For many visitors it comes down to the amount of money it takes for either gorilla tracking or gorilla habituation. So, there is a difference in prices between the two activities. While the gorilla tracking permit is USD $600, the exclusive gorilla habituation permit cost is USD $1,500.
The difference between the two activities is USD $ 900, but for many, it is worth it because you have more time with the gentle giants of the forest. You get 4 hours with a family when you pay for a gorilla habituation permit cost, instead of the usual one hour and an all-day trek. This includes the hike to and from the forest.
Over 65% of our gorilla trekking clients choose the gorilla habituation experience over trekking because of the extra time one receive while with the apes. The same gorilla tracking rules apply to gorilla habituation too.
What is gorilla habituation? – Part of Gorilla Habituation Permit Cost
Gorilla habituation is a process where wild mountain gorillas are trained to get used to humans. Gorilla Habituation may take between two to three years to be completed for a given gorilla family or group. During this time, researchers keep on visiting an identified wild gorilla group on a daily basis, to make it get used to people. Researchers 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 tracked, they then introduce mock exercises where some few people who may include scientists, journalists start visiting it. Once such a gorilla family has passed those mock exercises, it is then opened for trekking.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has about eleven habituated gorilla families which include Mubare, Habinyanja and Rushegura in the northern Buhoma section of the park. Then there is Bitukura gorilla family, Oruzogo and Kyaguriro in the eastern Ruhija section.
Nshonji, Mishaya, Busingye, Bweza, Kahungye in Rushaga and then Nkuringo gorilla family in Nkuringo section; both all in the southern part of the park.
At the moment, eighty eight gorilla permits are available for purchase from Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Two gorilla families have been put aside for gorilla habituation experience and are located in the Nkuringo and Rushaga side of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It’s for this reason that gorilla habituation safaris can only be done in the southern part of Bwindi.
Mountain Gorilla Safaris Elsewhere.
On our immediate neighboring country is Rwanda – the land of a thousand hills. The country is well known for good numbers of mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. Visitors are recommended to cross down to Rwanda for the opportunity to do another amazing gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda. Volcanoes is also known for golden monkey trekking.