Gorilla habituation experience

Gorilla habituation experience is explained as a process where wild mountain gorillas are trained to get used to people and used to their behaviour as though there is no clear and specific definition. This process involves in different groups of people like conservationists, researchers, rangers, trackers, among others.

On 1st January 2014, this gorilla habituation experience was introduced into Bwindi Impenetrable National Park found in the western part Uganda through the Uganda Wildlife Authority to all interested parties or travellers.

Gorilla Habituation may take a period of 2 to 3 years to be completed and during this time, researchers keep on visiting an identified wild mountain gorilla group on a daily basis. They get to learn more about individual gorillas and the way they behave. With time, these gorillas get used to these researchers and in the long run, each individual gorilla is given a name. Once researchers are sure that these mountain gorillas can be trekked, they then introduce a mock exercise where some few people who may include scientists, journalists start visiting it. Once such a gorilla family has passed mock exercise, then it is opened for trekking.

Unlike in gorilla trekking where clients’ interaction with the gorillas are restricted to a period of one hours’ time, while in this experience (gorilla habituation) clients move with researchers and spend more time (4 hours) with the mountain gorillas. All parties or clients interested in the habituation experience are entitled to a payment of $1500 per person per experience.

Of the fact that this type of experience is hardly existent in Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park and DRC’s Virunga national park, it can only be found in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the ultimate gorilla experience. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has about 11 habituated gorilla groups and these include Nshonji, Mishaya, Busingye, Bweza, Kahungye found in the southern part of the park in Rushaga and Nkuringo sections, then the Bitukura, Oruzogo and Kyaguriro found the eastern part of the park in the Rujija section and finally the Mubare, Habinyanja and Rushegura in the northern section of the park called Buhoma. However out of all these, only two groups at Nkuringo and Rushaga sections were set aside as the gorilla families available for habituation experience.

During this process, clients get to understand the mountain gorillas deeper and individually, know their behaviours and even get to the point of naming every single one of them. In the end, if the researchers are certain that the wild gorillas are okay with the presence of people, a mock exercise is done as a way of testing to prove their facts. When the gorillas pass this kind of exercise which now includes journalists and scientists, the gorilla group is then available for trekking.

Difference between gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation.
For travellers going for the gorilla habituation experience, should expect visiting the semi habituated mountain gorillas which sometimes decide to hide, behave in a manner which is not usual and the experience can be stopped upon advice from researchers. Time also spent between the two activities differs. Also one spends a little bit more $1500 for each person needing to do the habituation experience dissimilar from the $600 paid for gorilla tracking.

What to carry with you for a great gorilla habituation experience

• Long comfortable shirts and trousers.
• Insect repellent.
• Sturdy gardening gloves and a hat.
• Poncho/rain jacket.
• Water proof backpack.
• Snacks, packed lunch and enough drinking water.