Uganda Gorilla and Chimpanzee habituation experience

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Uganda Gorilla and Chimpanzee habituation experience

Gorilla and chimpanzee habituation is a unique safari activity in East Africa where tourists are given an opportunity to participate in habituating wildlife, Gorilla and chimpanzee habituation is currently being practiced in Uganda’s Rushaga gorilla region of Bwindi impenetrable national park and Kibale forest national park, this activity involves going into the rainforest earlier with the research team and follow this wild gorillas and chimpanzees for about 4 hours as you share diverse knowledge with the researchers.

Gorilla Habituation Experience

The Gorilla habituation experience is all about making wild Gorillas get accustomed to human beings before they are declared free for trekking. The gorilla habituation process is an everyday venture, which lasts for 2-3 years before a Gorilla family is opened for tourism.

Whether there are clients or not, rangers, conservationists, researchers, and gorilla doctors must visit a Gorilla family undergoing habituation for 3 years. Travelers are reminded to be extra careful to ensure safety in the presence of wild Gorillas. Also, tourists must follow all trekking rules and regulations like keeping a seven-meter distance, keeping calm, and staying within their groups are all highly emphasized.

Where to go for a Gorilla habituation experience in Uganda?

Gorilla habituation experience only takes place in the southern sector of the Bwindi forest in the Rushaga region it’s the only sector where Gorilla habituation takes place and so you must travel there.

How much is a Gorilla habituation experience permit?

Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park is a 4-hour experience which will cost you USD 1500 per person per permit compared to the USD 700 for normal gorilla Trekking a minimum of 4 permits are available and chimpanzee habituation experience is also a 4-hour experience which costs USD 250 per permit per person compared to the USD 200 for normal tracking for 1 hour.

Where to stay during the Gorilla habituation experience?

There are several places to stay in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi impenetrable national park and some of the places to stay include Gorilla Safari Lodge; Gorilla heights lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Four gorillas Lodge, and Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge.

Chimpanzee habituation experience

Uganda provides the greatest opportunities for various Chimpanzee activities in the East African region including chimpanzee habituation experience Uganda is home to over 5,000 Chimpanzees in protected and unprotected areas. These five main Chimpanzee destinations in Uganda are Kibale Forest National Park, Budongo Forest and Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National, Kalinzu Forest Reserve, and Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve.

The chimpanzee habituation experience is a four-hours activity that occurs in the Chimpanzee community which is undergoing training to get used to human presence. The daily activities of the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience mean an early breakfast, a packed lunch (taken from your lodge), and meeting your guide.

From here, you take off to where the Chimpanzees built nests the night before. When you find them you will spend four hours with the Chimpanzees as they rise from their sleep and follow them as you learn about them. Chimpanzee habituation is aimed at getting the Chimpanzees used to human presence and is a long process that can take up to two years before a community of Chimpanzees can safely be considered habituated.

Where to do Chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda?

Chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda is done in either Kibale Forest National Park or Budongo Forest found in Murchison Falls National Park.

A day for the Chimpanzee habituation experience starts as early as 6:00 am. You, therefore, need to wake up early, take an early breakfast, and carry a packed lunch. You set off before dawn to meet your guide and then your Chimpanzee adventure begins.

Your ranger guide will lead you to the Chimpanzee nests for the night before. The Chimpanzees arise at the breaking of dawn as you approach their nests. And your day of observing the Chimpanzees begins.

You will have half a day to watch the Chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Your day will be interesting and memorable as you watch an episode in a whole season of habituation for the Chimpanzee community you are visiting. You will have an opportunity to watch the Chimpanzees leaving their overnight nests between 6:00 – 6:30 am before feeding, copulating, hunting, breastfeeding, resting, patrolling, and displaying.

It is not just watching the Chimpanzees, you will learn the unique features and differences of Chimpanzees and learn how to identify the different Chimpanzees as individuals by their markings, sometimes scars, and other unique features that make them stand apart from the rest. After your experience, you head back to your lodge with good memories, and the satisfaction of a day well spent. Don’t forget your camera, because, during the activity, you will get very nice camera shots of Chimpanzees doing various activities.

Because chimpanzee habituation is done in multiple places where to stay depends on where you’re doing the chimpanzee habituation so please contact our experts for more travel information before booking.

Best time for the Chimpanzee habituation experience

There is no better season for a habituation experience, however, for convenience, it is best in the months of March, April, May, and November, when there is less tourist congestion and there are a lot of fruits in the forest though these months are also rainy seasons in Uganda and those looking for dry weather should travel between June to October and from December to February.