Before going into details of the experience we need to first understand what gorilla habituation is and where is it carried out. Gorilla habituation is a little bit similar to gorilla trekking but the only difference is time, both period and hours. Gorilla habituation is the process of gently introducing wild mountain gorillas to the presence of humans. In simple terms gorilla habituation means familiarizing humans to wild mountain gorillas that have never had an encounter with humans.

This is done for purposes of research through studying the behavior of the wild mountain gorillas, conservation efforts such as knowing how many they are in the wild and protecting them from poachers. In Uganda gorilla habituation is only available in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the Rushaga sector to be specific.

The process of gorilla habituation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is quite an intense but fun experience as we shall see below. This is because visitors are given a special opportunity of being among the very few that get to expose the wild mountain gorillas to human presence. The process is as follows:

• Briefing: This is the first step in the process of gorilla habituation. This pre-tracking briefing is done early in the morning at the briefing centers in the park before heading out the forest.

An experienced ranger guide takes the podium immediately after an exciting cultural performance from the community members. He then briefs the visitors about the rules and regulations of the habituation process and the expected code of conduct around the wild mountain gorillas. Before the visitors head out for the next process, the guide ranger informs them about the specific gorilla family to be habituated.

• Trekking: After the pre-trekking briefing, an experienced guide ranger then leads the visitors into the impenetrable forest on a search for the gorilla family to habituated. The forest is dense and thus visitors are required to move in a single file formation for easy navigation. Along the way to the gorillas, visitors may come across different bird species in the forest and if luck is on their side they may catch a glimpse of other small primates like the vervet monkey, olive baboons, white and black colobus monkeys among others. The period for trekking depends on how far the gorilla family to habituated is.

• Observation: After an intense and adventurous tracking experience, visitors reach the tracked gorilla family to be habituated. Upon arrival, silence and patience are then required from every visitor to have a safe and easy habituation process. Because the wild mountain gorillas are being familiarized with the humans, it is very important not to scatter or surround the mountain gorillas. This is because they may feel threatened and act very aggressively or flee deep into the dense forest. Visitors are given a maximum of four hours to spend with the primates.

• Habituation: The visitors in the presence of the wild mountain gorillas can then record and learn the different behaviors and sounds of these gorillas with the help of researchers. They then observe them as feed, play, rest, build nests, care for their young ones and basically roam around with their daily chores.

Price Of Gorilla Habituation Permits.

Gorilla habituation permits are more expensive than the trekking permits with habituation permits going for USD 1,500. This is because during gorilla habituation visitors get to spend more time with the primates than trekking. For gorilla trekking visitors only an hour with the gorillas and during habituation visitors are given four hours.

Booking Gorilla Habituation Permits.

Gorilla habituation permits in Uganda can only be booked through a trusted tour operator company. Visitors can get in touch with the tour company and after confirming the availability of the permits on the visitors preferred tracking dates book. It is very important to note that habituation permits in Uganda are not booked or bought online and therefore visitors interested in gorilla habituation should get in touch with a trusted tour company for bookings.

Rules And Regulations.

Before visitors are taken for gorilla habituation, they are always first briefed about the rules and regulations of habituation. They are then cautioned on the expected code of conduct in the presence of the mountain gorillas. Below are some of the rules and regulations to follow.

• Do not feed the mountain gorillas. It is prohibited to feed the wild mountain gorillas as they are wild and only feed on the natural vegetation around them. Feeding these primates may cause them to get sick by altering their diet.

• Flash photography is strictly not allowed. The mountain gorillas are wild and very sensitive to their surroundings especially to intruders. Flashing photography may scare them and cause to act aggressively or flee.

• Avoid making noise when around the mountain gorillas as it may frighten them cause them to act aggressively.

• Do not litter in the forest. Littering is strictly forbidden in the forest and visitors are encouraged and cautioned to live the forest as natural as possible.
• Never confront the wild mountain gorillas especially the silverback in case it acts aggressively. Silverbacks are wild and very territorial and confronting these beasts is very dangerous and can even lead to death. A silverback can weigh over 200 kilograms and strength of about 4-5 men so it’s an act of suicide to try and fight or confront it.

Packing List.

The following are some of the items to pack while of a gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

• Long sleeved shirt
• Jungle shoes
• First aid box
• Energy giving snacks
• Reusable water bottle
• Rain coat or jacket
• Light weighed clothes
• Accessories like sunscreen, sunglasses, cap/hut to mention but a few.