Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

23 August, 2024

We hadn’t asked how long the drive to the Gorilla trek start point was and I’m still not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Fog covered the roads as we wove down the corrugated dirt road deeper into the mountains. It was 0500 when we left and just two hours into the drive we stopped for a toilet break. Sadly Bernadette and I were crammed into the back seat of the Land Cruiser which had little leg room and no head rests, which made sleeping incredibly difficult. Despite the long drive we were comforted by the fact our driver was taking it slow and steady through the winding roads.

After three hours of driving we were reassured we were close to arriving. It was beautiful to watch the sunrise through the mountains and drive through all the small villages with impeccably dressed women in their African prints - often clashing with colours and prints.

Thankfully we arrived at 0830, the last group to arrive for the day. Sadly we were so late that our driver was yelled at. We weren’t late enough to miss out though, so we didn’t mind. We were just pleased to have arrived safely after the thick fog.

We then got a quick briefing from Lumick our guide for the day and met a sour-faced couple who would be joining our six to make a group of eight. He explained we would be visiting the Mucunguzi Group of gorillas and could be hiking for up to three hours to find them. We would only be able to stay with the family for one hour and we must listen to their instructions. Bernadette started spraying herself with bug repellent at this time (as we had been instructed to do in our briefing the night before) and Lumick almost yelled at her telling her to stop. Apparently the bug spray and sunscreen attracts and makes wasps angry, so he asked her to stop. Thankfully I hadn’t yet lathered myself in either of these things so I was hopeful I was in the clear!

We were then instructed to get back in our 4x4, as we had another 30 minute drive to the start of our hike. We drove past more villages as we wove around the mountainside, finally arriving at the base of the mountain where we stopped and were told to get out. However, the instructions weren’t exactly correct, so we were all told to get back in the car. Although the other car in our convoy, transporting the grumpy couple and our guide stalled at the bottom of the hill. Despite a push start and help from some friendly locals in the village where we stopped, we weren’t going anywhere. So, instead we hiked up the steep hill. To be honest, I was incredibly pleased we did. After sitting in the truck for weeks on end, it was so nice to get to hike again.

We were all given poles and set off up the mountain. We walked past cattle, goats, planks of timber and incredible views. Before we arrived at the entrance of the rainforest.

It was a slight decent on a tiny trail that weaved across the side of the mountain. I was sad to learn we would only be walking for another 20 minutes after our hour hike up the mountain.

We stayed on the path for about 15 minutes before we stopped for a quick briefing, putting on our masks and sticking together as a group.

Turning into the rainforest we started climbing over scrubs, trees and branches as our guide cut us a short path into where the gorillas were sitting. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked up to see the giant back of one of the female mountain gorillas. She was huge and incredibly close - so close I felt I could reach out and touch her.

We pushed through more branches and shrubs arriving at the big male Silverback, now he, he was huge and had not a care in the world. It was incredible to see his human-like, or our gorilla-like features on his face and in his hands.

He moved to grab a new branch with fresh leaves, pulling down a heap of seeds all over his head - I couldn’t help but laugh a stifled chuckle.

I sat watching the Silverback and his females surrounding him, every move he made the females had his back. He would finish eating in one spot and then move to another and the females were just a few steps behind.

So much so that as I sat in the bushes and trees watching him trying to stay as still as possible, the silverback decided he wanted to walk exactly where I was sitting. So, he did. He got up and just started slowly walking towards me. We had been told to stay quiet and still - not to move - but sadly in a moment of fight or flight I moved to the left to let the big boy pass and that he did. Almost brushing my shoulder with his female flanking him. Bernadette managed to take this photo below just a few seconds after he and the female had passed.

Hilariously, one of the females did a massive sneeze as I was filming her and the little one, incredibly curious wanted to see what was going on and help mum to clean up. Of course, what better way to clean up than recycling the snot?

Given that we were trekking through the literal forest, it of course came with risk. Sadly all of us felt that risk at least twice, being stung by wasps. The first one got me on my wrist below my watch band, it shocked me so much so that I grabbed the wasp and tried to pull it off my arm, not knowing what was on me. Sadly, this must have squeezed more venom into my wrist - causing a huge welt hours later.

We watched the silverback and seven adult females, all of which had at least one baby, for an hour. It felt like minutes.

Sadly, we think one of the females was stung by a wasp too, she let out a huge high-pitched cry and then continued to sulk in the bushes on her own for a long while.

Above video and below photo courtesy of Frans showing their behaviour and how close they truly got to us.

My last wasp sting was on my back as we were walking away from the gorillas - talk about a stab in the back! I asked Frans one of my friends on the trek to check it had flown out but it was still lingering. Again, fight or flight mode had my ripping off my shirt and pulling my hands out to set it free. Luckily I had worn a shirt with press studs. Although it certainly had a few people asking questions as to what had happened.

Lumick explained as we walked away from the gorillas that they can be identified by their nose points, behaviours and sometimes size. Occasionally the female gorillas will change troops and this is how the trekkers can work out who has left or joined.

I can’t explain the emotions that I felt while seeing these beautiful creatures enjoying their lives. Knowing these incredible mountain gorillas are critically endangered is devastating. They have endured years of hunting, habitat destruction and disease. I hope we as a human race can do more to prevent this behaviour and stand up for the world that won’t be here if we don’t protect it.