We leave Kibale forest and take a 45 min flight into Bwindi, where we’re staying at the Mahogany Springs Lodge. Bwindi is home to half of the remaining (and much endangered) mountain gorillas in the world.
The lodge gives us a great view of the mountain we’ll be trekking up the next morning. We’ve arranged for two gorilla treks, with plans to see a different gorilla family each day.
Our first trek was everything we could have wanted. With porters to help us climb (or at least help one of us climb, while the other was too stubborn for help), we hike up the mountain for two and a half hours.
When I say ‘up’, I mean we wind up climbing 1200 feet up. There often wasn’t a path at all, and the guides would have to use machetes to hack away at bushes and bramble to forge a path.
Our porters for the day
It started off easy
Got a little harder
We kept going up. And up.
By the end, we were literally pushing through the bush
Surrounded by Gorillas
Finally, our guide stops us and tells us that the trackers have led us to the troop. Face masks go on (to protect the gorillas), and we start a magical hour.
Before this trek. We researched. We watched videos. We knew what we were getting into. But we still weren’t prepared.
Gorillas were everywhere, walking right past us (actually brushing past us at times). They were eating. They were grooming. They were interacting, and basically ignoring us. It was incredible.
Gorilla Baby Antics
A guide pulled Ruth and I to a clearing to see a family. One of the babies was playing, climbing, and then decided to check us out. He got to half a foot away and almost climbed onto Steve before the Mom noticed, and came over to collect him.
She walked over and gave the kid one low grunt as he got too close.
I don’t speak ‘gorilla’, but I’m pretty sure that grunt translated to ‘Get away from that thing. You don’t know where he’s been’. (Moms are the same in every species).
Your intrepid photographer
Overall, there were 17 gorillas here, including three silverbacks (the older male in charge and two other males that had recently left the family troop). The videos barely do it justice.
This guy was an absolute tank. I was happy to give him the right of way
Yep. Really, REALLY close
Lots of birds and monkeys in the forest, too
The second day’s trek was much shorter and way easier. It was a short stroll to find the gorillas. This smaller family of 12 was less active, but it was still great to be around them as we stood on the side a large slope near the road.
We ended our time in Bwindi seeing birds and more monkeys during an easy stroll through the forest.
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