla Habituation Adventure: What Is It?
In a gorilla habituation safari, you follow a family of semi-habituated gorillas as they become accustomed to humans without changing who they are.
The southern region of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is currently the gorilla habitat. There are currently two gorilla families available for habituation safari, with a daily cap of four visitors. The gorilla habitat is located in the southern region of Bwindi’s impenetrable national park, which is made up of the Rushaga and Nkuringo areas.
You accompany a team of trackers and habituators who monitor the mountain gorillas, make notes, and follow the gorilla family. To make it simple to identify the mountain gorillas, they list each gorilla’s characteristics and assign unique names.
How Much Does It Cost To Get A Permit To Habitate Gorillas?
For foreign nonresidents, a gorilla habituation permit costs $1500 per person per trek; for foreign residents, it costs $1000; and for East African residents, it costs 150000 shs.
Ranger guide fees, four hours with the mountain gorillas, security, a certificate upon completion of the program, gorilla conservation assistance, local community support, and park admission fees for that day are all included in the price of a gorilla habituation permit.
Transportation to the destination, gratuity, porter rental, beverages, energy bits, etc. are not included in the purchase of a gorilla habituation permit.
Is it possible for me to pay for a gorilla habitat permit in installments?
The best deal is to pay in full for a gorilla permit. Additionally, you have the option to pay 30% and 70% of the whole cost in installments. Permits can only be acquired in installments if they are purchased 90 days prior to the gorilla habituation date.
Ninety days before to the period of habituation, you must renew this gorilla permit; else, a penalty will be applied.
Can I get a refund for my gorilla habitat permit?
You must meet all the requirements outlined in the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s gorilla refund policy if you are unable to keep your gorilla habituation permit on the scheduled date but would still like a return.
Since the gorilla habituation permit expires on the scheduled day, you cannot expect a refund if you fail to show up without notifying the Uganda Wildlife Authority beforehand.
How Can the Gorilla Habituation Permit Be Rescheduled?
To postpone your gorilla habituation permit, you must write to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Explain why you are unable to perform gorilla habituation on the scheduled day. Provide supporting documentation for your request.
You have one more chance to postpone your gorilla permit if your request is granted and it is rescheduled. A 25% premium is applied, and the executive director must provide his or her approval three times.
Why Is Age 15 and Up The A Limit For Gorilla Habituation?
Volcanic formations cover the landscape of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the home of mountain gorillas. In the wild, mountain gorillas roam freely and may spend some time in the valleys or slopes.
It could be necessary to hike to the mountain gorillas’ location in order to track them down. For a child under the age of 15, this could be difficult. Gorilla habituation requires a certain level of fitness, which a child under the age of 15 would not possess.
Due to shifting forest conditions, such as the closeness of their food, conflicts between the mountain gorillas, the intense rainy season, and many other things, it is impossible to pinpoint the exact time of year to locate the gorillas. Gorilla habituation requires some patience, which a child younger than this may find difficult to demonstrate.
During gorilla habituation, which is difficult for children under the age of 15, it is forbidden to make noise. There are some difficult parts of the forest that could make you want to shout, but you have to try not to start a stampede. Unfamiliar noises around them frighten mountain gorillas.
What Takes Place During an Adventure in Gorilla Habituation?
Along with researchers and trackers, you get up earlier to attend a briefing at the ranger station. Remember to pack a lunch because you never know when you’ll return from gorilla habituation.
Keep in mind to have all required gorilla trekking equipment, and if you want assistance, hire a porter.
For a nominal price, a porter helps you carry your possessions during the gorilla habituation trip. Giving back to the community directly can be accomplished in this way.
Following the briefing, you are split up into groups of no more than four tourists to follow the trackers and researchers. It could be vital for you to take note of certain observations and provide support as needed.
The trail to the location where the mountain gorillas were last spotted the day before is where you begin your gorilla search. They rarely leave that region unless there is a compelling reason to do so, such as a battle between them or with other gorilla families, the depletion of food, the death of a family member, etc.
When you find the mountain gorillas, wait for the experts to give you instructions before moving or taking pictures. They must first assess the gorilla family’s mood.
Finally, if you are permitted to take pictures, avoid using flash because it could frighten the mountain gorillas and force them to go farther into the jungle.
For the sake of documentation, take part in identifying some of the characteristics displayed by the mountain gorillas. It may occasionally be necessary for you to attempt chewing the grass in order to demonstrate elegance to the dominant silverback. The gorillas could assume you’re trying to harm them, so try not to resist. They are the jungle’s rulers.
During gorilla habituation, don’t be shocked if the mountain gorillas stealthily leave. The presence of humans is still unfamiliar to them. Stealthily back off if the mountain gorillas approach so they won’t be alarmed by your presence.
