Gorillas Jan 2020: Our Gorilla Tracking Experience

11January

We were up early and having breakfast at 6.30am. We arrived at Rushaga Gate by 7.30 and after a short briefing all the tourists were divided into groups.

Uganda only issues 100 tracking permits per day. Rushaga is one of 3 gates into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with access to 5 habituated gorilla families. Each guided group can take a maximum of 8 tourists. Our group of 5 were joined by Ann and Carlos.  I had pressed Sam to get us into a group visiting a nearby gorilla family. What a bonus!

Overnight trackers follow the gorillas to see where they "nest" for the night, so they know where the families are.  After a short drive we plundered into the thick bush. Guides and porters accompanied us; 2 ahead of us hacking a path through the jungle with pangas and 4 or 5 giving us a hand or a push from behind as we made our way up the muddy, rocky impenetrable hillside.

After just 25 minutes we reached the Mishaya gorilla family. 1 silverback, 2 females with babies and various others totalling 11. At first they were up in the trees, just hanging out and eating. Beware you don't get right underneath; they pee like a rain shower.

And then, thundering and crashing but amazingly agile the silverback came swinging and loping down onto the ground. He sat down about 3m away and partially turned his back on us, avoiding any eye contact but staying close.

After a few minutes a female joined him. I was seated on the ground less than 2m from her.

After about 10 minutes he moved off followed more or less by the whole group and we hacked our way downhill a bit more until we were close again. The smaller ones were in the trees above us and one or two moved past or came to check us out.

A large female with her baby settled about 2m from us, turning away as the silverback had done. She stayed for 15 minutes or more while the little one clambered all over his mum. His coordination wasn't too good and when he fell into her lap she would lovingly cradle him in her arms, trying to calm him down until he wriggled away again.

When she moved on we walked a little further to watch another guy digging out a dead tree stump.

Our hour up, we scrambled all the way back through the forest to the road. What an amazing encounter. 

We were back at the lodge in time for lunch. 

After a rest and a massage we went out in the car a short way for a bird walk.

Around 5pm we saw other groups of tourists returning from their trek. At the lodge that evening we chatted to people who had to trek 3 hours to find their gorilla family. I'm not sure I would have made it. There's a 95% chance of seeing gorillas with a maximum 5 hour trek or a 50% refund. Thanks Sam for your experienced intervention; our gorilla experience was awesome.