What to do after gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park
What to do after gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park; Gorilla habituation experience is an interesting activity in Bwindi impenetrable national park where the wild mountain gorillas are trained to get used to human presence for trekking. Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in south western part of Uganda in Kanungu district. Bwindi impenetrable national park is famously known for harbouring the endangered mountain gorillas which are found in four sectors namely buhoma sector in the north, nkuringo sector in the south, rushaga sector in the south and ruhija sector in the east. Gorilla habituation experience is only done in rushaga sector in the southern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park and it allows a maximum of 4 people to trek a gorilla family each day.
Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park starts very early in the morning with a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the jungle with a team of researchers, park guides, rangers which takes a whole day and during trekking you will be able to view other primates, animals, different bird species among others. Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be allowed to spend four hours with them in their habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn and monitor their behaviours, watch them carry out their daily activities, take photos and record videos.
What to do after gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Batwa cultural tour
Batwa cultural tour is an interesting activity that you can engage in after gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park. During the batwa cultural tour, you will be able to interact with the batwa people who used to live in Bwindi forest before it was gazetted into a national park, learn about their culture, lifestyle, way of living, visit their homesteads, learn about their hunting and gathering skills, listen to their ancient stories, taste their traditional dishes, enjoy their traditional entertainments among others.
Guided nature walks
Nature walk is an adventurous activity in Bwindi impenetrable national park that you can engage in after gorilla habituation experience. During the nature walk, you will be accompanied by an experience park guide and armed park rangers to protect you from dangerous animals. During the guided nature walk, you will follow different trails like the waterfall trail where you will be able to view primates like L’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, variety of bird species, beautiful scenery, enjoy the cool breeze among others.
Bird watching
Birding is another interesting activity in Bwindi impenetrable national park that travellers can engage in after gorilla habituation experience. Bwindi impenetrable national park is a home of over 360 recorded bird species including 23 of the 24 Albertine rift endemics, forest birds and migratory birds which makes it one of the best birding areas. During bird watching in Bwindi impenetrable national park, you will be accompanied by an experienced bird guide who will help you to spot different bird species including African Harrier Hawk, Black Bee-eater, Crowned Hornbill, Ruwenzori Nightjar, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Archers Robin Chat, Strange Weaver, Handsome Francolin, Shelley’s Crimsonwing, Dwarf Honeyguide, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Brown-capped Weaver, Strange Weaver, White-bellied Robin Chat, Chapin’s Flycatcher among others.
There are other interesting activities that you can do after gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park like boat cruise on Kazinga channel, wildlife viewing/ game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge or Kibale forest national park, lion tracking experience among others.
Best time to go for gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Gorilla habituation in Bwindi impenetrable national park can be done all year round though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February because during this time there is less rainfall in the park therefore access roads to Bwindi impenetrable national park and gorilla trekking trails will be dry and passable which makes gorilla habituation experience easy.
Cost of a gorilla habituation permit in Bwindi impenetrable national park
A gorilla habituation permit in Bwindi impenetrable national park costs 1,500 USD per person for foreign non residents, 1,000 USD per person for foreign residents and 750,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.
Where to stay during your safari in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Bwindi impenetrable national park has a number of accommodation facilities ranging from budget, midrange and luxury where you can stay during your safari including Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Ichumbi Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Leisure Lodge, Mutanda Lake Resort, Lake Chahafi resort, Nshongi Camp, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Wagtail Eco Safari Lodge, Bweza lodge among others.
How to get there
Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in south western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means where you will drive from Kampala via masaka, Mbarara, Kabale and then to rushaga sector which takes about 9 to 10 hours’ drive in a safari vehicle.
Bwindi impenetrable national park can also be accessed by air transport means where you will book scheduled or charter domestic flights from Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airstrip and then connect to the park headquarters by road. Domestic flights to Bwindi impenetrable national park can be booked by your trusted tour operator.
You can as well access Bwindi impenetrable national park from Kigali Rwanda where travers will fly to Kigali international airport and then cross to rushaga sector via cyanika border in Kisoro or katuna border in Kabale which takes about 4 to 5 hours’ drive.
For more information about what to do after gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park, you can reach out to us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for various safari packages.
