IS GORILLA HABITUATION EXPERIENCE IN UGANDA WORTH USD1500
Is Gorilla Habituation Experience In Uganda Worth USD1500 for 4 hours with the Gorillas? This a question that we seem to get – i bet it has been running through your mind – the reason you googled this …. Enjoy the read.
Often when our clients ask – If Gorilla Habituation is worth the USD1500 investment in just purchase of a full Day – 4 hours Permit with the Gorillas.
Travelers that have had the opportunity to indulge in Gorilla Trekking usually return and the most common word you will hear them say is ” It was worth the struggle – Up the mountain and worth the investment money – US$600 for the permit“.
Gorilla Habituation Experience – Only in Uganda comes at an extra cost of US$1500 for only the gorilla habituation permits and the rest of the costs involved; lodging, transportation and or other Bwindi activity fees are all variables – depending on your budget and extra interest.
To answer the question of Is Gorilla Habituation Experience Worth USD1500?, we are going to handle just a few important aspects of this entire Uganda Gorilla Habituation Experience.
THE PRICE OF THE UGANDA GORILLA HABITUATION PERMIT
The Uganda Gorilla Habituation Permit currently costs US$1500 – the major reason tourists or travellers intending to indulge in Gorilla Habituation ask ” Is Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda worth USD1500 ? “.
While the Habituation permit price is US$1,500 per person, we must understand that this money pays for many other things – most of which make it possible for you to see the mountain Gorilla. Gorilla conservation just like any other conservation programme faces alot of challenges among which habitat loss takes a great lead – part of the money you pay inorder to acquire a permit is being used in law efforcement within communities to avoid communities encroaching on the forest which is the habitat of the endagered mountain gorillas. This money has and is still being used to setup Community based developmental projects that diversify the local Peoples economy from just traditional farming (one of the causes of Land encroachment in abid to increase agricultural output from their gardens) to more productive and improved alternative means of farming.
Educative sensitization programmes are part of the continued cost in protecting the habitat of the mountain gorillas – this too costs money.
US$1,500 is alot of money – we agree, but look at it as your contribution to protection and conservation of the endagered mountain gorillas of Bwindi impenetrable forest and the local communities that live around this precious forest.
The Batwa Pygmies previously inhabited the Bwindi Forest before it was gazetted as a National park – after which they were forced out of the forest. These people have had to start all over again with their lives out of the forest – part of US$1500 is given back to these communities through an agreed profit sharing programme that sees these communities get up to 18% off the money you pay.
TIME SPENT WITH THE GORILLAS – 4HOURS VIEWING
People that have done the ordinary one (01) hour gorilla trekking in either Bwindi or Volcanoes national park will agree with us that – 01 hours is just not enough.
For people that are looking to spend more time with the mountain gorillas, the full day – 4-hour gorilla habituation is definitely your pick for a gorilla adventure.
Tested and it works….
Our very own Trudy Walton (an upcoming passionate wildlife photographer ) did the 01-hour gorilla trekking experience in both Uganda & Rwanda in 2013. This year 2016 (on 20th/August/2016) she and Rebecca Stoios – at travel mate on the same trip, took part in the Full Day Gorilla habituation experience and in their words they each said …
Ms. Trudy Walton – “This has been the greatest 4-hour gorilla encounter I have had, I would do anything to do this again”.
Ms. Rebecca Stoios – “I loved it, I would never imagine only spending one hour with the gorillas – this was so worth it”.
Rebecca Stoios (with hands raised) rejoicing after her Full Day photogenic Gorilla Habituation Experience.
THE DISCOMFORT OF HIKING ALL DAY
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is an ancient rainforest that is incredibly beautiful – the hikes to and from where the gorilla group you are visiting is located including the 4 hours with the gorillas may last all day – the reason its dubbed ” Full Day Gorilla Habituation”.
Our reference is made to our very own Ms. Trudy Walton who just completed her gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi visiting bikingi gorilla group only 11months habituated – still got up to 3 years before people can visit this group for just 01-hour.
Ms. Trudy had a knee replacement hardly 04 months to her actual gorilla habituation Trek – with the help of therapist Dr. Chris, and a team of local porters (she took two at an extra cost of US$20 each) and she was able to rumble the impenetrable forest in search for these wild gorillas (only 11 months into habituation of this family). I quote her speech ” I would have never made it without the help of these gorgeous porters – they helped me up and down through the bushes”.
We advise all our clients to factor in US$20 for hiring a porter to give you a hand carrying your extra load or stuff in your backpack and also helping you past the really challenging spots – remember most of these porters are native to this forest and know this terrain better than you would ever imagine. Taking a porter is yet another contribution to mountain gorilla Conservation.
All the above being said, we hope we have attempted to respond to the question ” Is Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda worth USD1500? If you have any further concerns please contact us now.
