My Christmas present to myself was a wildlife tour to the west of Uganda. A long drive took me to Kibale National Park, home to most of the chimpanzees in Uganda. After an evening of luxury (my first hot shower in over a month!), I began the walk through the forest in search of primates. After an hour of walking well-trodden trails, we stumbled upon our first chimpanzees. And not any old chimpanzee, but the alpha male. He sat and observed us while we observed him, before shooting up a tree to join some of his 120 family members for breakfast and a sunbathe. An hour later it was time to go, my neck aching from gazing up into the tree willing one of the chimps to come down….but it wasn’t to be. Although we did stumble across 2 females preening each other on the way back to base, a bonus for waiting so patiently.
Chimpanzees are much smaller than I had expected. I’ve probably seen them in the zoo at some point but over time had morphed them into gorilla size in my mind. Somehow they didn’t seem quite as exciting in their diminutive form. Or maybe that was the effect the neck ache and squinting through leaves had. Still, a privilege to see them briefly in their home environment and to learn about how they live. Our closest neighbour, they really are quite humanlike in the way they care for each other.
Another long drive took me to Bwindi National Park, home to most of the gorillas in Uganda. Several groups are habituated but only a few can be accessed by tourists. And that’s only for those who have the stamina to find them in the rainforest. Did I? Only just! A hike up a cliff face of vegetation, one of the porters (which I had arrogantly turned down!) pulled me up the steepest sections as my legs turned to jelly. Feet were constantly caught in undergrowth causing at least one fairly spectacular tumble. But I got to the top. Only to head straight back down again. The gorillas were playing with us, moving back to almost where we had started. But finally we caught up with them. And boy, was it worth it! Two toddlers played with each other, climbing trees and swinging from branches. Two silverbacks, the most impressive of all animals, lounged around eating leaves. And a mother nursed her young baby.
Only an hour is allowed with them. Although they are habituated, time is limited to avoid stressing them out and passing on diseases. And an hour flies by, mesmerising as they are. I alternated between taking photos and just watching them. Regretted not simply watching more. But knowing I want photographic evidence of such an amazing experience!
Not that I don’t already have that; this was my second time tracking gorillas. A ‘once in a lifetime’ experience that I’ve greedily done twice. And I can’t promise I’ll stop there. Who wouldn’t want to come face to face with a silverback if the opportunity arose again??