The moment finally arrived after eager anticipation, and our 2-day gorilla-trekking experience at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest turned out to be a tale of two stories…

Day One – trekking the Bitukura family

Day one caught us somewhat unprepared given that 2009 was a particularly busy year and consequently something had to fall by the way-side and for us this was physical fitness! Our trek began easily enough on relatively flat and open terrain, but this was only the pre-cursor as we were simply walking to the point where we would have to enter the dense forest. It was here that two things became clear. First, we understood why Bwindi was called Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, as the foliage was incredibly dense. Second, we understood why the gorillas were called mountain gorillas – as we found ourselves navigating slopes of 60 degrees or more! It was definitely a trek and a half.

Fortunately we didn’t have to trek for long as we found the gorillas within an hour, but it was nevertheless an intense trek. Then came the next surprise, which perhaps reflected our naivety more than anything else. Somehow we had envisioned that after some hard trekking we’d break through into a beautiful open clearing where the gorillas would be seated in a neat circle, inter-acting among themselves and posing for photographs when required. Reality was somewhat different. On this day, we’d found the gorillas in a particularly dense bit of the forest on a very steep incline. The dense foliage meant that, despite the Bitukura group being a family of 13 gorillas, we could see no more than one gorilla at a time. And it also meant that you had little rest during this hour as you were fighting to keep your footing on the steep incline, battling through the foliage as you looked for the other gorillas, supporting yourself by hanging onto vines and undergrowth and then of course trying to actually photograph the gorillas.

Despite all this, we were brimming with excitement when we caught a glimpse of our first gorilla, a silverback. Admittedly, conditions that day were simply not ideal for photography as the gorillas were often shrouded by the foliage, and we also had limited room for movement and hence little scope for composition given the dense shrubbery and steep inclines. So we had to resign ourselves to enjoying and appreciating the moment – seeing these magnificent creatures in the wild. Our highlight of the day: an adorable baby gorilla up a tree.

Tip: try to find out in advance which gorilla family you’ll be trekking. The Bitukura and the Shonji families are actually several hours away from the main lodges in Bwindi and you’re therefore advised to find accommodation closer to where your treks will actually take place.

Day Two – trekking the Mubare family

After the first day of trekking, we weren’t sure if we had the reserves to trek for a second consecutive day. But fortunately we woke up somewhat rejuvenated after a restful sleep!

Day two was a much easier trek for us despite it being a longer one – this was at least in part due to the fact that we were mentally prepared, and partly also because the terrain was easier and our group as a whole maintained a slightly slower pace.

And when we finally found the gorillas, this time we found them in a relatively open space and a gentler slope! As sod’s law would have it, A&T had left some additional photographic gear behind after day one as we thought that conditions would make it virtually impossible to switch lenses or to try to carry more than one camera. Day two was a photographer’s dream and we managed to get some exceptional clear views of the gorillas with room to move around for angles and composition.

But the highlight of the day (and the trip) was yet to come… Chun was busily shooting Kanyonyi, a 14-year old blackback gorilla in the group (they tend to become silverbacks around the age of 15), when it suddenly got up and started walking straight towards him… and didn’t stop until his muzzle was pressed up against Chun’s cheek. Kanyonyi sniffed him and looked him up and down for a good couple of minutes, checked out his camera equipment, pressed his nose and mouth against the side of Chun’s face again before finally moving off.

Unforgettable, adrenaline-charged, emotional and simply magical… words simply can’t describe the incredible experience. Kissed by a mountain gorilla – this will be one memory of Uganda that A&T will remember for a lifetime.

Also read our related post, Exploring Uganda.

What are Primates?

Primates consist of great apes, monkeys, lemurs and us. There are over 185 species of primates in the world, 51 of which are in Africa, although this could well go up as new discoveries are made every once in a while. The latest such discovery was a new species of mangabey monkey, the Highland Mangabey, found in the Udzungwa Mountains in the south of Tanzania in 2005.

Types of Primate

Great Apes

Silverback Gorilla

Great apes consist of gorillas, chimpanzees and orang-utans. All three of these species are endangered. They are characterised by not having tails and by walking on all fours along the ground on their knuckles. They are the most similar types of primate to ourselves.

Monkeys

Monkeys have highly developed brains and tails that can often grasp the branches of a tree like an extra limb. This makes them especially suited to living in the trees where they can move freely. They also have grasping hands that can be used to make tools.

