Uganda Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari- 5 days.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is best known for its Mountain Gorilla populations and gorilla tracking. There are 4 main sections of Bwindi for tracking the rare mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and these are Nkuringo, Buhoma, Ruhija and Rushaga. The 4 sections have a total of 18 gorilla families as of January 2019. Gorilla permits need to be purchased prior to gorilla tracking by booking through permits@gorillapermitsrwanda.com or by telephoning us on +256.772.370.111.
It is advisable to purchase gorilla permits before booking your Bwindi accommodations as some lodges/camps can be as far as 4hours drive away from your allocated gorilla tracking sector and gorilla tracking trailheads on the morning of your gorilla trek. It is advisable to buy your gorilla permits well in advance as gorilla permits can and do sometimes sell out 2 years in advance especially for the peak gorilla trekking months of July, August, September, December and January.
Only 8 visitors are allowed to track each gorilla family for one hour per day, participants must be aged 15 or over. and they will be accompanied and led into the forest to track the gorillas by UWA ranger guides who have perfected the art of locating the gorillas over the years. Your chances of seeing the gorillas each day are near guaranteed.
Tracking the gorillas can take anything from 2 hours to a whole day, depending on how far the gorilla group has moved since it was observed nesting up the previous evening. The Nkuringo sector gorillas are notorious for ranging high up in the mountain forest. We recommend that tracking of the gorillas in Nkuringo be left to folks who are physically fit and are prepared to track the gorillas for at least 8 hours.
Getting to Bwindi.
By Road
Bwindi is accessible through a range of travel options. Bwindi can be reached from Kigali via the Cyanika border crossing between Rwanda and Uganda. Travel time Kigali to Cyanika is 3.5hrs and Cyanika to Bwindi is 2.5hrs. So total travel time Kigali to Bwindi is 6hrs. You may also travel through the Katuna border crossing into Kabale for 3hrs and then Kabale to Bwindi another 1-2hrs.
If you are travelling from Queen Elizabeth National Park to the north, the drive will take approximately 2.5hrs. If you are arriving through Entebbe Airport or driving from Kampala, then expect to drive for 6-8hrs. The roads meet at Butogota, 17km from the Buhoma entrance gate. A 4WD vehicle is necessary during the rainy season and can be hired through hire@selfdrivecarshire.com
By Air
Travelers can fly from Entebbe or (Kajjansi airfield) to the modern tarmac airstrip at Kisoro. Planes can also be chartered to the grass Kayonza or Savannah airstrips.
Bwindi is well served by three airfields at Kayonza and Kihiihi for the northern sector and Nyakabande in Kisoro for those going to track gorillas in the southern sector (Nkuringo, Nshongi and Mishaya).
Gorilla Habituation.
It is one thing to spend an hour with the gorillas in Bwindi and it is another experience to be with them all day long when you choose the gorilla habituation experience.
Folks choosing to see the gorillas in Bwindi have a choice between gorilla tracking and a gorilla habituation experience. Most visitors visit the Mountain Gorillas for one hour – there is however another option that allows you to be with the gorillas in Bwindi all day long in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – it is the habituation experience – all day with gorillas in their natural setting.
The gorillas Habituation Experience is not for the faint hearted – it means an early breakfast – a packed lunch and you are off before dawn breaks into the forest. You meet your guide and you are off to where the gorillas built nests the night before. Dawn is just breaking and the gorilla group you are going to spend 4 hours with, is rising from their sleep.
You are here for the gorilla Habituation Experience – which entails getting the gorillas used to the presence of humans, a process that takes up to two years – and today you are part of that process by your full day presence in Bwindi forest. You will have an exciting day with the gorillas, as you will get a whole 4 hours studying their behaviours, observing them feed, play, interact and sleep.
The day ends as the gorillas climb into their newly built nests for the evening and you head back to your lodging for the evening.
WHEN IS IT BEST?
The habituation experience can be done all year round and costs slightly more at US$1500 per permit. Only 4 people are allowed on the gorilla habituation experience on each day and there is only one gorilla group available in Rushaga for the habituation experience, so hurry while slots last.
Price US$2,990 per person based on 2 people staying in a double room.
We can quote cheaper safari prices if we use less expensive tour accommodation and different types of tour vehicles.
Tour price includes:
Transport in a fuelled 4×4 tour vehicle.
Services of a professional English speaking safari driver guide.
Tour airport transfers.
Safari accommodation in a double DELUXE room at Kigali Serena Hotel, Half Board basis & Bwindi Lodge Uganda Full Board basis.
Meal plan as advised in the tour itinerary.
1 Gorilla Habituation Experience permit per person for Bwindi worth US$1,500
Forest walks in Bwindi.
Visits and interaction with the Batwa pygmies.
Orphanage Dance Performance
Complimentary Massage
Where appropriate park and vehicle entry fees, nature and community walk fees.
Mineral water throughout the trip.
Safari price excludes:
• Airfares to Rwanda/Uganda.
• Entry visas and airport taxes.
• Gratuities.
• Personal expenditure such as drinks and laundry at Kigali Serena Hotel.
- Gorilla Habituation Experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Forest Walks in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Community Project visits through Bwindi and Buhoma
Safari Day 1-
• Arrive in Kigali, Rwanda. Met by your driver guide.
Briefing about your safari and check into Kigali Serena Hotel. HB basis.
Safari Day 2-
• After breakfast. Kigali City tour and then travel from Kigali to the Bwindi Lodge with your expert safari guide
• Cross the border into Uganda
• Self-guided Walk , time permitting or simply relax at the Lodge.
O/N: Bwindi Lodge (L,D)
Safari Day 3-
• Gorilla Habituation Experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
• Orphanage Dance Performance
• Complimentary Massage
O/N: Bwindi Lodge (B,L,D)
Safari Day 4 –
• Forest Walks in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
• Explore the Batwa Trail
O/N: Bwindi Lodge (B,L,D)
Safari Day 5-
• Travel back to Kigali
• Cross the Border into Rwanda
• Visit the Genocide Memorial if there is time and transfer to the airport for
your outbound flight
Items to carry.
Long sleeved comfortable shirts and long trousers.
Insect repellent.
Sturdy garden gloves and a hat.
Poncho/rain jacket.
Water-proof backpack.
Snacks and enough drinking water.