February 16, 2012 – G-day (G for gorillas)
We woke up early – 4:30 am – to depart for our 2 hour drive to the briefing for gorilla tracking. Donna and I slept most of the way to Bwindi National Park in the dark but woke as the sun was rising to see that we were in some mountainous country and that the road had some very steep drop-offs. Luckily, Robert had his energy drink so he just cruised the whole way while Donna kept her eyes closed and I leaned inward to try to will the vehicle to stay on the road J
We were the first to arrive for the briefing at about 7:15. We checked in and waited as 22 other Muzungus and their guides joined us for a brief overview of the park, gorillas, and conservation efforts. There are currently 10 habituated gorilla groups in Bwindi National Park – 9 groups for up to 8 tourists per day to observe and 1 for researchers to study. Bwindi National Park is home to 340 of the world’s remaining 700 mountain gorillas. The rest of the gorillas are in other parks in Uganda as well as in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The cost is $500 per person (which I calculate out at about $36k of income per day and over $13m per year for the Uganda Wildlife Authority in gorilla tracking fees). Our group – Kahungye – was one of the more recently habituated groups and had 24 member gorillas ranging from silverbacks (older males) to blackbacks (younger males) to females, juveniles, and infants. This is one of the larger groups, and the guides and trackers believe it will split any day now. We also learned in the briefing that the hike can be quite strenuous (3-8 hours over steep terrain) and almost daily people who can hike no further are carried out on stretchers for the fee of $300.
With all this new information in mind, we loaded back up and drove the final 10 km on dirt road to the trailhead. The trailhead was the end of the dirt road in the village of Kahungye (yes, same as our gorilla group). There, we grouped up with our guide, gunmen, and 2 members of 8 person tourist group hired porters to carry their belongings. Three trackers had left early in the morning to find our Kahungye group and tell our guide for the day, Richard, by radio where to lead us.
We started hiking up a big switch-backed hill. In addition to our group of 13, there were also many villagers walking with us to tend their gardens along the sides of the trail. Three local women headed up to tend their gardens with bare-feet, babies on their backs, and food & water for the day on their heads, passed us on the way up this hill; humbling.
After several kilometers of hiking, we got word that the trackers had found the Kayungye group a bit further away and down a steep hill into the valley below. We hurried down into the valley where we continued on less well defined trails. Our guide was communicating by whistles now with the trackers to lead us to them and the Kayungye gorillas. Then we heard some loud, barking and screaming noises along with the movement of something coming at us along the trail. It (and us) stopped quickly, and Richard told us to hold our ground and wait. After conferring with the trackers, Richard decided that a wild (unhabituated), lone silverback gorilla had bluff charged us and was in the area to try to split up the Kayungye group. With our hearts beating a bit faster, we continued on a short distance further to where the trackers had located the Kayungye gorillas.
In the clearing with the trackers, we were given a few final instructions (no flash photos, no sudden movements, do not run if charged) we left all but cameras to see the gorillas. With that, Richard and the trackers started hacking an entry point to the next clearing where we would find the gorillas.
There we saw a female descending a tree, a mom and an infant under some branches and a silverback resting under some cover. They were all under brush and difficult to see (the female had quickly descended the tree). At one point the silverback bluff charged us with the barking-screaming hybrid, and we learned that our norm for the day would likely be an “unstable and unsettled” group of gorillas who were aware of the presence of the lone, wild gorilla would have the Kayungye gorillas on edge.
As the gorillas moved around the area, Richard and the trackers cut paths and views through the dense forest for us. We had some good views of individuals, and we were bluff charged on several occasions by silverbacks and blackbacks. On one of those occasions, I was in the back of the line with Richard when a blackback bluff charged the two of us from the side. Richard jumped between the gorilla and I, and I fell back. The gorilla probably came within 2 meters of us (you are asked to stay at least 7 meters away from the habituated gorillas), but the brush was so dense that I could hardly see more than a shadow of it. It was frightening, but the Richard and the tracker’s confidence in the situation provided some comfort and a feeling of some ease. After about an hour spent following and observing the Kayungye gorillas (all you are allowed to spend with the habituated groups), we returned to our belongings and began our hike back to the trailhead back a little after 5 pm.
This was not what I had expected from all that I had read and heard about the gorilla tracking. I’d foolishly pictured something along the lines of the gorillas and humans sitting peacefully together in a small clearing watching each other. Eventually, maybe they’d come over and pull the insects and brambles out of my hair… Though, not what I had expected, I am so grateful and in awe of my experience with the gorillas. Though habituated they are still wild animals (I guess?), and their behavior does not seem to be completely predictable.
I am left humbled and curious. It was an unbelievable experience, and I hope to learn more about gorillas, habituation, and how the few remaining gorillas are managed in the 3 countries where they still live. Thanks for making it this far; this has been a long one!
