Tourists trekking gorilla in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo have strictly 1 hour with the mountain gorillas for purely a sustainable conservation plan for the highly endangered primates residing in the jungle forests of Eastern Africa. The dream of mountain gorilla conservation was pioneered by Dian Fossey, an American primatologist and conservationist who lived within the Virunga massif while making an extensive study the survival of mountain gorilla in Eastern and central Africa. 
In her works, Dian Fossey foresaw that the only way to protect the survival of the rare mountain gorillas In the mist was to open-up the forest for gorilla tourism. This would involve the interest of human being working together to promote gorilla conservation for generations.
Mountain gorillas for decades were suffering from massive poaching and killing by the local communities for meat, while their habitant was at a great threat of encroachment by locals and a hiding ground for terrorist activities in Africa. Mountain gorillas were an a verge of extinction if not a strong conservation plan which promoted mountain gorillas sustainability but also benefit the people who in turn must conserve the gorillas. While Dian Fossey passed away, her research and works leave a legacy with the numbers of gorillas going up annuary in the wild and shall stay on for generations.
Gorilla tourism is the sure way to raise the so much needed funding for mountain gorilla conservation in Africa. While the gorillas benefit from tourists visiting the jungle for gorilla watching, its important to create a balance for the gorillas and the tourists.
1 hour watching mountain gorillas brings tourists 5 feet away from the gorillas in the forest with a good chance for photography, studying and observing their life. For many who have had the chance to visit gorillas feel the one hour is enough for you to watch the gentle giants go about their daily activities.
Why just 1 hour with the gorillas
Minimize chance of disease spread – 1 hour with mountain gorillas was set to minimize human interaction with the gorillas, to reduce chances of the primates catching any sort of illness from tourists. Gorillas share a 98% DNA with humans, hence diseases which catch humans can catch mountain gorillas, like flues, colds, covid-19 and a number of other respiratory illnesses. Recently all gorilla parks allow tourists to put on masks as they approach the gorillas, to protect gorillas from respiratory illnesses.
I hour is a fair time allowance to reward the tourists who pay an expensive gorilla permits to gain access to the forest to trek the jungle for mountain gorillas. Each gorilla permit sale is very valuable, it goes back to funding gorilla conservation activities which include security for the gorillas, gorilla doctors and treatment, science and research for the gorillas, security protecting the borders of the forests and so much more efforts geared toward gorilla protection for generations.
Protect gorilla habitant – Tourists can only trek mountain gorillas for 1 hour to protect the gorilla forests where the primates reside. Each time visitors enter the forest; they are led by trekkers who must clear the impenetrable forest to create pathways for trekkers as they search for where the gorilla family is located. Creating walk ways in the gorilla jungle changes the natural form of the forest which also provides food for the gorillas to feed.
Minimize stress. Gorillas are wild animals who live in families which routinely move about the forest in search for food and shelter! The tourists have 1 hour to see the shy primates and they go about their day as wild animals. Strangers in the jungle can distress the gorillas causing them to charge
Why is gorilla habituation 4 hours instead of 1 hour.
Gorilla habituation experience is a unique gorilla encounter adventure offered in Bwindi Forest national park allowing tourists to visit mountain gorillas for 4 hours while visiting semi-habituated gorilla families in Uganda.
Currently there is 1 gorilla group offering gorilla habituation tours located in Rushaga sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest. Gorilla habituation is an alternative for tourists who would like to spend longer time studying the mountain gorillas instead of 1 hour.
Semi habituated gorilla groups are used to strangers spending longer hours in their habitant since they are undergoing training to become fully habituated families. Visitors are more frequent so that the group gets used to co-existing with human being beings and once its approved used to humans, it graduates to becoming fully habituated. Semi habituated gorilla families are trained with a number of people including researchers, scientists, park employees in larger numbers throughout the day.
Gorilla habituation experience costs usd1500 as compared to ordinary gorilla trekking for 1 hour. 4 hours give the visitor a well-researched time to spend with the gorillas which are still under training. These gorillas are unpredictable what their reaction will be as ordinary gorilla groups. Hence habituation tourists are given longer time with the gorillas.
In conclusion, gorilla tourism is a complete conservation project whose major role is to safe guard the lives of the gorillas in the jungle. Tourists travel to Uganda, Rwanda and Congo to take part in gorilla trekking to contribute on conservation efforts that Dian Fossey started least her dream fails!
With 1 hour seeing mountain gorillas is a rewarding opportunity for tourists seeking to conserve mountain gorillas for generation and give the great species a chance to thrive. Thanks for well managed gorilla tours, the tourists are rewarded with unforgettable memories of the gorillas while the local communities have greatly benefited from the 15% of the money collected from gorilla permit fees.
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