Searching for the Gorillas in Uganda
by Gabrielle Warncke, Luxury Travel Advisor
Trekking the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda had been a dream of mine for many years, so when the opportunity arose for me and my friend Holly to do it, it was truly a dream come true. The anticipation and excitement ran rampant in my mind the night before our first trek. I was up before the sunrise, wondering how the day might actually materialize. Would it be the experience I imagined it would be? Would it be completely different from what I expected? Whatever the case, I was about to make my dream a reality.
As we finished breakfast, the lodge provided us with containers of packed lunches and bottled water to take on our trek. We filled our backpacks with our provisions, along with rain gear and cameras for the day. Our guide met us at the Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp at 7:30 a.m. and escorted us down to the base camp for check-in. At Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, there are three habituated gorilla families we could possibly trek to; the Mubare family, the Rushegura family, and the Habinyanja family. A maximum of eight permits per family are issued daily, however, we were advised that we would be assigned to a group after check-in. Guests cannot pre-select the group they will trek.
We were assigned the Rushegura family. This required us to load into vehicles for a short twenty-minute drive to the base of the mountain to start our trek. As we disembarked the vehicles, we were greeted with waves and smiles from the locals in the village going about their daily chores. Our group quickly gathered with our respective porters in tow. We started down a winding path from the village toward the base of the mountain. I was nervous about the difficulty of the impending hike, but overflowing with excitement about the possibility of being up close and personal with these incredible creatures.
The hike up the mountain turned out to be a switchback with breathtaking vistas that only improved as our elevation increased. The skies were a pristine blue and the sun was shining brightly. It was a perfect setting for this amazing adventure. After ninety minutes of weaving our way up the side of the mountain, we reached the top. The guide and rangers gave us a short briefing as well as some reminders of how to interact with the gorillas once we were in their presence. We continued on a little further. As we rounded the corner, twelve of the seventeen family members were lounging peacefully in the brush. A hush came over the group as we were walked directly in front of the family. An unimaginable moment was now a reality.
As we stood in awe of these astonishing creatures, they continued with their rituals as if we didn’t exist. The silverback, Kabukojo, was with the females and children of the group. The toddlers jumped from one adult to another, knocking each other off, pushing and pulling to get ahead of one another. The mother grabbed one of the toddlers and pulled them close to separate them, but, moments later, the shenanigans began again. It felt like watching human children get into mischief, with their mothers reprimanding them. In the background, one female began to groom another by carefully plucking bugs from her fur. A short distance away, the remaining five family members – the “black backs” or adult males of the family – were in a thicket of trees. Our group divided among the family to observe the different habits of the family members.
As our time with these extraordinary gorillas whittled away, I was filled with pure happiness for being so privileged to witness such a thrilling encounter with an entire gorilla family. Life is filled with amazing moments and this is one I will always remember. This experience had been on my bucket list for years, and I wasn’t sure I would ever get the chance to do it. It was everything I expected and nothing like I expected all wrapped up into one. It was amazing and terrifying, breathtaking and overwhelming. It was one of the very best days I’ve been fortunate enough to experience in my life.
