Gorilla …

Guest post by Gayle …

The boys had seen both Mountain and Lowland Gorillas in the past so they went bird watching.

The Gorilla trackers met at the visitor centre where we were entertained by some enthusiastic dancing from some of the local ladies.

Scouts are sent out early to locate the gorillas. We were briefed and assigned to teams. We would be walking from one to eight hours.

I was in a party of eight. We were driven to our start point which was on the top of a ridge. And over the edge we went. It was steep and because of very recent rain it was slippery. There was no formed track, the guides were cutting a way for us.

Fortunately for me we found our gorillas after two hours. We were instructed to leave our back packs and food with the porters and make our way towards the gorillas. We would be with them for an hour but we were not to touch or disturb them.

The party of Mountain Gorillas consisted of two males, two females and two babies. The males slept or pretended to as we watched, while the females and young played in the trees until they were ready to join the others on the ground. It was an amazing experience being so close up with nothing between us. They did not seem to mind that we were there and moved among us without fear.

Our guide made sure everyone got good photo opportunities and didn’t short change us on the time but it was soon time to head up hill. Now the hard work would start.

I was very glad that I had hired a porter. She was a lovely young lady in her mid twenties named Gertruda. She was very fit and enjoyed her work helping others to see gorillas in the forest. Gertruda carried my backpack and watched my every step down and up the steep and slippery mountain. We were very friendly by the end of the trek and both enjoyed the experience we shared together.

Seeing the gorillas is something you really must do when visiting Uganda. A booking is essential and hiring a porter makes the trekking less strenuous.

Back at the visitors centre you enjoy a celebration with your group of your achievement and a certificate is presented to each individual.

An amazing life-time experience in Bwindi National Park.