| | Dec 27, 2005 - Uganda - Gorillas in the Mist | (click to enlarge)
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 | | show all 31 | | Uganda Scenery on the way to Bwindi National Park | | Hilly countryside enroute to Bwindi National Park | | Looking into the jungle where the mountain gorillas live | | |
| Uganda - Gifted by Nature
Gorilla's In The Mist
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Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - quite an intimidating name for a place we were planning on hiking through nevertheless we left Kampala the capital of Uganda with eager anticipation for our long drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and our trek to find the rare mountain gorillas. After a ten hour drive, with the last 3 hours being through a rough, mountainous, dirt road we were very happy to arrive at Buhoma Homestead our home for the next 2 nights. Although the drive was long and exhausting it was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. Bosko, our guide had taken us the longer route from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest specifically to try to impress us with the stunning scenery of south-west Uganda. He succeeded! The lush hills and mountains were covered with tea plantations, banana crops and locals out working the terraced fields. Local villages dotted the roadside with children that would come running to see us waving and flashing their huge warm smiles as if we were the only vehicle that had passed through the area in several months.
Before going to bed that night we looked across the star lit sky, with the sounds of the crickets playing loudly in the background and viewed the dense jungle where the rare mountain gorillas live. Permits are very limited for the gorilla trekking and we realized that tomorrow we were about to become two of the very few people in the world to ever get to see these fantastic mammals face to face in the wild.
We set off first thing in the morning after the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) guides had split us into our groups. The gorilla trek is known to be very gruelling and physically demanding as you climb high into the mountains, through dense thick jungle in the heat, rain and any other weather mother nature throws at you for a trek that could last up to eight hours. For our group, we set off climbing the mountain and passing spartan mud huts where some locals lived and their children would curiously peer out from behind the banana trees to watch us go by. We, like most people, had hired a porter for the day to hike with us and carry our bags including our packed lunch and several litres of water. At first we thought hiring a porter was a crazy idea. We did not need someone to carry our belongings. I mean, I am not in the best shape of my life, but certainly I can take a little backpack with me weighing only a few pounds. However, we were convinced it is a great help to the local community as it employs one of the locals for the day helping them earn income to feed their family and as a result Abel became our porter for the day. In the end, not only did we help employ Able for the day but we were sure glad to have him along! Those few extra pounds on our back would have felt like we were carrying the big male gorilla himself as we climbed straight up the steep mountain face for 45 minutes into the thick jungle. The trail did not curve or zig-zag at all but just ran directly up the mountain on a thin, rough dirt trail.
After our 45 minutes of exhaustion we cut off the 'main' trail and starting blazing one that was pretty much our own path. We traversed the mountainside for about 10 minutes tramping over vines and vegetations and downed trees. We were constantly pulling our sweaty shirts free from the thorny bushes around us that grabbed us as we ambled past. Then much to our surprise our guide told us the gorillas were just a few hundred metres further up into the jungle mountainside and we were to leave everything there except our cameras and binoculars. Luck was on our side that we had located our gorilla family so quickly. Many groups trek for three to four hours before they locate their family for viewing, leaving some people so completely exhausted they have a hard time enjoying the experience.
Our guide continued on ahead of us clearing a path with his machete he swung effortlessly to cut away the dense vegetation and jungle vines. Just after we passed a huge pile of fresh gorilla dung we heard some major rustling in the trees ahead. My heart started to pound that little bit quicker as the adrenaline started to push through my veins. The male gorillas are massive in size and if they were annoyed and angry could kill a human without any problem. Of course we had been given all of our safety precautions - don't run, don't look them in the eye, no quick movements, if they charge just sit down and act submissive and non-confrontational. All fine and well for me to do, but what if someone else in the group is the 'class clown' and antagonizes that big Silverback who weighs as much as 2 or 3 men combined? Or in a test of pressure and heat of the moment, will I remember not to run and act submissive to the massive gorilla towering over me? We were soon to find out!
