Week 11: Gorillas in the Mist

Every third step I took, a different cramp. My right calf. My left thigh. And so on…after 7 hours of hiking – the last 4 up a steep mountain – I collapsed back at our starting point. But it was all worth it – a chance to see mankind’s closest relative, the mountain gorilla. The mountain gorilla is on the verge of extinction, with only 706 remaining as of 2003 – all of which reside in Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC. I was ecstatic that I was able to get a permit since only 32 are available each day and they are normally booked 3 months in advance. But it just so happened there was a cancellation last weekend, so I rushed to book it and headed to the south western part of Uganda, where the country runs into Rwanda and Congo (the DRC).

The drive over on Friday, through an area known as the Switzerland of Africa, was really part of the experience. The terrible dirt roads did nothing to take away from the splendid views, starting with lush fields filled with banana trees to mountains stripped and terraced for farming and, finally, to where we could seethe purple volcanoes of Rwanda and the Congo in the haze a few kilometres away:

The actual hike was on Saturday, a day which began with an even more spectacular (and equally bumpy) drive through mountains covered in fog (I can see where the title Gorillas in the Mist comes from!). After 2 hours, we reached the starting point for the gorilla trek. At around 8 am, we began descending into the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, pushing on for about 2 hours to where the gorillas had been spotted by the tracking team (which goes ahead earlier in the morning so we know which way to hike). It was eerily quiet the whole way when, all of a sudden, we heard some crackling of tree branches. Within a few seconds, they began emerging. One gorilla. Two. A mother and her baby. The mammoth silverback. We watched in amazement as they passed within 2 feet of us, paying no heed – well, except the baby which was watching us with some curiosity.

At this point, the gorillas were on the move to find some food, so we let them pass and then continued to hang out with them while the ate, played, and in some cases, rested. I was shocked by how human they are (they share 98% of our DNA makeup). A twelve year old gorilla was lying there with his head perched on his hand, which he would occasionally bring to his mouth to nibble on his finger. In the background, we heard another gorilla let go a really, really, really long fart. Meanwhile, the baby would shake the trees and look at us with a big smile on his face while the silverback ate leaves and watched us. I think the silverback may have been playing a game with me because he would keep ducking his head to where I couldn’t see him, and then would sit up and look right at me – over and over. It was a sight I will never forget and one that passed by in what felt like 5 minutes (though it was over an hour – the maximum permitted as a measure to protect the few remaining gorillas). Our visit ended with all the gorillas – except the baby – resting. The baby was busy making faces and keeping us entertained, when we sadly had to leave him to go back.

With the hike finished, I downed about a gallon of water before we drove back a slightly different route alongside a magnificent, island dotted body of water, called Lake Bunyoni. We finished the day in the lakeside town of Kabale, where I stayed overnight on the lake before heading back to Jinja on Sunday. A ton of driving (13 hours each way), but well, well worth it. In fact, the drive is a huge part of the experience, and while you can fly in, I would advise against that because it would take away part of the charm that is the gorilla trek!

Peek-a-boo: