Mountain gorilla family feed peacefully
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Location
Guide
Jonas
Recorded by
Date
Summer 2021
Scenes from another world
Safari scribbles:
The landscape and topography of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park can be easily described in one word – mountainous. Rising high above the plains and communities below, the mountains of Bwindi peer across the landscape and over into the neighbouring DRC.
As you drive up the alternating dirt and tar tracks, the roads become mountain passes, the picturesque, rural farmlands vanish below, and the jungle seems to swallow you whole. It is difficult to describe the density which the forests attain in this part of the world – every bit of sunlight soaked up, every gap in the forest canopy filled, every inch of the forest floor covered. The thickly forested peaks which make up Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (“Bwindi” for short) are frequently shrouded in mist and cloud, giving them almost mystical appearance.
As the gravel snakes its way along the mountain, concealed pathways peel off the main road and vanish into the dark forest. Although the soil seems well-trodden, the paths themselves are always overgrown by vines, sealed off from the outside world. It is these pathways – our guide tells us – that we will use to explore the forest beyond, and track down the animals we have come here to find: Mountain Gorillas.
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Bwindi is one of the last remaining strongholds for these great apes. While much of their habitat has been destroyed due to logging, and their numbers have dwindled due to space restrictions and conflict with humans, this area still provides prime habitat for over 400 mountain gorillas which call it home.
But it is more than just rarity and endangered status which makes gorillas one of the must see species for wildlife enthusiasts. It’s the desire to be in the presence of an animal which is one of our closest living relatives, and probably one of the most powerful animals in Africa which you can approach, ethically, on foot.
Our guide, Jonas, gives us a suitably lengthy and thorough briefing, preparing us for the exciting expedition ahead. The conditions can be challenging. Don’t let the cloud cover fool you – once the sun breaks through it can get hot and humid in the forest. Ample water supply and sun protection are crucial. The entire round trip – including the hour spent with the gorillas if you find them – can be as short as 90 minutes, or it can be a full day affair.
Each group of guests, staying at the various lodges nestled in the mountains of Bwindi, are given a permit the trek in a certain sector of the reserve for the day. The sector permit determines where you start the trek and which gorilla families you will have the opportunity to find. Before your briefing even starts, professional trackers have already begun traversing the forest’s trails searching for the gorilla family.
Before we set off, Jonas takes a moment to show us a catalogue of images detailing the gorilla family we will be looking for today – the Bitukura family. The quintessential gorilla family made up of a silverback, a subordinate male, and multiple females, teenagers, and youngsters. We jump in our car and drive a short distance to a spot where the gravel track makes a sharp hairpin bend. On one side, a steep cliff plunges toward a valley covered with dense trees and mist, one the other, a well-trodden path disappears behind a veil of vines and creepers.
It is still cool, and steam rises from our breath and bodies as we make our final preparations for the trek. Laces are tightly tied, sunscreen and insect repellant are applied, and walking sticks are grasped tightly in anticipation. Cicadas and birds are vibrantly singing as the forest wakes up around us.
We set off along the path, and force our way through the veil. On the other side, a sensory explosion ensues: the chorus of birds and insects amplifies ten-fold as the thick forest takes us in. A muddy pathway snakes off into the rain forest beset on either side by a bed of weeds and bushes. Lichen and moss-covered trees tower above us, reaching upward toward the forest canopy where they soak up almost every micron of sunlight. Where there are small opportunistic gaps, sunlight streams in kissing the forest floor and smaller trees graciously gather it up, doing their best to extend upward and join the canopy species.
The going is slow at first; mud sticks to our shoes, and the way forward is filled with slippery sections and logs to climb over. About 30 minutes into our hike, we come across a set of huge, circular tracks in the muddy path, as well as an unmistakable pile of dung – forest elephants. The dung – unlike our bodies – is cold and not emitting any heat, its maker is long gone. Although the park authorities are not sure of the exact number of forest elephants which still wonder these mountains, it is a lovely reminder that we are indeed in a very wild place, and it is not only the birds, bees, and gorillas which call this place home.
We start to find our rhythm as the trek takes us up and down little rises within the forest, but nothing too intense in the way of topographical undulation. One of the longer climbs leads us onto the edge of a mountain peak and we get our first view out of the forest for a while. The path then hugs the edge of the mountain, with panoramic views across Bwindi. After a short incline, we come to rest among some tall trees and find ourselves perched on a saddle – the perfect watershed between two peaks. Ahead of us and behind us, steep peaks climb toward the skies, to our left and right a valley drops toward the slopes below.
“They are somewhere down there…”
Jonas gestures broadly to our right. The valley sides seem to warp around on the face of the mountains, and we are looking down on the tops of trees with their trunks disappearing below. This is going to be a steep descent. Somewhere down there, the trackers have located the Bitukura gorilla family.
Jonas and the other guards spend 10 minutes finding the best route down – this is the end of the well-trodden path. Now the “off-road” adventure begins. Our pace slows as we tentatively place one foot in front of the other, steadily losing altitude. We take heart in the fact that the professional trackers somehow made it down here before us. The soils on this slope of the valley are well-saturated and slippery underfoot, ferns tower over head, and for a while Tanya’s Jurassic Park fantasies are becoming real, but she’s stuck hiking with me and not Jeff Goldblum.
We carefully navigate our way down, always closely attended by our guides. They’ve been with us every step of the way, checking on us, helping us find the safest, most comfortable route to our ultimate goal – a sighting of the mountain gorillas.
After 15 minutes of ducking under ferns, clambering over logs, and holding on to roots for support, we bundle into a clearing and spot the rest of the Ugandan Wildlife Authority trackers just ahead. They excitedly gesture for us to come closer, and as we round a tree densely hung with vines, and like the drawing of a curtain, a remarkable scene unfolds right before us.
As if encapsulated perfectly by a natural frame, the gorilla family are resting under a canopy of trees, with dense foliage surrounding them on all sides. It was as though we were looking in through nature’s window on this serene, unforgettable depiction merely 10 metres away from us.
Shrouded in shadows, a female gorilla lies on her back, gently reaching into the trees above her to feed on the leaves held there. Another lies on her side, using her finger as lure to tempt the clutches of the baby cradled in her arms. A few adolescent gorillas have the most energy, gently and playfully wrestling with one another. The silverback rests quietly in a corner, fast asleep, his massive, hulking form standing out distinctly thanks to his significant size and the characteristic silver patch of fur on his lower back. He seems a lot less intimidating when resting on his belly with his arms tucked under his body. Near his heavy head, an infant – barely able to move – rustles through the leaves; its mother gently grabbing it and repositioning every time it gets close to the silverback.
We heard a sudden rustling behind us – another female gorilla melts out of the bushes and saunters toward the family, grabbing handfuls of leaves on her way. She collects one of younger gorillas in her arms, lays down on her back, and playfully tosses the youngster up and down as someone might do with their three-year-old child; both smiling gleefully.
Meanwhile, over by the silverback, the infant had rustled its way toward him once more. One of his giant hands now lay open on the ground, palm up. As the infant stumbles past him, he gently squeezes its hand in his. Such power contrasted by incredible affection and subtlety.
After an embrace which seems to last forever, the little gorilla continues crawling on its way, this time heading straight toward us. Our guide calmly asked us to move further back. No sooner had we settled again, and the youngster’s mother swooped in, swept her baby up in her arms, and settled down to nurse, right in front of us – unbelievable.
For an hour we just sat there, enthralled, entranced and in awe. Time passes so quickly. You feel as though you blink and it’s over, but when you break down the time into separate moments, you quickly realise that the entire experience was incredibly enriched.
Eventually it was time to go. By the end, most of the gorilla family had moved off into the forest, and all we could hear was the gentle stripping of leaves and the subtle affirming grunts as the family communicated their whereabouts to one another. We reluctantly turned to begin the (fairly) steep hike out of the valley. No one spoke a word the entire way back through Bwindi’s impenetrable forest, suffice it to say we were all replaying the morning’s life-changing experience on repeat in our minds.
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