Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda

Gorilla habituation experience is a new activity introduced by UWA in Bwindi where tourists get a remarkable opportunity to spend time with the researchers to have an exciting experience of how the mountain gorillas are being habituated to get used to human beings especially tourists. This activity takes four hours per day compared to a gorilla tracking experience which takes one hour (1) with these primates and a maximum of four people are allowed per group.

Mountain gorillas are considered aggressive but shy primates and are likely to fear the presence of humans. However, the habituated ones will not run away after having the sight of human beings. Mountain gorilla habituation is, therefore, a process through which mountain gorillas are eventually made to get used to the human beings’ presence. The habituation usually takes 2-3 years but some groups can take even less than two years like the Bitukura group in Bwindi because this group was near Kyaguriro group which is used to humans especially researchers and UWA rangers.

This activity was introduced by UWA in 2015. when a gorilla group is in the process of being introduced in Bwindi, the first step is to make them get used to tourists. This process starts with researchers spending a short time and within limited distance with the gorilla group whereby the time spent with them and distance during interaction is eventually increased. This is followed by mock tracking trips for approximately 8 months to identify their behavior, give them names, identify their age and sex of the group members, then the tourists are eventually allowed to visit them during the habituation experience.

Currently, the Gorilla habituation experience takes place in the Bikyingi gorilla group located in Rushaga sector south of Bwindi national park. The group was first spotted at Bikyingi area hence the origin of the name. The habituation experience here started in January 2015 and will take approximately 2 to 3 years. This group has 22 members with one silverback named Bikyingi who is lovely and friendly to the newborn babies.
The gorilla habituation experience costs US$ 1500 for foreign nonresidents, US$ 1000 for foreign residents and UGX 750,000 for East African residents.
Travelers interested in participating in this experience should be physically fit because it involves climbing mountains, going through the rugged terrain, passing through the jungle with thick vegetation and the gorillas also live in places that were not visited by humans.

In conclusion, the gorilla habituation experience is an interesting activity because the tourists enjoy the fascinating opportunity of spending more time with the gorillas, learning their unique behaviors and learning more about these unique creatures.