Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
Gorilla Trek Adventure
The big day has arrived! It's 6:45 am, and we all gather for breakfast, excited for the day ahead. Driving a short distance to the park entrance, we learned of Uganda's incredible efforts in reviving the gorilla population. A mere thirty years ago, these majestic creatures teetered on the brink of extinction with only 400 remaining. Today, thanks to robust conservation initiatives and support from tourists, the mountainous regions host a thriving population of around 1200 gorillas.
The privilege to trek comes with responsibility and high fees that aim to fund conservation and limit human interference. Only 80 visitors per day are allowed here in the Rushaga Sector, home to ten gorilla families accustomed to human interaction. Across all the gorilla parks, only 192 people gain access daily and can spend just one hour in their presence.
Following an orientation and welcoming dances, we are split into eight groups. Our willingness to take a long hike led us to be assigned the Kutu family, residing furthest up the mountain. Comprising 21 gorillas, this family is led by a silverback named Kutu, named after his distinctive damaged ear. It could take us 2 hours to find them.
Porters are available for hire to carry your backpacks and help you up the difficult climbs if needed. There are around 300 porters who look forward to the opportunity to work, which happens about once a month. Norm and I both hired a porter to come up with us. Our guide and two guards also join us. Guards are necessary protection against elephants and wild gorillas who are not habituated to humans.
We started our hike at quite a fast pace, and when we finally stopped, our guide advised us this was on purpose to check our fitness level to make sure everyone in the group could keep up. We all passed, and he thanked us for being team fit. We carry on up the mountain, where a road turns to a trail that continues to narrow as we ascend until there is no longer a trail. Now, we follow bushes pushed down from the gorillas passing through. Apparently, gorillas are very smart and cannot be chipped. If they are, they just pick away and dig the chips out. So, instead, trackers are used.
Gorillas make beds for themselves every night around 5 pm, and that’s when the trackers leave. Then, the trackers return early the next morning to where the gorillas slept and follow their trail to catch up with them in their new location. Meanwhile, we started our way up the mountain to where they slept. Once the tracker locates the family’s new location, they direct our guide accordingly. This journey up the mountain is through thick bush. Sometimes, our guide uses a machete to clear some bushes for us to pass. We are sometimes quite vertical, unsure where or what you are stepping on, and we are in a rainforest, so it is very dense, wet and slippery, with a lot of sizeable stinging nettle plants you have to try to avoid.
We finally arrive, and my heart skips a beat with my first sighting of a couple of gorillas off in the short distance. Wondering how close we will get, our guide encourages us to move on. The proximity to these fantastic relatives of ours was beyond my expectations. Watching them go about their day while allowing us to be so close was spectacular! They stop, eat, play, move a little and repeat. One baby was so funny. He would repeatedly find a little tree to climb and get just high enough that his weight would cause the tree to bend backwards to give him a ride back down to the ground.
The guards and trackers have developed a language with the gorillas. When we arrive, our guide grunts a certain way to knock on their door, asking for permission to visit. He explains to us what sounds to listen for as warnings of aggression. We are allowed to make eye contact with them unless they charge. If they charge you, stand still, don't run, and look down. Do not look them directly in the eyes, then.
We had two instances where a mother started to charge as a warning, and boy, does their adorable demeanour change from cute, calm and sweet to emphasizing how strong and in charge they really are. Both times that a female grunted and charged, a big black-back male was there instantly to take over. Just when you think the female is large and in charge, the males are this times 10.
The one time, our guard moved in and just stood his ground. After a short exchange of grunting between the two of them, the male backed off. What a sight to see.
We followed the gorillas for a bit more along the mountain. The trackers said the family was returning to where they nested last night to find their Alpha silver back, Kutu. They believe he had to chase away other gorillas trying to enter his territory so the family would meet again at their last gathering spot.
The jungle is so dense that you can only see a couple of gorillas here and a couple there, even though they are all around us. We eventually find ourselves in a slightly open area where we can see more gorillas simultaneously. They were chilling and letting us watch and take pictures. Then, all at once, they take off much faster than before. Our guide explains that our one hour is up, and they know it. They have grown to know how long an hour is, and once our time is up, they are gone.
It felt like they stopped in this slight clearing as if to say here's your last chance for a picture before we go. One hour may seem short, and staying all day with them would be amazing. However, it gave us enough time to experience a fantastic animal, take photos, and share smiles, laughs and tears while giving the gorillas their space for the rest of the day.
While hiking back out, we passed another family down the hill and saw their silverback. We stopped for a rest and a picnic lunch and then went back to the entrance, where we received our certificates for having completed a successful gorilla trek.
We have to wear masks while near the gorillas as they can catch our diseases, so even though I have a silly-looking mask on in some selfies, the gorillas are the highlight, and I genuinely feel honoured to have had a family of gorillas allow us the opportunity to peek into their precious world! I couldn’t be happier right now.
Another bucket list experience is complete.
