To be face to face with a Silverback, the gentle giant and members of his family is something you need to do… at least once in your life. A day on a gorilla trek starts early and your hike in search of the family group can take anything from one to eight hours depending on the location of the primates. I journeyed to south west Uganda for my once in a lifetime encounter in a true rainforest, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. After many years of travelling to Africa and experiencing so many exceptional safaris a trek to check out the gorilla was sitting top of my list and finally, I was going to do it.
What makes it so incredible? Knowing at that time when you come face to face with a gorilla you join a privileged group of intrepid travellers on an encounter with the endangered mountain gorilla in their environment, and you made an incredible, challenging and exhilarating journey to get there! According to the Uganda Wildlife Service there around 1,000 gorillas in the wild with half of this number residing in Uganda. The entire world population of mountain gorillas lives in the mist wreathed peaks of the Virunga Mountains which weave their way between Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is a fear of the unknown that makes me nervous, anxious and excited. The night before our trek at a time I should have been enjoying a restful sleep in our delightfully comfortable luxury tented camp positioned up high in the misty emerald forest. But sleep was not forth coming as going through my mind was a stream of jumbled thoughts; from how long will we need to trek to reach our family, is my level of fitness enough to cope in the altitude, will I handle the humidity, how difficult is the terrain and will it continually rain? And the thoughts continued…. Are my fancy hiking boots going to get me there? Will I be able to keep up with my fellow trekkers? Is this the jungle where Tarzan lived? This elevated level of anxiety continues on our journey to the starting point of our trek. At the briefing I listen intently to Gard, our Uganda Wildlife Service guide and was relieved to observe everyone seemed anxious. With only eight in our group, I check out my fellow trekkers and again question my ability. The friendly and fit looking Canadians in our group seemed to be experienced hikers and coming from Vancouver knew a lot more than me about managing wet weather wearing their smart trekking boots and brightly coloured gaiters. Why didn’t I have gaiters? Does it show I know little about wet weather coming from Perth a city on the edge of a desert! I had taken the advice of past trekkers and had gathered almost every recommended item including gardening gloves in case I unintentionally grabbed hold of stinging nettles… but no gaiters!
We head off and the tall and graceful Joseph, my porter from the local village, is by my side. He is wearing gumboots! I look at my state of the art ridiculously expensive hiking boots and again question my decision to do this trek. With the biggest of smiles Joseph is my constant support and guides me down slippery slopes while carrying my backpack filled with lunch, litres of water, essential supplies and an armoury of camera gear. Walking through the dense vegetation every crack of a branch makes my heart skip a beat. After just forty minutes of trekking and after climbing down to a low ridge we are told to say goodbye to our porter and continue with only our cameras. We hear them before we see them. I look up and watch in awe a family of nine gorillas make their way down from the canopy of towering trees. I look around to see all members of our small group with beaming smiles. The family continue their daily routine without a care or acknowledgement of us standing only metres away. A mother with her baby leans up against a tree and is so relaxed while chomping of a bunch of fresh leaves. Can she hear my pounding heart!!! She knows I am there but is content to let me stay close. My hands are shaking from the thrill of this privilege that I am unable to take a photo. No flash is allowed for obvious reasons and in the low light of the forest you need to remain still to take the perfect photo. The adrenalin has kicked in and I realise I am not going to take that prize-winning photo…it was time to put my collection of cameras away and simply take in the moment. It is deeply intimate to be there in the jungle quietly observing and I am humbled. And I feel so insignificant as we watch the Silverback stand, check out the group of tourists giggling like a bunch of school kids and ever so slowly lurch back into the forest. Before we know it Gard is telling us it was time to leave…could sixty minutes have come and gone so quickly?
Would I do anything differently? If I had the time again, I would do two treks if permits were available. First day would be to observe and delight in the experience. The following day for the same reason but this time I would be more relaxed, aware of my time limit and attempt to take that award winning photo! As with all wildlife experiences each time is unique, no two gorilla treks are the same and we never know what we will see. By taking the trek twice it would allow more time in this exceptional location and more time to enjoy the amazing landscape and unique surroundings.
Mountain Gorilla Facts
Standing at around 1.7 metres tall and weighing up to 220 kgs, the Mountain Gorilla, scientific name Gorilla beringei beringei, is one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. The Mountain Gorilla live in the montane and bamboo forest jungles of central-east Africa’s volcanic mountain slopes at an altitude of 2,200–4,300 metres.
Of the four gorilla species found only in Africa, mountain gorillas live in the most extreme environment. There are two populations protected within the small central-eastern Africa border reserves of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
One of the gorilla populations is in the Virunga mountains within three protected reserves, including Mgahinga National Park in southwest Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in northwest Rwanda, and Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The second mountain gorilla population, which is nearly half of the total population, occupies the dense jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
They live in the wild in social families (troops or bands)led by a dominant male silverback, his females and their dependent offspring, together with other mature males. They are omnivores, feeding on leaves, roots, shoots, fruit, wild celery, bark, tender nettles and pulp and spend much of their day foraging, feeding, napping and grooming.
Packing for the Mountain Gorilla Trek
Conditions vary, so just in case be prepared for rain, muddy terrain and slippery slopes. Pack the following:
- Back pack
- Waterproof sturdy hiking boots
- Gaters & Gloves
- Waterproof jacket or raincoat
- Hiking pants
- Thick socks
- Long sleeve shirt or t shirt
- Trekking pole (a locally made wooden stick can be loaned from your lodge)
- Wide brimmed hat, sunscreen & sunglasses
Mountain Gorilla Trek with Wildlife Safari
Wildlife Safari custom designs safaris to observe the endangered gorilla in Uganda and Rwanda, the last sanctuary of the mountain gorilla. Staying in a luxury safari lodge and tented camp, the Uganda Explore Safari offers the opportunity to view the mountain gorilla, explore forests, lakes, enjoy game viewing in national parks, trek the Kyambura Gorge in search of chimpanzee and observe birdlife by boat on the Kazinga Channel.
The number of gorilla permits available for each day is strictly limited so it is advisable to book early and let Wildlife Safari design your safari around your gorilla permit. The cost of permit is significant but greatly contributes to the protection and conservation efforts of the gorilla in their environment.
