Gorilla habituation experience is a process of gently and slowly making Wild Mountain gorillas live closely in the presence of human beings. This is done so that researchers can protect mountain gorillas from hunters, treat them when they are sick, boost their conservation and manage their injuries. Click here to view mountain gorilla trekking safaris.

The Habituation experience was introduced by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and was meant to focus on tourists who are interested in spending more time with these apes in the forest of the great Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Click here to see our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour.

Gorilla Habituation Experience gives tourists a chance to spend four hours with these endangered mountain gorilla groups under habituation before being set free for one hour of normal gorilla trekking. Click here to check our mountain gorilla safaris.

The gorilla habituation experience takes place only in Rushaga, the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable national park, because it's where two families of mountain gorillas (Bukingyi &Bushaho) are being habituated.

Mountain Gorilla Habituation experience allows tourists to participate in activities likes making calls. Testing stool, naming, listening to important information from the gorilla habituation team and also learning how gorillas behave when they see people around, happy and angry. This process helps researchers and visitors understand these endangered species better and deeper.

Gorilla Habituation Experience only allows a maximum of four people above 15 years to participate in Mountain gorilla habituation process per day.

The Gorilla Habituation Experience permit goes for $1500, which is almost double the cost of the normal gorilla trek permit that will be $ 800. The gorilla habituation experience price is higher because the government of Uganda wants to value an unforgettable experience.

That cost includes park entry fees, ranger’s service, four hours with the great apes, information from gorilla habituation experts, a certificate from the Uganda Wildlife Authority and security while in the forest.

Bwindi National Park is in southwestern Uganda along the edge of the Rift Valley and has a lot of tourist attractions ideal for tourists and researchers. There are a series of activities to be done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bwindi Impenetrable activities include

Community tourism visits

Mountain gorilla trekking

Hiking/Nature walks 

Bird watching

Batwa community experience

Community Tourism

Tourists who go to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can always enjoy community encounters such as the Rubuguri Village Walk, Nkuringo Community Conservation and Development Foundation (NCCDF), the Nkuringo Cultural Center (NCC), the Buhoma Community Tour (Mukono Development Association), and the Buniga Forest Nature Walk, where tourists are rewarded with several cultural experiences.

Mountain gorilla trekking

Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park takes tourists to four different sectors, which are protecting almost half of the 1000 mountain gorillas left in the world.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is famous for its mountain gorilla population. Gorilla tracking is the biggest attraction for many visitors to this park, and it is the main highlight. Meeting the mountain gorillas in the wild is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that draws tourists from all over the world. Mountain gorilla trekking permits are required for each tourist and must be purchased in advance due to limited availability.

Mountain gorilla trekking involves many hours of hiking through the dense tropical jungles. Gorilla trekking takes from 2- to 8-hour treks deep into the tropical rainforest searching for the magnificent creatures in their natural environment. Watching mountain gorilla families interact, play together and feed at close range is a really unforgettable encounter. 

Gorilla Habituation Experience in the Rushaga Sector

The gorilla habituation experience is only done in Uganda, with a chance to see a mountain gorilla family for 4 hours with researchers, rangers, and trekkers in Bwindi’s Impenetrable Forest. The gorilla habituation experience is an amazing experience; it takes tourists to be with a semi-habituated gorilla family as it is being habituated.

Hiking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Hiking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest can be done in one day or longer. Hike from the northern sector of Bwindi to the southern sector, called the Nkuringo sector; there, tourists can stay overnight and continue the following day to the scenic Lake Mutanda, where tourists paddle across the lake in a wooden dugout and continue to the town of Kisoro.

The hike from Buhoma to Nkuringo is the most famous hike along two trails of Bwindi—there are, however, other interesting trails and nature walks that range from easy to moderate in and near Bwindi Forest that can all be explored on foot and require from one hour to all day long.

Bird Watching

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest offers over 350 recorded bird species, with 23 endemic to the Albertine Rift. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is another top destination for bird lovers, with some rare bird species that can be spotted. Bwindi bird species include the African green broadbill, Handsome Francolin, Shelley’s crimson wing, Rwenzori Nightjar, the Grauer’s swamp warbler, and the turaco. 

The Batwa Forest Experience

The Batwa pygmies are the original people of the forest; they lived in the forest for thousands of years before the conservation. The Batwa pygmies were hunters and fruit gatherers who lived in the forests in harmony with wild animals. Tourists can visit the forest foothills (actually outside of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest) to see the Batwa people and learn more about their traditional ways of hunting and fruit gathering. The Batwa Experience takes place in all sectors of the Bwindi area.

Gorilla habituation in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is an all-year-round venture, although most tourists prefer to participate in this safari experience within the drier months of June, July, August, September, and December, January, and February. These months, Uganda has less rain, so all the trekking trails are not muddy or slippery.