Most travelers visit Uganda for one reason – see gorillas. So, we figured we could not spend two months here without a visit to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, is regarded to be one of the most biologically diverse forests in Africa. It is rainforest, the source of five major rivers, home to over 350 different bird species and home to over half the world’s mountain gorilla population. An estimated 320 mountain gorillas reside in the park.
A bit about gorillas… there are about 100,000 gorillas left in the world today, the majority in the Congo basin. These 100,000 consist of three species, the Western lowland gorilla in the Central Congo basin, the eastern lowland gorilla residing in lowland forests and the mountain gorillas, made famous by Diane Fossey and her famous writings, “Gorillas in the Mist”. Mountain gorillas are the most endangered and there are only about 500 left in the world. Like most gorillas, the mountain gorillas travel in groups with one dominant silverback as the leader with several “wives” and many babies. The hair turns silver when males go through puberty at about age 15. Shortly after, the boy will leave with a wife or two and start his own family.
Currently in Bwindi there are 4 gorilla groups available for tracking. Each gorilla group has between 10-25 members. There are other gorillas living in the park but have not yet been “habituated” to humans; it takes several years to habituate a gorilla group to humans. Initially they fear humans and will attack on instinct, so it takes several years of visiting daily at a distance and slowly getting closer to prepare them for tourism. Tracking is not cheap – permits cost $375 per person, and will soon increase to $500 per person as of June 1st. Eight people per group per day, so 32 visitors per day year round, and they almost always have tourists. We tried to inquire as to where the money goes in a country where thousands of children die daily from diarrhea – 20% to the local community, 20% to the politicians / government and the rest to the UWA (Uganda Wildlife Association) that pays guides, trackers, veterinarians, etc.
So, our day began at 8am, with registration and a briefing. No eating, no touching, etc. If you are sick you are not allowed to see gorillas and apparently the biggest health problem in these gorillas is scabies and measles, so nobody under age 15 is allowed to track!. We then divide up into our prospective groups (based on what your permit says) and start tracking. Early in the morning “gorilla trackers” start at where they were seen the day prior and follow their scents, tracks, etc. They do this daily and are very good. The trackers radio to our guides as to where to find them. The hike is not easy; and gorilla tracking is not for the weary. Sometimes you can find them after a 20-minute hike, other groups hiked for over 4 hours. (you can hire a porter to carry your things) There is no guarantee how long you will hike! We had about a 1 1/2 hour hike before meeting up with the trackers. Once we found the trackers we were instructed to leave our backpacks, food and walking sticks with them. We then walked three steps and saw the silverback. The whole pack was walking to find food. They were all around us, literally 5 feet from us. After about 20 minutes the group found a nice spot and all sat down to eat and play. The babies wrestled each other and the adults ate. It was incredible to be that close to them. They are so human like it is scary. Our group, Habanyero group, has 20 members including 2 silverbacks, one age 15, and then the leader. There were 4 babies including a 2 week old, which we saw nestled in mom’s breast. Tourists are allowed one hour with the gorillas and then we had to return.
It was truly an unbelievable experience, once-in-a-lifetime experience– well worth the cost. If you ever get to Uganda, Rwanda or Congo, go track gorillas and be sure to get permits well in advance.
