How does Gorilla Habituation compare with normal gorilla trekking? The main difference is how much time you spend with the Gorillas, and also the size of the group of tourists allowed to trek/see a particular Gorilla Family. We have explained these differences in the article (Only 05 Minutes Read)
Comparing the 04-hours Gorilla Habituation Experience With the Traditional 01-hour normal gorilla trekking Experience.
- The price of the Permits:
Gorilla habituation Permits are $1,500 per permit while Gorilla trekking Permits cost $800 per person.
04-hours Gorilla Habituation Permits Cost;
- $1,500 per person Foreign non-residents.
- $1,000 per person/permit Foreign Residents.
- Uganda Shillings (UGX) 750,000 per person for East Africans (Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi & Southern Sudan).
Normal 01-hour Gorilla Trekking Permits cost;
- $800 per person Foreign non-residents.
- $700 per person/permit Foreign Residents.
- Uganda Shillings (UGX) 300,000 per person for East Africans (Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi & Southern Sudan).
- $500 per person/permit for Africans outside East Africa (Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi & Southern Sudan).
- The time You spend with the Gorillas:
During the Gorilla Habituation experience, you are allowed up to 04 hours of viewing or photographing while for Gorilla trekking, you’ll only be allowed a maximum of 01 hour of viewing and photographing Gorillas.
- The experience:
With Gorilla habituation, you’ll be visiting a partially habituated mountain gorilla Family. So expect a lot more typical wild behavior from the individuals in this family as they are not yet fully habituated/ used to human visits, while with Gorilla Trekking, you are visiting a group of gorillas that has already been passed out as Full Habituated and is used to humans visiting them On the daily.
Confused on What to choose? check out our blog Gorilla Trekking Versus Gorilla Habituation.
Essential information worth reading before you go
- What is the official age limit for Habituation?
Like it is with the regular gorilla trekking, the minimum age to go for the habituation experience is 15 years old.
- How to book Gorilla Habituation Permits.
Upon Inquiry about booking a habituation safari, we will revert to your email asking you to state the actual intended date(s) that you would prefer to do the habituation experience. We will then Contact Uganda Wildlife Authority for the availability of permit (s) for the date(s) you sent us. After confirming that there is a gorilla habituation permit(s) available, then our consultant(s) will send you an email with all relevant information regarding your gorilla habituation permit booking procedure, documentation and safari payment plan.
Special Note: Just as is for gorilla trekking, so it is for habituation permits – full amount -US$1500 – for Realm Africa Safaris™ to book you on this tour. (see: Realm Africa Safaris™ booking Policy.)
- When is the best time to go on a gorilla habituation Safari?
The best time to book/go for a gorilla habituation safari is in the drier season months of
- June, July & August – June and July are the driest months in most of the south, but it can still rain. Average temperatures hover around 27°C/81°F in the afternoon and 16°C/61°F in the morning. …
- December, January & February – Most of the south has less rainfall, but still more when compared to June and July.
If our opinion matters, we would recommend June and July as the Best time to go on a Gorilla Habituation Safari in Uganda. Much as the gorilla habituation exercise is generally physically demanding, it’s a lot easier to trek up and down the steep slopes (tangled with vegetation) during the drier months as opposed to the rainy months when the grounds get extremely slippery.
However, for enthusiastic travellers, Gorilla habituation is an all-year-round activity – making any time okay for you to travel to Uganda for the Gorilla Habituation Experience.
