Chapter Twelve: The Gorillas of Bwindi
My Second Trek
12.08.2021 - 12.08.2021 70 °F
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Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: Is that a great place name or what? But, what is it?
Described as a ‘primeval forest’ in the southwest of Uganda, it lies on the edge of what is known as the Albertine Rift, the word “Bwindi” derives from the Runyakitara word “Mubwindi,” which means “a place full of darkness.” The darkness originates from bamboo mixed with forest hardwoods which combine to block out the light while severely hindering foot access. It is foot access that I’m all about.
For background, a “rift” is either a serious break in friendly relations or, as is the case here, a crack, split or break in something. Here, the break is all about tectonic plates and refers to a valley between surrounding mountains.
Half of the planet’s mountain gorillas live here in 14 habituated groups. I am here to meet and greet the Bushaho family. But there are also forest elephants along with chimpanzees, blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys along with beautiful black-and-white colobus monkeys.
Unfortunately, to create this space, the Batwa pygmy people were evicted from the space and barred from traditional access to its resources.
One source describes this place as ‘a natural Fort Knox where both gorillas and visitors are safe and secure. Tongue in cheek or not, the source describes this as a “gorilla destination that is guerrilla-free.” I admire the metaphor (if that is what it is) but wonder about the need for it.
Perhaps this reassurance dates back to events of 1999. A force of up to 150 former Hutu Rwandan guerillas infiltrated the border from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and kidnapped 14 foreign tourists—like me—and their Ugandan guide after killing a Ugandan game warden and three park rangers. Using machetes and clubs, they murdered eight and released six after torturing some and raping at least one. Reported in the New York Times was the assertion that the rebels sought out Americans and Britons because of their support for the Ugandan military and their perceived support for Tutsis. The Ugandan guide was doused in gasoline and lit afire. Today, the situation is vastly different but two armed guards accompanies me nonetheless. They are here strictly to protect me from forest elephants and buffalo and I believe that to be true. 1999 is a long time ago.
There are, at 2019 gorillas census count, 459 individual mountain gorillas here, known as the Bwindi population. I am here to commune with the nine members of the Bushaho family who live under the protection of Silverback Bahati.
There are four habituated families and a maximum of 32 permits to see them available on any given day. Tracking take anywhere from two to eight hours. From the Bwindi Lodge three families are accessible: Mubare, Habinyanja and Rushegura. Sadly, I am the only tourist here today.
As Abdul delivers me to the park headquarters a ruckus erupts. I am properly welcomed by women of the community.
The, ushered into the briefing room, the day's plan is explained to me and me alone as I am the only trekker today and we are off. Augustine is the boss, Marco and his AK47 lead while Julius and his AK bring up the rear. The main character in the caper, however, is Francis. He is recommended to me as my porter and I hire him. Unlike two days ago when we hiked straight up, today we hike straight down. The Ranger Station is at 7,546 feet above sea level. We won't stumble across our gorilla family until we reach approximately 5,250 feet and that takes a bit over a hour and a half over ultra steep, rocky, narrow paths and through ultra steep, rocky rows between tea plants which border the park. The going is tough. Francis is my rock. He alerts me to bit of gorilla poo so I don't soil my boots. with it.
He walks ahead holding my left hand as I steady myself with my right hand which holds a walking stick. I slip a lot and he steadies me. When we hit a switchback and go uphill for a bit, he pulls me along: he is my Rope Francis. God Bless Him.
As we leave the tea plantation and enter the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, I learn how it got its name. The path ends. Machetes have been used by our trackers--I soon meet them as Gloria and Jerome--led the way a couple of hours earlier. When we catch up to them, we have arrived. We stumble across our silverback.
He sleeps at my feet. But soon, he becomes aware of our presence and appears to be just a tiny bit startled.
Things calm down immediately and I am cheek to jowl with this amazing family. After resting a bit more, Bahati rises.
His family begins to surround him.
They are amazing to watch.
As close as can be, encompassed by flies that don't even bother to land on me, hearing the rushing of a stream only a few feet below our position, serenaded by birds, I am engrossed by what I see.
When you reach a habituated gorilla family for a visit, your ranger, in this case Augustine, starts a clock. You have only one hour; that's it. As if sensing that the hour was soon ending, Bahati made his exit.
The images presented here are overwhelming. There is action beneath your feet, to your left and right, down below and up above. Sometimes you see the gorillas and sometimes you only see the trees and shrubs moving as they go from place to place out of your field of view. This is truly jungle. Interestingly, once we arrived, I didn't move more than three feet from my initial viewing spot. I couldn't. There was no place to go.
The magical hour provided me with awe inspiring interactions and a bit of rest, sorely needed. But the bad news comes in pairs: the visit is over and the very difficult climb must begin. Again, credit Francis for getting me where I needed to be. The air is thin so we stopped for me to catch my breath. We did that ten times? Twenty? I didn't count. The slope is as steep as you can imagine. These old knees can only take so much of a bite our of the side of a path at once. So when the only step available was more than I could negotiate, Francis pulled me. We stopped for lunch--Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge had packed me one (which Francis carried) giving me about a half hour to resuscitate myself. Then we were off again but on different terrain. For this, Francis walked behind me, literally holding my sides giving me the push I needed to negotiate the steps which would otherwise defeat me.
Thanks to Augustine, Marco, Julius and Francis, I was able to complete this enormously challenging morning. By 1:00 or thereabouts, we were back at the Ranger Station where I was given a certificate of completion: I made it. Posing for pictures with my team and handling the gratuity portion of the bargain, I was collected by Abdul and returned to the lodge, exhausted but exhilarated. Des, Kim and Bosco greeted me, offered me a snack if I was "peckish," (Kim and Des are South African and "peckish" means "hungry") but all I wanted was a shower and then relaxation time to put together all you see here.
Bosco brings me water as I write and takes my dinner order: Eggplant parmesan is my choice over beef or chicken. There is, as there has been for every meal since I arrived in Uganda, hot soup as a starter. I dine alone but have taken to calling B4 while I eat. WhatsApp is great.
I receive an email from Grace of Natural World Safaris letting me know I must complete a visitor locator form before I arrive. I download the form but quickly see that I must upload a negative PCR test before I can submit it. I have no idea where I can get a PCR test "out here." I will be back in Entebbe a mere eleven hours prior to departing for Kigali, Rwanda. Will that be enough time? Grace will sort it, I am sure.
I must be up early tomorrow but tomorrow is another day and will deliver to you another story.
