How many hours can you spend with Mountain gorillas? Are you interested in taking a trip to  Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda for gorilla trekking safaris but you’re not sure of the time you’re supposed to spend with Mountain gorillas? Yes, you need to put this one into consideration.  Mountain gorillas are fragile animals that almost got extinct because of illegal human activities and disease transmission, however, because of the endless conservation efforts gorillas have been protected and are surviving and multiplying day by day.  Mountain gorillas are the ones of the endangered primates in the world and thus strict conservation measures are put in place to protect and conserve them in their natural habitat.

How many hours can one spend with mountain gorillas in the wild?

Countries in Africa with national parks harboring the Mountain gorillas have done their level best to ensure that these precious species are protected by harmonizing approaches and conservation strategies related to mountain gorilla protection. In Africa, there are only three countries with endangered mountain gorillas and these include Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda. All these countries are located in the Eastern region of Africa. Uganda of the 3 countries has got the highest number of mountain gorillas and it is believed that Uganda is home to more than half of the world’s remaining gorillas. Mountain gorillas occupy the tropical rain forests and highland areas and in Uganda, these primates can be found in Mgahinga national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest National Park all located in the southwestern part of Uganda, whereas in other countries of Rwanda and Rwanda, mountain gorillas are found in Volcanoes and Virunga National Park respectively.

Due to the harmonized policies for conserving mountain gorillas in the gorilla harboring countries, each tourist /visitor is allowed only one hour to see a given habituated gorilla family standing at a distance of 7 meters. This regulation applies to all countries except in Uganda where a visitor can decide to have more hours with the gorilla (4 hours) during the gorilla habituation experience.

How to spend one hour with mountain gorillas

The one hour allocated to the visitor for seeing and viewing mountain gorillas is fulfilled after getting a gorilla trekking permit from the Uganda wildlife authority, Rwanda Tourism Board, or in Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The price for a gorilla trekking permit varies with Rwanda as the most expensive gorilla trekking destination and Uganda the least expensive destination. For visitors going to Rwanda for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, will have to buy a gorilla trekking pert at United states dollars 1500,  then in Uganda, a gorilla trekking permit cost United States Dollars 700 and the United States Dollars 400 for a gorilla trekking permit to the Democratic Republic of Congo. You can contact us on our website for more information on gorilla tracking in Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo.

How can I spend more hours with mountain gorillas?

In all the gorilla countries as explained earlier, it is only in Uganda where you can have the option of spending more hours with mountain gorillas. Visitors interesting in spending more time with mountain gorillas will need to book for a gorilla habituation permit through the Uganda wildlife authority. The Uganda wildlife authority saw the need of extending more hours to visitors with gorillas and decided to introduce the gorilla habituation experience where visitors walk into the wild and spend four hours with mountain gorillas. The Gorilla habituation experience allows you to have a four-hour interaction with mountain gorillas and this is only done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda.

The 4 hours are spent with mountain gorillas that are being trained to get used to the people by the researchers, this means that Gorillas are still under habituation process and not yet ready for normal gorilla trekking. While engaging in this experience, you will be able to move with guides, rangers, and gorilla habituation teams who will be able to take you through the whole process of how these animals ate being tamed to be friendly to humans.

Like the gorilla trekking activity, visitors interested in staying for 4 hours with mountain gorillas in Bwindi Forest National Park, you will have to book the gorilla habituation experience permit which cost United states dollars 1500 inclusive of park entry fees, ranger service fee, and other activities done during gorilla habituation process including naming, collection of specimen, sample taking and taking the photos and bird watching views. Africa Adventure Vacation is one of the pioneer companies in Uganda to take the tourists for gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

Where in the world can I spend four hours with mountain gorillas?

The only country where you can spend four hours with mountain gorillas is Uganda. It is the only country in the world where you can do this. Uganda has got the highest number of mountain gorillas in the whole world and these are found in two parks located in the same geographical area of Uganda and this include Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and in Mgahinga national park, because of the demand by tourists Uganda via Uganda Wildlife Authority has created an avenue for people to see mountain gorillas for four hours through the gorilla habituation experience. It is amidst the Rushaga and Nkuringo section of Bwindi in Impenetrable Forest National Park where tourists can engage in this amazing experience. Spending 4 hours with gorillas under habituation is done in Uganda and not in Rwanda because all the gorilla families found in Rwanda’s Volcano National Park are all habituated and they can’t be habituated again. In Uganda, there are about 50 habituated gorilla families with only 19 of them well habituated this indicated that Uganda has got huge experiences of gorilla habituation. You can contact us at Africa adventure vacations for more details on how you can go to Uganda and spend 4 hours seeing mountain gorillas.

How many people can spend four hours with mountain gorillas?

Yes, the fact that during the gorilla habituation process, they are not yet used to human beings and therefore it is not good to crown to these primate homes and thus there has been a limitation to the number of visitors that can spend 4 hours with gorillas. The Uganda Wildlife Authority limited the visitors to only four people who are allowed to see or visit mountain gorillas for 4 hours without a habituation team and ranger guides. Just contact us for more information about the gorilla habituation process.

How many people are allowed to spend one hour with mountain gorillas?

Yes, only 8 people are allowed to visit the gorilla and see them for one hour during the gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking is done only on the habituated gorilla families in Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda. Remember, to get a gorilla trekking permit to guarantee a spot to see gorilla for only one hour. Only people with 15 years and above are the only ones allowed to see mountain gorillas in all the 3 gorilla countries.