How can one spend more hours in Bwindi with these great apes? In addition to spending an hour in the dense forests of Bwindi, visitors are permitted to spend four hours in the same park interacting with semi-habituated mountain gorillas. The unique gorilla habituation experience can only be experienced in the national park of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The park, which spans 331 square kilometers of tropical rainforest, is situated in the southwest of Uganda.
During the four hours of interaction with the gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, tourists can spend time with mountain gorillas. Other national parks with mountain gorillas, such Mgahinga, Virunga, and volcanoes, do not offer this chance. The four-hour gorilla interaction is limited to the sections of Rushaga and Nkuringo.
Securing a safari to spend four hours in Bwindi with the gorillas
One of the local tour companies, Alive Africa Adventures, can assist you in scheduling a safari to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, where you can spend four hours with mountain gorillas. All you have to do is tell us the days of the month and year you would like to travel, and we will assist you in reserving your gorilla habituation permit first, after which you can arrange for lodging and transportation.
Once you inform us of the days you wish to travel, we check with Uganda Wildlife Authority to see if the habituation permits are available. If they are, we promptly send you an email with your banking information. We proceed to schedule the permission once you provide the money. The lodging of your choosing, depending on your transportation options and budget, comes next after obtaining the permits’
Four hours in Bwindi with the gorillas
The trekkers will get up early for breakfast at their accommodation on the day of gorilla habituation, after which they will meet the driver guide to be driven to the briefing centre at park offices. The park wardens instruct the hikers on the guidelines for the habituation activity before dividing them into groups of no more than four.
The gorilla habituation exercise teaches hikers how to gradually mountain gorillas adapt to human presence.
Along with the researchers and conservationists, each group is led by armed ranger guides. These lead them along several trails where they can encounter various park animals, birds, and primates. After selecting a semi-habituated gorilla family, trekkers have four hours to spend with the gorillas, watch them going about their everyday lives, and snap pictures. The gorilla habituation activity takes two to seven hours.
How much does it cost to spend more hours in Bwindi with mountain gorillas?
All you need is a gorilla habituation permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority to spend four hours with the gorillas in Bwindi. For foreign non-residents, gorilla habituation permits cost $1500; for foreign residents, they cost $1000; and for East African citizens, they cost UGshs 750,000. As there are only 8 gorilla habituation licenses available in Bwindi, you should reserve your permits three to four months in advance from Uganda Wildlife Authority or any reliable local tour operator to avoid any difficulties.
When is the ideal time to travel to Bwindi and spend four hours with mountains gorillas?
Travelers can visit Bwindi and spend four hours with the gorillas at any time of the year nevertheless there are months that are better than the rest. June through September and December through February are the most dry times thus the best time to visit Bwindi to spend four hours with gorillas. These months are characterized by little to no rain, sparse foliage that lets you see the animals well, arid hiking routes, and easily accessible park roads..
In order to take advantage of substantial discounts on lodging, tourists can still visit Bwindi during the rainy seasons of March through May and October through November and spend four hours with gorillas. However, tourists should be aware that the park experiences heavy rainfall throughout the rainy seasons, which can make the hiking trails muddy and slippery. Additionally, the dense forest makes it difficult to photograph or watch the gorillas, and the roads going into the park are impassable.
Lodging options during a gorilla habituation safari to Bwindi Forest
The following lodging options are available in the Rushaga sector: Gorilla Valley Lodge, Wagtail Eco Safari Lodge, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, and Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, Nsongi Camp,
The following lodging options are available in the Nkuringo sector: Nshongi Camp, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Virunga Campsite, Mutanda Eco Community Center, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge.
Accessing Bwindi for a 4-hour gorilla experience
Travelers can spend four hours with mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest, situated in southwest of Uganda, using a variety of transportation options. You may get to the park in a single day by either air or ground transportation.. Via air transportation from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport, visitors can reach Bwindi for gorilla acclimatization. Every day, Aero Link Uganda arranges flights from Entebbe International Airport to Kihihi and Kisoro airstrips, from which you may quickly connect to the park.