Return to your lodge gradually after four hours of gorilla habituation to wind down and recuperate from your time spent with the mountain gorillas.
What is the duration of the Gorilla Habituation Safari?
Since mountain gorillas are nomadic animals, it is unknown how long it takes to locate them during habituation. The trackers and ranger guides follow the route that leads to the location where the habituated gorilla family was sighted the day before. Usually, they don’t begin their day that far away.
It could take up to two hours to find the mountain gorillas during the habituation experience.
Because you are working with semi-habituated mountain gorillas, gorilla habituation requires a little more patience. During your visit, they might hide and exhibit some crazy antics. In the event that the mountain gorillas hide, the trackers and habituation have already learned how to handle them.
Because no two gorillas habituate at the same rate, the rangers follow the slowest habituation tempo. Finding the mountain gorillas could take longer if participants move slowly.
To avoid missing-fire, pay close attention to the researcher’s directions and your own habits.
Is It Hard to Habituate Gorillas?
A certain amount of fitness is necessary to undertake gorilla habituation in the bush, although occasionally the mountain gorillas lounge on steep, slick slopes that need strenuous hiking.
Additional protection can be obtained by applying insect repellents and other gear, as well as by wearing the appropriate gorilla trekking gear, such as safari boots and required safari clothing.
The ranger guide occasionally has to use a machete to cut through the jungle’s overgrown creepers, which have endured for many years, in order to make room for the mountain gorillas.
To what extent is the habitat of gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park safe?
Gorillas can safely become accustomed to Bwindi’s unforgiving national park. Rangers are constantly available to protect forest inhabitants and their habitat from trespassers such as snare setters and frequently patrol the forest.
To maintain law and order in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and its environs, the Uganda Wildlife Authority management team collaborates with other Ugandan security authorities.
Additionally, you need to be mindful of your personal safety by staying near the group of mountain gorillas you are accustomed to. This will keep you from getting lost in the woods.
Because the forest contains other inhabitants who are not accustomed to human presence, you should never approach it without a ranger guide accompanying you. Among them are huge forest hogs, forest elephants, and others.
Gorilla Habituation Safari: How Much Does It Cost?
The cost of the gorilla habituation permit is the same for all safari packages, whether they are luxury, mid-range, or budget.
The following elements are taken into account while designing a gorilla habituation safari package.
The number of participants in gorilla habituation because single gorilla habituators bear all safari expenses, and the more people who join, the lower the cost per person.
In addition to gorilla habituation, other activities include game drives, chimpanzee trekking, visiting the Nile River’s source, and more.
The more days spent on a gorilla habituation safari, the more expensive the package will be.
The best time to reserve a gorilla habitat safari is during the busiest time of year, when prices are higher owing to increased demand, but low season may provide lower safari rates.
Which lodging should I reserve for my gorilla habitat adventure?
To perform gorilla habituation, you must reserve lodging in the southern region of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Accommodations for gorilla habituation are categorized as luxury, mid-range, or low-cost.
Gorilla Safari Lodge, Clouds Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Trekker’s Tarvern, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Hills Eco Lodge, and Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge are a few of the lodging options.
What Not to Do While Habituating Gorillas?
Because you have little defense against other untamed forest inhabitants, you should never enter the forest without a ranger guide accompanying you.
It is prohibited to provoke the mountain gorillas since doing so could make them angry.
It is prohibited to spit on plants and the ground since doing so could infect the mountain gorillas.
Because mountain gorillas are wild creatures, stay away from them. They might be infected, and you or they could contract it. You should keep around 8 meters away from them. They stealthily flee even when they approach.
Before beginning the gorilla journey, put on a mask and clean your shoes. Once you have located the mountain gorillas, change into a clean mask. Following the coronavirus pandemic, this conservation measure was implemented.
Never throw trash in the environment because it changes the ecosystem where mountain gorillas graze.
During gorilla habituation, flash photography should not be used since mountain gorillas are afraid of new things in their surroundings.
Since mountain gorillas must forage for their own food, it is prohibited to feed them. Stay at least 300 meters away from the mountain gorillas when you want to dine or smoke.
Since the forest’s characteristics may not be favorable to them or because it’s unclear when the mountain gorillas will be found, children under the age of fifteen are not permitted to become habituated to gorillas.
To prevent the mountain gorillas from feeling ambushed, avoid encircling them once you have located them.
If you want a lengthy call, the ranger guide will dig a hole for you that is at least 30 meters deep and well covered. Don’t give them a chance to uncover what you’ve concealed.
You are only permitted to spend an hour with the mountain gorillas. You get four hours with the mountain gorillas once you find them during habituation.
