The Gorilla Habituation Experience
The gorilla habituation project in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has been running since 2015, which means that guests are presently permitted to join researchers and visit family groups who are in the latter stages of the process. It’s a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with Uganda’s mountain gorillas for up to four hours, as opposed to the standard one hour with already-habituated gorilla groups.
Simply put, gorilla habituation is the process of gently familiarising wild mountain gorillas with the presence of humans. However, this process is anything but simple. It can take up to five years for a group to become habituated, involving constant dedication and monitoring by the park’s rangers and trackers. This habituation process is important for the ongoing conservation, care, and protection of these endangered creatures.
Below, we outline what you can expect from this encounter and answer a few FAQs about habituation:
FAQs
What is gorilla habituation?
When a band of wild gorillas is discovered, they are slowly and gently introduced to the presence of humans. This allows researchers and travellers to gain an in-depth understanding of the endangered species. Due to recent gorilla habituation, researchers have been able to determine how best to treat mountain gorillas for illnesses and injuries. Ultimately, gorilla habituation leads to conservation efforts becoming sustainable alongside tourism.
What is involved in the process?
Park rangers start out by spending short periods of time with the wild gorillas every day, at determined distances that represent the gorillas’ comfort zone. As the years go by, the rangers gradually increase the time and reduce their distance until the gorillas are deemed ready for researchers and trekkers to visit them. As the trackers and rangers spend a lot of time with the gorilla family, they get to know the behaviour of each member and their unique facial features. This is around the time when the rangers start to name the gorillas.
What is the difference between gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation?
When and where does this take place?
The Uganda Wildlife Authority introduced this pilot experience in the Rushaga region of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in 2015. However, it only takes 2–3 years for a gorilla family to become habituated, so there is limited time for this extended encounter. The experience is currently limited to only one gorilla family, called Bukingyi, in the southern part of the national park.
You will start at 7:30am with a briefing on what to expect and how to approach the gorillas. You will then head out into the rainforest to meet the family and spend four hours with them!
What is included in the gorilla habituation experience permit?
This fee is inclusive of rangers, researchers, and spending up to four hours with mountain gorillas under habituation. It also includes park entrance fees for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Who can join?
Due to the steep terrain, dense vegetation, and high altitudes, a reasonable level of fitness is required for visitors on foot, and the minimum age requirement for the gorilla habituation experience is 15 years.
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