Gorillas in the mist

We awoke to misty mountains with the clouds obscuring the valley below and had an early breakfast to head to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for our Gorilla Trek.  The word Bwindi is a local word for impenetrable so actually the name of the forest is the Impenetrable Impenetrable Forest, aptly named as we will soon discover.  

Bwindi is one of only two places in the world where you can still see the endangered mountain gorilla in its native habitat.  Researchers believe that this forest may be the oldest forest in Africa and a very special place in the world in terms of its biodiversity of species and unique variety of habitats.  The park supports approximately 350 species of birds, with 8 of them only being found here.  Mahogany trees are also still found here, a rarity, as they have been logged out of existence in most places on the planet.  

We arrive at the jumping off point for our trek and the parking area is filled with Toyota Land Cruisers, as there are about 50 people booked for a trek this morning.  The Kosoro district where we are located is home to both the Batwa and Bafumbira tribes and we are all treated to a drumming and dancing to welcome us.  

We are at an elevation of around 1,900 metres so the hiking is a bit more challenging than back home but we have a good group with just 2 other tourists besides us.  Our guide tells us that the trackers work over time to habituate around 50% of the 20 gorilla families to the presence of humans to support tourism and they purposely leave the other 50% wild as a safeguard against a human borne disease infecting the population.  

We have to don masks when we are in presence of the gorillas and we are not allowed to eat or drink or have any food with us when we are in their prescence.  Today we are attempting to find the family called Tidatine (the name means fearless in the local language) which consists of 14 individuals and 2 Silverbacks (mature male gorillas whose coat turns a silver grey colour at 12-15 years of age).

By the time we get our passes and listen to the park rangers speech on what we can’t expect it’s around 930am and we head uphill on a well trodden path into the forest. Everyone in our group is in good spirits and we spot a black and white colobus monkey high in the forest canopy within 10 minutes of starting the trek.  The gorillas in the forest are not microchipped or tagged and are tracked manually so our guide is in constant communication with the tracking team to determine which way we need to head for the best chance of seeing the family. We get word after about a half hour in that the trackers have found the family’s nest where they slept last night and a fresh trail but they are trying to determine whether the trail is from a bush elephant or the gorillas so we stay out not wanting to head in the wrong direction.

A bush elephant is an African elephant normally found on the Savanna that used to follow the migration route through a series of national parks that were established in the 1970’s from the Savanna to the forest but due to population pressures and human presence their normal migratory behaviour was cut off and they evolved to their habitats in the forest, growing more hair for the cold and shrinking in size to allow more efficient movement through the dense vegetation.  Our trek includes 2 ranges armed with machine guns in case we encounter elephants on our trek as they are highly aggressive towards people. Just to clarify they shoot in the air to scare the elephants they don’t shoot them.  

After some time at our triage spot, our guide says the trackers are now confident they have found the gorilla’s trail and we head off the main trail literally into the bush.  Our walking sticks prove invaluable on the uneven terrain and for parting the bush as we head literally straight uphill on a 45 degree slope.  The sun is now out but due to the lush vegetation it’s not unbearable but after a while our clothes are soaked through with sweat necessitating many stops for water breaks and rests.  In some places we are walking on vegetation and our walking sticks have no purchase on solid ground and in others we are literally sliding downhill as the ground and rotten logs give way.  Three of our group, including myself, although capable of carrying our daypacks, have hired porters to carry our packs to support the local economy and we are actually glad for this as there is a lot of hand holding on this tricky terrain.  After an hour of what I would call bushwhacking and not trekking we get word from the guide that the gorillas are close and we are told to take a long drink of water as we are not allowed to carry any with us for the next hour, to don our face masks and are warned again that if we need to cough or sneeze to do so in our elbows. 

We press on and the guide stops on the trail ahead motioning to us to be quiet.  There is a mother and her young baby literally 3 feet from where we are standing on the trail, feeding and relaxing in the undergrowth. If our guide hadn’t pointed them out we could have literally walked right beside them and not seen them with the thick vegetation.  We spend some time with them and notice crashing in the bushes above us as 2 more juveniles feed a short distance away.  

Although we are supposed to keep 10 metres away, it’s impossible to do as the gorillas come down towards where we are standing and literally lie down in front of our group, completely nonplussed by our presence, knowing that we cause them no harm.  Over the next hour we follow the trackers and spot another 6 members of the family including the large dominant male Silverback who is the patriarch of this family.  There are actually 2 Silverbacks in this group which is not a frequent occurrence as normally the less dominant male is forced to depart the group as only the dominant male can mate with the females.  In this case our guide tells us that the less dominant Silverback probably “cheats” on the patriarch when he is not aware of it and mates with some females but if he is caught he will be expelled.  

We learn about what happens when two groups of gorillas meet and the fights that occur between the Silverbacks, monitored closely by the females who will switch allegiance to the other family if they believe that Silverback can offer better protection than their current male.  On a number of occasions over the next hour the male demonstrates his power by literally pushing down large trees and crashing through the forest in a show of strength.  It’s an awesome sight and we can’t believe that an hour has passed so quickly when our guide announces that it’s time to head back.  It’s been a privilege to be able to get so close to these magnificent animals and experience them outside of a controlled environment. 

When we get back to the starting point, our guide tells us that about 20% of the price of the trekking permit goes back to the local populations that surround the park to provide them income from the forest and reduce their dependence on hunting and logging, a win-win for the tourists, the locals and the gorillas that should be replicated in every area of the world where biodiverse habitats exist as we need to preserve what little is left.  Enjoy the photos, it was truly a special time that we will remember for the rest of our lives.