A gorilla habituation permit can only be booked through a locally registered tour company, such as Standard Safaris, with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. However, this is just half the process because the entire booking of a gorilla habituation permit begins from the moment of contact with the company. After discussing the visitor’s desired date for embarking on the gorilla habituation adventure, the tour company checks for the availability of permits on that date. Then, upon confirming the dates, the visitor makes the booking payment of 100% the habituation permit. The tour operator, after purchasing the gorilla habituation permit, scans it and sends a copy to the visitor to confirm the purchase of the permit. One may be wondering what a gorilla habituation experience permit is! To answer this, we need to first break down what gorilla habituation is all about.
Gorilla habituation is a tourist activity that involves acclimatizing the wild or semi-habituated mountain gorillas to human beings. This activity generally means accustoming or making these primate species to adapt to or be used to humans. This tactful adventure is the cornerstone of the common gorilla trekking series. This is because the main reason for gorilla habituation is to prepare these mountain gorilla primates for future trekking. To participate in this gorilla habituation experience, one needs to obtain a gorilla habituation permit. This is the document that is issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority as the main body of government tasked to manage all the protected areas in the country. This permit is only issued through a local tour operator. This is done to prevent cases of fraud and scamming since all the tour companies need to be registered and given a license before they can purchase a gorilla habituation permit. This creates accountability and transparency, thus protecting the visitors as they purchase these permits.
What is the cost of a gorilla habituation experience permit?
As a visitor seeks to book a gorilla habituation experience permit, they should first understand the costs associated with purchasing it. A gorilla habituation permit is priced differently in accordance with the originality of the visitor. A foreign non-resident pays USD 1,500 for a gorilla habituation permit, a foreign resident habituation permit costs USD 1,000, together with the visitors from the rest of Africa, and then East Africans pay UGX 750,000. This money is slightly higher than that of gorilla trekking permits because the entire process of habituation is costly to pull off. However, all the money does not necessarily go to habituation only, as part of it funds conservation projects, maintenance of the gorilla destination, and community improvement projects like building schools, hospitals, etc. This, in turn, helps to change the view of the local communities from seeing these primates as pests to more as assets that need to be preserved and protected.
Why is gorilla habituation a rare experience in most of the gorilla destinations?
Gorilla habituation is not common in all the gorilla destinations of the Virunga Conservation Area. This is because the entire process of habituating mountain gorillas to adapt to humans is very sensitive and done in the presence of researchers and scientists. This alone attracts a lot of costs, thus making the entire process very expensive. Gorilla habituation also requires stable gorilla groups, as continuous movements and migrations make it very hard for the researchers and scientists to keep up and also record accurate information. Habituation necessitates a large number of mountain gorillas, as small populations of scattered gorilla groups make it hard to be located. Even external factors like the terrain of the gorilla destination make the gorilla habituation experience even more difficult. A few numbers of researchers and primate experts also hinder the habituation experience in almost all the gorilla destinations, making it rare. The financial investment percentage is very small, thus making it hard to find experts to take on this experience in most of the gorilla habitats. Although these factors hinder this experience of gorilla habituation in most gorilla destinations, it can be done in some of the areas.
Where is gorilla habituation done in the world?
Gorilla habituation is only possible in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the whole world. Bwindi is a protected area famous for hosting the endangered mountain gorillas since it falls under the Virunga Conservation Area. It is situated in Uganda’s southwestern region, crossing the districts of Kisoro, Kabale, and Kanungu. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park possesses four gorilla sectors that divide its 331 square kilometers into four divisions. These gorilla sectors include Buhoma, Nkuringo, Rushaga, and Ruhija. In Bwindi, gorilla habituation is only available in the Rushaga gorilla sector. This is because the Rushaga gorilla sector meets all the requirements for an unmatched gorilla habituation experience. The sector has some of the largest unhabituated populations of mountain gorillas. The terrain is perfect for navigation as it is elevated with little canopies that may hinder visibility. The gorilla populations in this sector are quite stable and do not usually migrate to other areas. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park houses the largest population of mountain gorillas in the world, which is the main catalyst for habituating these primates. Its entire population amounts to over half of the world’s population since more than 459 mountain gorillas call Bwindi their home out of the 1,062 left in the wild. It is safe to say that Bwindi Impenetrable National Park’s Rushaga gorilla sector is the best and only destination to have a gorilla habituation experience.
