A four-hour safari that takes place in Bwindi, Rwanda, offers the chance to spend time with mountain gorillas. The safari begins and concludes in Kigali, Rwanda, and travels to Bwindi. More than half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population resides in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, where gorilla habituation takes place.
The 331 square kilometer Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is situated in the southwest of Uganda. In Bwindi Forest, there are over 21 gorilla families, two of which can be visited for the purpose of habituation experience. The Biking and Bushaho gorilla families, which are located in the Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors of the Bwindi Forest National Park, are the ones that are accessible for gorilla habituation.
Only in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is gorilla habituation conducted, where visitors spend four hours surrounded by mountain gorillas getting used them to human presence. Those with permissions from the Uganda Wildlife Authority can conduct the gorilla habituation activity in Bwindi from Kigali at any time of the year. Just four trekkers, always under the direction of armed ranger guides, researchers, and conservationists, complete the process of gorilla habituation.
Organizing a Bwindi gorilla habituation tour from Kigali
With Alive Africa Adventures, planning a gorilla habituation tour in Bwindi from Kigali has been made easier. We assist tourists with gorilla permit booking, lodging arrangements, and transportation planning. Simply email us expressing that you would like to go on a gorilla habituation tour in Bwindi, and we will assist you in obtaining the necessary permits, reserving lodging according to your budget, and arranging transportation.
When should I reserve a Bwindi gorilla habituation tour from Kigali?
Only after obtaining a gorilla habituation permit it is very possible to book Bwindi gorilla habituation experience in Uganda from Kigali. It is recommended that visitors plan to spend time with the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park secure their gorilla trekking permits three to four months in advance. In comparison to the volume of visitors, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park only has 8 gorilla habituation permits. As a result, in order to guarantee the habituation activity, you must make your reservation extremely early.
Booking Bwindi gorilla habituation permits from Kigali
Alive Africa Adventures is the company to get gorilla habituation permits if you plan to visit Bwindi for a gorilla tour. To check the availability of the permits with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, all you need to do is send us an email with the dates of the month and year you wish to travel. We will email you the banking information as soon as the permits become available, and after the money has been received and you have finished submitting it, we will schedule your habituation permits.
What is the cost of a gorilla habituation permit from Kigali to Bwindi?
The cost of a gorilla habituation permit in Bwindi is $1500 for non-resident foreigners, $1000 for residents of other countries, and UGSHs750,000 for inhabitants of East Africa. The Uganda Wildlife Authority sells the eight-gorilla habituation permits in Bwindi on a first-come, first-served basis.
Experience of gorilla habituation in Bwindi from Kigali
With the Gorilla Habituation Experience in Bwindi from Kigali, you may spend four hours in the natural environments of mountain gorillas. In the southern regions of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the Nkuringo and Rushaga sectors are where gorillas become acclimated to their new surroundings.
Trekkers rise early for breakfast at their lodges on the day of gorilla habituation. Afterwards, their driver guide take them to the briefing center, where they meet the park wardens. In addition to gathering the habituation permits from the trekkers, park wardens instruct the trekkers on the guidelines and procedures pertaining to the gorilla permits.
Only four people per gorilla family are allowed to hike in the jungle under the guidance of armed ranger rangers, researchers, and environmentalists. It takes two to seven hours to assign a semi-habituated gorilla family in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park after introducing them to other park creatures, primates, and birds. Once you’ve found the semi-habituated gorilla family you’ve been searching for, hikers are permitted
Trekkers can witness the gorillas going about their everyday lives, learn about their behaviors, snap pictures, and help them get adjusted to human presence over the four hours. Trekkers learn how to name gorillas in the event of a newborn and how to acclimate mountain gorillas to human presence during the gorilla habituation exercise. Following their trip, the hikers exit the forest, receive their trekking certifications, and meet their driver to be driven to the lodge or another location.
Traveling from Kigali to Bwindi
The quickest route for a gorilla habituation safari in Bwindi is from Kigali. Enjoy breathtaking vistas of the surrounding countryside and the roadside for around four hours of the drive. If a visitor is not in Rwanda, they must fly to Kigali International Airport before beginning a gorilla habituation tour in Bwindi. You will be taken from Kigali International Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park via the Katuna border in Kisoro or the Cyanika border in Kabale.
What is the best time for gorilla habituation safari in Bwindi from Kigali?
Gorilla habituation in Bwindi can be done all year round, although there are recommended months in year in which the activity can be best done. The dry months from May to July and October to December are regarded the best times for gorilla habituation since the vegetation is dry and short thus giving travelers a clear view of the gorillas even from a distance.
However, for budget travelers can also take part in Gorilla Habituation process in the wet season when the lodges offer discounts to accommodation. Travelers should be aware that the park has dense foliage that obscures views of the animals, that there is an abundance of rainfall during the rainy season, and that the roads leading to the park are impassable.
Lodging for a Bwindi gorilla habituation tour from Kigali
The following lodging options are available in Rushaga Gorilla trekking sector: Wagtail Eco Safari Lodge, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Nsongi Camp, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, and Rushaga Gorilla Camp.
The following lodging options are available in Nkuringo Gorilla trekking sector:
Nshongi Camp, Crested Crane Bwindi Hotel, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Virunga Campsite, Mutanda Eco Community Center, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge.