The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has announced five new gorilla families are now available for tracking. This move gives travellers additional chances to witness one of the most breathtaking wildlife encounters in the world and represents a significant accomplishment in gorilla conservation.
These five new gorilla families have been added after a rigorous four-year habituation procedure overseen by the dedicated team at UWA. Their unwavering dedication to sustainable tourism and conservation has been crucial to the success of this project. This success not only improves Uganda’s wildlife offerings but also shows that mountain gorilla conservation is making progress.
The 5 new gorilla families are spread across several parts of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Buhoma Area: Binyindo & Muyambi
Rushaga Area: Rwigi & Tindatine
Nkuringo Area: Posho
With these new families, UWA now has 24 gorilla families that can be tracked. This is a total of 194 standard gorilla trekking permits.
Gorilla Habituation Permits
Gorilla habituation permits are still limited to four per day.
Gorilla habituation allows tourists to visit and observe wild mountain gorillas. All gorilla groups being tracked have gone through the habituation process.
The UWA established the mountain gorilla habituation experience for tourists in 2016, as a pilot programme. The gorilla habituation experience provides tourists with a more immersive encounter with the gorillas and a better understanding of gorilla behaviour since you spend more time with the gorillas than you would on a regular gorilla trek.
There are 4 Gorilla Habituation Permits per day. Tourists accompany the rangers and researchers for a maximum of four hours. The UWA rangers conduct a thorough study of these wild gorillas’ nests and trails for evidence that may help them better understand gorillas. The habituation procedure aims to stay within the gorillas’ sights at all times, so it can be a demanding adventure battling through the jungle to keep up with them while they seek food.