We kept climbing closer and then the guide whispered to us that the Silver Back was just inside the trees and there we sat and squatted down in the bush waiting for him and any of the others to show themselves. Before long, the Silverback climbed down from a tree and lumbered out into the open view not more than 20 feet from us. What a sight! His large head, massive chest and muscular arms and legs all covered with long, thick black hair. His deep intense eyes stared at us and again our hearts beat a bit faster and more adrenalin shot through our bodies. Then for a brief second, he made a charge towards us. Of course, first instinct is you want to turn and run, but know from what we were taught you can't do that so there we sat with nothing between us and this Silver Back except our guide who remained calm and collected speaking softly to him the whole time to calm him down. The massive gorilla soon turned and walked back into the bush where we couldn't see him and unfortunately he remained in hiding for the rest of our viewing time. The charge was nothing more than a bluff charge to show his dominance, but for us virgin gorilla trekkers it was quite enough to get the adrenaline rush going and remind us how powerful these mammals really are.
Over the next hour, we were treated to a magnificent show from the rest of his family as we watched them climbing the trees, swinging from vines, eating the abundance of leaves and vegetation available and just going about their business as if we were not even there in the mountain with them. Although we were supposed to be no closer than seven metres from the gorillas, there were many times we would be sitting on the jungle ground and they would wander closer to us bringing us only five or six feet from fascinating animals. As we watched them play and eat their dark gentle eyes makes you forget their strength and power. A baby gorilla put on a cutest show of dominance though when he stood up, not more than three feet tall when standing, and did his best attempt at pounding his chest with his hands like he was the original King Kong.
Then the terrible words were given from out guide that our maximum one hour viewing time was up and we had to leave the gorilla family and began our descent down the mountain. We snapped our last photos and begrudgingly set off through the dense jungle back to the opening where our bags and porters waited patiently for us. We had our lunch sitting amongst the thick jungle undergrowth chatting amongst each other with excitement of our unique gorilla experience before making our way back to the UWA Office at the base of the mountain.
Now here I sit on the porch of our little bungalow staring across at the mountains we just climbed. Incredible. The view is even more inspiring now being able to envision the over 300 mountain gorillas swinging in the trees and going about their lives under the peaceful watch of the Uganda Wildlife Association and once again increasing in population with hopes that these magnificent animals will one day flourish and be removed from the endangered species list.
Remainder of our Uganda Visit
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Our trip to Uganda revolved around our desire to go gorilla trekking and undoubtedly it was the highlight of our time in this country. However, the remainder of Uganda visit was an excellent journey as well. Queen Elizabeth National Park was an outstanding place for viewing more wildlife and as luck would had it gave us an opportunity to meet up with Sinclair and Leslie who we previously met in Zanzibar and our itineraries crossed for a couple days while in the park. We also enjoyed an incredible cruise down the Kazinga Channel with viewing of birds, buffalos, elephants, crocodiles, hippos and much, much more. An early morning game drive revealed plenty of antelope, hippos, elephants and a gorgeous African sunrise accompanied by a great education from the UWA guide. Another excursion took us chimpanzee trekking down into a gorge in the African wild. The elusive chimps were hard to see, but we spotted them from afar swinging from the vines and chatting up a storm.
Aside from all the wildlife, one of the most memorable parts of Uganda is the people. The Ugandans were so warm and kind, with big smiles and huge hearts. We drove through so many villages giving us glimpses into their lives; the homes without running water or electricity; the hard manual labour they put in working their fields for food without the modern equipment we use in the Western World; the small mud huts they live in and how they pack so many people into any moving vehicle to try to get to where they need to go. The disparity between the lives so many of them live versus what we live is shocking and unfair. Yet they smile a warm and friendly smile so many Westerners have forgotten how to do in the fast-paced busy life we lead. Hopefully the poverty will continue to decrease as more and more tourists come to visit and explore this stunning country. It was an incredible African country to visit and as their tourism campaign says - Uganda - Gifted by Nature.
www.carlhenderson.ca
www.imagestoframe.com
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