Lemurs

Madagascar Lemur

Lemurs are only found in Madagascar. They are very small compared to other primates, and have eyes that face forwards which provides them with depth perception. They have tails like monkeys, but they cannot use them to grip onto things. Both their feet and their hands have opposable fingers and toes.

Characteristics

Primates are characterised as being socially complex creatures. They nearly always live in groups, where social activities are very important to them. This can include grooming, which is not just used for cleaning but for important social bonding.

Primates often have strict social hierarchies with alpha males leading the group. Social activities like grooming often follow this social pattern, with the less important animals grooming the ones that are higher up the rankings.

Primates are also known for their prehensile hands that are used for climbing trees, eating and making tools.

Where do they Live?

babboons

The vast majority of primates live in rainforests. This is because they are very much at home amidst the trees, which they often rely on for food and protection. There are only a few species that can survive quite happily away from trees, including chimpanzees and baboons. The latter are the most common types of primates that you are likely to see on a safari to Africa.

Best Places to See Them

Primates are found all over Africa. You can often find monkeys living quite happily in the trees in town centres, but some are a lot harder to find. Two of the most popular types of primates are gorillas and chimpanzees.

Gorillas

There are two species of gorilla – the mountain gorilla and the western lowland gorilla. Mountain gorillas are amongst the most endangered creatures on earth, and the are restricted to a few groups in Central Africa. If you want to see them then you should head on an organised gorilla safari to Uganda or Rwanda.

To see western lowland gorillas, head to Cameroon for the best chance to see them. The Dzangha Sanga Reserve in the south of the country is a great place to encounter them, as well as other primates.

Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees are more widely distributed than gorillas, and they too can be found in Cameroon. However, one of the best places to see them is in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. This is where Jane Goodall set up her research programme, the most important of its kind in the world.

Primate Conservation

There are a number of charities and organisations that you can support if you want to help the plight of primates across Africa and the world.

International Primate Rescue is one of the largest that works with all types of primates.

The Jane Goodall Institute was set up by Jane Goodall and supports the plight of chimpanzees.

Conservation International supports primates across the world, as well as working on other conservation programmes.

The Gorilla Organisation works to support gorillas in Africa and protect them from extinction.

Chimpanzees in Gombe National Park

Chimpanzees are our closest evolutionary relatives, sharing 94% of our DNA. They are incredible creatures whose profound intelligence allows them to recognise numbers and to use tools. But unfortunately these amazing apes are, like so many primates across the world, endangered. In fact, some estimates predict that only 300,000 of them remain in the wild.

One person who knows more about chimpanzees than just about anyone else is Jane Goodall. In 1960 Goodall began a research programme in Gombe Stream National Park in western Tanzania. Her research has since cast light onto many areas of the previously unknown lives of these amazing creatures. For example, it was Goodall who first discovered that chimps used tools just like humans. Since she arrived in Gombe, she has also set up the Jane Goodall Institute to protect chimpanzees across the world.

Jane Goodall

If you are amazed by chimpanzees and would like to see them in the wild, then you can head to Gombe Stream National Park yourself to see them in the wild. Located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, it is a wild place only accessible by boat. But if you want an adventure then you can head here on a chimpanzee safari to try to catch a glimpse of the animals. The best time to visit the park is from May to November, the dry season, as during the rains it can become perilously slippery.

If you go to Gombe, it’s not just chimpanzees that you will become acquainted with. You will also be able to see numerous other apes including blue monkeys, olive baboons and red colobus monkeys. On top of these, you’ll also get to see other animals in the park such as leopards and elephants. So although you’ll be going on a chimpanzee safari, you’ll be seeing far more than that. However, the experience won’t come cheap. The entrance fee to the park is $100 per day, but when you get an experience that you can’t get anywhere else in the world then it has to be worth it.

If you are a keen photographer, make sure to take plenty of film with you or a big memory card for your camera. If you come across the chimps then you won’t be able to stop taking pictures. You might even want to consider turning your chimpanzee safari into a dedicated photo safari and go along with a professional photographer who can help you get the perfect snaps to take home and impress your friends.

Chimpanzees are amazing animals, and seeing them in the wild is an absolute treat. Helping to share the knowledge of these apes will also lead to better protection for them in the wild. But if you can’t go and see them yourself, then why not donate to the Jane Goodall Institute to help the good work that is being done to protect them in the wild so that future generations can enjoy them as well.