Joe and Debbie Karp traveled to Uganda in January 2014.
The Virunga Mountains are home to the last remaining mountain gorillas. The Virungas cover parts of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Forget King Kong and those awful archaic Hollywood movies. These animals are sweethearts: highly intelligent, herbivorous, peace-loving and family-oriented. Unlike lowland gorillas, their more numerous brethren, mountain gorillas cannot survive in captivity.
The Ugandan and Rwandan (and to some extent the Congolese) wildlife authorities are doing their best to protect this natural treasure. In the Congo in particular, they are occasionally poached and dozens of rangers have been killed trying to protect them. In Uganda and Rwanda, the gorillas are sometimes injured by wire snares set by locals for antelopes. Rangers regularly monitor the mountains to neutralize snares.
In Uganda as in Rwanda, the mountain gorillas have been systematically habituated to humans over many years for the purpose of creating a tourist industry around these gentle giants. Now, each of the gorilla families residing in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest may be observed for up to one hour daily, by one group of up to eight people. Trackers set out in the wee hours to find where each of the gorilla families has nested for the night. They radio the locations to the guides at Bwindi's three trailheads. Each guide, along with a security detail, leads a tour group to a designated family. It may be minutes, hours - or never - to reach the family. You never know. It's not a zoo.
Coming face-to-face with mountain gorillas in the wild is to journey into deep evolutionary time. It's meeting your ancient, long-lost family. It is worth every spill in the mud, every bite from a forest hornet or safari ant, every nettle sting, every post-trek muscle ache - even worth two days in an airplane, sometimes in coach.
I highly recommend it. -dk
Buhoma base camp: Tracked the Rushegura gorilla family: fairly easy trek, very placid group
Ruhija base camp: Tracked the Oruzogo gorilla family: near vertical climb, more babies and antics
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| Orientation in Buhoma |
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| You are told to stay this far away from them. The gorillas haven't gotten the memo, though. |
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Matthias, Buhoma guide
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| One of the Rusheguras lost in thought |
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| Oruzogo youngster, full of piss and vinegar |
Eat. Sleep. Play. Repeat.
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| Something catches the attention of an Oruzogo blackback |
The hands. Oh, the hands.
Chest-thumping, Oruzogo style
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| Gorilla euphoria is enough to make one forget one is on the wrong side of the camera |
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| L-R: January (yes, born then) and Francis: The porters (babysitters, really) who helped get us to the top of the mountain. Doubt we could have made it otherwise. |
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| Joe's pants are wisely tucked into socks to foil safari ants. It's also smart to wear gardening gloves to provide some protection against stinging nettles and biting bugs. |
