What makes gorilla habituation differ from gorilla trekking?

What makes gorilla habituation differ from gorilla trekking? There are so many things that make gorilla habituation differ from gorilla trekking. And we’re going to help you out by learning about these two things in this article. Gorilla trekking is an activity that involves trekkers spending 1 hour with mountain gorillas. The gorilla habituation experience, on the other hand, allows trekkers to be around mountain gorillas for 4 hours, and during this time they are allowed to help the mountain gorillas get used to human presence.

Gorilla habituation is done only in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable forest national park while gorilla trekking is done in all national parks harboring mountain gorillas. The gorilla habituation experience is done by a group of 4 trekkers while the gorilla trekking activity is done by a group of 8 trekkers. The gorilla habituation permit comes with 4 hours of being around mountain gorillas, while the trekking activity comes with only 1 hour.

Gorilla habituation and gorilla habitation can both be done at any time of the year, but the best time is during the dry season, which happens from June to July and December to February. ‘During this time, the rainfall is little or not there, the trekking trails are dry, the vegetation is thin, giving clear views of the park animals, and the road to the park is passable.

Travelers can also trek to see mountain gorillas in the rainy seasons of March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on the accommodation facilities. But they should know that during this season the rain falls too much, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is thin and the roads to the park are impassable. If you are planning to visit the mountain gorillas in the dry season, we advise you to book your gorilla permits in advance since they are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Gorilla trekking and gorilla habitation activity

The gorilla trekking or habituation activity in every national park starts with a briefing at the different park or sector offices. On the day of trekking, the travelers are expected to be at the briefing points very early in the morning. When the trekkers gather, they are taught about the dos and don’ts of the gorilla trekking activity and from here they are grouped not exceeding 8 for the case of gorilla trekking and 4 for gorilla habituation.

In the case of gorilla trekking, the rangers lead different groups of trekkers into the jungle to search for habituated families and semi-habituated families in the case of gorilla habituation. During the search, the trekkers get an opportunity to see different park animals, birds, and different plants. Once the mountain gorilla family is located, those with gorilla trekking permits are allowed to be around fully habituated mountain gorillas for 1 hour, while those doing habituation are allowed 4 hours. During the hours given to be around mountain gorillas, the trekkers can learn about the gorilla’s behaviors, watch them do daily activities, and take photos. Habituation entails being around them for 4 hours while they become accustomed to human presence.

Methods of reserving gorilla permits in various countries

Africa Adventure Vacations Limited is one of the companies you should trust when booking a gorilla safari to Africa. The company is licensed by the Uganda tourism board and has been allowed by Rwanda and DR Congo to do gorilla safaris in their countries. We do help you out in getting the gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation permit for any national park and we normally advise our clients to book with us these permits 3 days in advance.

When you book with Africa Adventure Vacations Limited, we ask you about your travel dates and the day you would want to trek or habituate the mountain gorillas. Using these dates, we shall check for the availability of the permits on the day that you want to trek. If the permits are available, we shall send you an email containing details of how you can send us money and once we have received a notification, we shall go further to book for you a permit. The permits for Uganda are obtained from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Rwanda’s Rwanda Development Board, and DR Congo’s Virunga national park website.

The number of gorilla habituated families vs the number of semi-habituated gorilla families in the world.

There are over 48 habituated mountain gorilla families in the world, 10 of which are there for research in Rwanda’s volcanoes national park, and the other 38 are available for trekking.19 of these are found in Uganda, 10 in Rwanda, and 8 in DR Congo. Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has 19 habituated gorilla families, and Mgahinga has only one. On the other hand, gorilla families undergoing habituation are only 2 in the world and these are found in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.

Where to do gorilla habituation in the world?

Gorilla habituation is an activity in which trekkers spend more than 4 hours with mountain gorillas to acclimate them to human presence. Gorilla habitation is a new activity that was introduced in Uganda in 2014 and it works better for those having small days on a holiday but would love to spend some good time with the mountain gorillas. Gorilla Habituation is done in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in southwestern Uganda. There are only 2 gorilla families that are undergoing habituation at the moment and these are Bikingi and Bushaho mountain gorilla families in the southern sector of the park.

Where to do gorilla trekking in the world?

Gorilla trekking is done in three lucky countries that do harbor these mountain gorillas, namely Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The gorilla trekking activity is done in different gorilla habituated mountain gorilla communities, which total 38 in the world. It is completed in 19 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Parks, 1 Mgahinga National Park, 10 volcanoes National Parks, and 8 Virunga National Parks.

How many gorilla permits are there in the world?

There are 2 types of gorilla permits in the world, with the most common one being the gorilla trekking permit, and the other being the gorilla habituation permit. The gorilla trekking permit prices differ in each country, and in the case of the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, it is $1500, while in the case of the Virunga National Park in DR Congo, it is $450 in the dry season and $200 in the low season. Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park cost $700 foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents, and shs250,000 East African citizens.

The gorilla habituation permits cost $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and Shs750,000 for citizens of East Africa. The gorilla habituation permits are only 8 since there are 2 semi habituated mountain gorilla families. These gorilla habituation permits allow visitors to spend four hours with mountain gorillas to acclimate them to human presence.

Gorilla trekking hours vs gorilla habituation hours

Gorilla trekking is done by those people that have a valid gorilla trekking permit from the body in charge of tourism in the country. These countries have put the same hour on the gorilla trekking permits which people will be around mountain gorillas. The gorilla trekking time in every gorilla park is 1 hour. This 1 hour allows trekkers to be around mountain gorillas, learn about their habits, watch them do daily activities like hunting, patrolling, and taking photos.

The gorilla habituation permit allows travelers to be with mountain gorillas for 4 hours. People are given four hours to learn about their habits, acclimate them to human presence, and observe them doing daily activities such as hunting, patrolling, nesting, and taking photos. Gorilla habituation permits are sold by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the permits are sold to people over the age of 15 years. 

What to do with Africa Adventure Vacations?

Africa Adventure Vacations is a tour company based in Uganda, licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board and a member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators. Booking with Africa adventure vacations provides you safety and confidence during your safari courtesy of well-trained safari driver guides who are well conversant with all routes and tourism destinations in Africa. You can book with us any of the activities you want to do in Africa, such as mountain gorilla trekking, mountain gorilla habituation, Chimpanzee trekking and habituation, birding, golden monkey trekking, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours, among others. Booking can be done at any time of the year.