Comparing Gorilla Trekking and Habituation Experience Tours.

Encountering Mountain gorillas is one of the most unforgettable experiences in Africa, offering guests a unique opportunity to encounter the majestic primates within their natural habitats. Gorilla trekking and Gorilla Habituation are the 2 most ways to interact with the gentle giants. In Uganda, this happens within the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park; Bwindi hosts half of the worlds remaining population of Mountain gorilla in the world, living within 4 sectors (Nkuringo, Buhoma, Rushaga, and Ruhija).  The 2 activities may look similar but differ in so many ways, although they both allow travelers to meet gorillas.

Gorilla trekking can be done in any of the 4 sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park; each of these is placed with gorilla families that have already undergone the process of getting accustomed to the presence of humans, while Gorilla habituation is strictly done in only 1 Sector of the park, Rushaga this area of the Park is located in the southern part of Bwindi offering 2 gorilla groups that are undergoing a slow process of getting used and seeing humans around them, this is done for the safety of both people and the Mountain Gorillas.

The chances of seeing gorillas at both activities are 98%, so any option you choose, it is possible to witness the gorillas in the wild. The tracking offers a larger scope of doing the activities compared to the habituation. When doing the gorilla trekking, guests can choose the type of terrain they would like, whether high or low or a bit easier, while habituation is restricted to one area of the park.

The price of the gorilla trekking is different from the price of gorilla habituation, Gorilla trekking permit costs $800 per person Foreign non residents, $700 foreign residents and 300,000 shillings East African citizens while the gorilla habituation permit costs $1,500 per person foreign residents, $1,000 foreign residents per person and the rest of Africa, 750,000shilings for East African citizens, these prices are change depending on the tariff of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

The time spent doing the gorilla activities is different. Gorilla trekking takes approximately 2-8 hours depending on how far the gorilla families have moved; it begins in the early morning at 7:00 am with a briefing from the Uganda Wildlife Ranger on how to conduct yourself during the activity taking approximately 2-8 hours finding the brown eyed giants upon finding the gentle giants, an hour is allowed to interact, take pictures, and enjoy the moment. Gorilla habituation, on the other hand, starts a bit earlier to catch gorilla activity; by 6:00 am, you will spend 4 hours in search of the primates, and upon finding them, an hour is allowed to experience the gorillas.

The number of individuals allowed to visit the gorilla families differs; gorilla habituation is limited to strictly 4 members per group to minimise the impact on the gorilla families being habituated. These are accompanied by a group of researchers and guides. Currently, there are only 2 habituated gorilla families present in the park, which makes permit availability scarce. While gorilla trekking takes a maximum of 8 guests per gorilla family, the normal trekking is open to all gorilla families within the National Park.

What to pack for both experiences includes long-sleeved shirts and trousers, T-shirts, water bottles, insect repellents, waterproof covers for phones and cameras, proper hiking shoes, garden gloves, walking sticks, sunscreen, and any other important items of personal items.

Booking gorilla permits is a simple procedure; these should be made on time due to availability. Reservationsare made through registered Tour operators in Uganda.