Ever since I saw the Dian Fossey film about the primatologist who researched, and fought to protect, the dwindling Rwandan population of mountain gorillas I've wanted to visit them myself. At its lowest, the total population in Rwanda, the Congo (in Virunga National Park) and Uganda (in Bwindi National Park) dropped to about 250 due to poaching. But Fossey's lasting legacy, since her mysterious murder in 1985, has been a steadily growing population of mountain gorillas. In the latest census earlier this year, about 900 were recorded, roughly equally split between Virunga and Bwindi.
So after a week of work in Kampala and Iganga (eastern Uganda), I decided to take the opportunity to extend my time there and travel west (on a very long and uncomfortable 9 hour bus journey) to Bwindi National Park. A colleague had recommended Bwindi Backpackers Lodge - basic but affordable compared to some of the other higher end places - so I spent 5 days there in all, hiking every day including the day of gorilla tracking. I'm so pleased I stayed for longer than the gorilla tracking day - hiking every day meant I really got to know the area more than the few other tourists I met who seemed to stay one night and move on. For the second half of my week I was the only one there so I had the whole place to myself - the perks of low/rainy season. There was no electricity, no wifi, no phone signal (all of which I was happy to do without) but fortunately there WAS hot water (heated by a log fire) - such a relief as the nights were freeeezing!
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| Bwindi Backpackers Lodge is the tiny building with the green roof in the top left of the photo |
Day 1 - Rubuguri hike (5 hours)
I had no idea what to expect in terms of group size, trail distance or route. So when I found out that it would just be me, my guide (Deus) and an armed policeman (Cesar), I couldn't believe my luck. Deus was really knowledgeable about the different plants and birds along the way so kept stopping to point things out as well as making sure that the pace was ok. Cesar, who joined us because the route took us close to the border with the Congo, also spoke reasonable English, and we ended up having really interesting conversations about livelihoods in Uganda vs the UK. They wanted to know all about agriculture in the UK, given that's the main livelihood in their region, so I did my best to explain the different seasonal crops. They were particularly interested in apples, and surprised when I said it was too cold to grow bananas.
Part of the hike went through Rubuguri village where Deus wanted me to try sorghum 'porridge' which he said was really good for energy. Picturing something similar to our oat porridge, it took my by surprise to see the very runny HUGE cup of liquid that we each had. Doesn't taste anything like oat porridge either - very sour/kind of fermented in taste. Give me a clif bar any day, but the lady who sold it seemed very pleased that I'd given it a go!
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| With Cesar on the way up to the rather cheesily named 'top of heaven' hill |
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| Cesar looking out over the Virunga Volcanoes from the 'top of heaven' |
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| Some intrepid cows made it up there too |
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| Not much as just a picture, but if it had audio you'd hear the amazing church singing that came from it |
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| Taking cover under the 'gorilla umbrella' plant (never sure what Deus just makes up for the tourists though!) |
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| Sorghum grains drying in the sun |
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| Drinking sorghum 'porridge' in Rubuguri village |
Day 2 - Lake Mutanda hiking and canoeing (7 hours)
It took us 3 hours to hike to Lake Mutanda from the backpackers lodge - apparently a record for a mzungu (white person) according to Deus, who later told me that I "walk like an African" and have "strong legs like an ox". Thanks Deus.
Leaving the lodge at 7:30 we were initially joined by lots of children on their way to school, probably about 30 at one point. Seems they found me very entertaining, and were curious as to why I was walking when it was for no particular reason (like fetching firewood, going to school or planting/picking vegetables). I guess when you think of it from their point of view, it IS weird.
Today's walk took us past lots of the different crops, all immaculately laid out and divided up according to ownership. It was interesting to talk to Deus about the different systems in place for agricultural work, such as the women's cooperatives that enable women to work the land together and then share produce/profits evenly.
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| Womens cooperative at work |
Along the way, Deus pointed out bananas, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, potatoes, maize, green beans and tea (a relatively new introduction to the area in the last 18 months).
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| The piles of sticks are collected and left, ready to stake out the beans (see below). |
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| Banana tree plantation |
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| Sugar cane |
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| School break time |
As we approached the lake we had amazing views of the Virungas again, and we were lucky that the dark sky that had been threatening to rain all day brightened up. Poor Deus carried an umbrella the whole way.
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| First sight of the lake |
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| Stormy-looking Virungas |
The canoeing itself was really hard work - the big wooden oars (compared to the fibreglass kind I'd used before) were very heavy but at least it was giving my legs a break from hiking! We paddled to a strange cave burial site where there were human and animal skeletons on the ground surface as well as buried underneath. I think the canoe owner was a bit disappointed I didn't want to take any pictures but the whole thing was a bit gross, especially the dead dog that had barely decomposed.
We then paddled to the canoe owner's house where he gave us some tiny grilled fish on a stick to eat. Better than the sorghum porridge from yesterday but still not the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. Deus, on the other hand, was really pleased to buy loads, and he explained he'd later mix them into g'nut sauce to give him and his family extra nutrients. Eating direct from the land and water makes you really think about how to get the nutrition your body needs, and appreciate the time and effort that goes into food preparation, when all too often at home we can access what we want to eat with such convenience and speed. Deus was also telling me about the artificial fish ponds that have been created in various communities to harvest fish particularly for children, so they can get the nutrients they need for healthy growth. Clever stuff.
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| Stopping at one of the more upmarket lodges for a cold stoney ginger beer on the way back |
Day 3 - Pre-gorilla tracking hike (3 hours)
Today we did a hike in the forest below the lodge to get used to the terrain for gorilla tracking - basically very steep and dense vegetation, so Deus was armed with the machete to make a 'path' as we hiked. He also took time to point out some of the food that gorillas particularly like to eat (up to 6 hours a day!) - mainly leaves, stems and fruit, plus the occasional termite.
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| Deus very proud of his machete! |
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| Waterfall along the way |
As it was just a half day hike today, I spent the afternoon in the peace and quiet of the lodge, starting my report for the week of work I did Kampala and Iganga. Not a bad office view...
Day 4 - Nkuringo gorilla tracking day (8 hours)
I left the lodge early for the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Nkuringo office. Nkuringo was also the name of my room at the lodge so I'd already heard a lot about the Nkuringo group of gorillas it was named after, and how as well as 2 silverback males the group also has 2 babies, making 12 in all (average group sizes are 10-12). The gorilla permits for tourists are (encouragingly) strictly regulated so groups are limited to 8 people and, once found, you are only allowed to spend an hour with them. All the groups (Nkuringo; Bushoma; Rushaga; Ruhija) that tourists can track in Bwindi have been 'habituated'. This is a 2 year gradual process, during which time the UWA slowly gets a new group of gorillas used to humans. So there are non-habituated gorilla groups too, but it is only these 4 groups in Uganda that you can visit. A percentage of the gorilla permit fee goes to the UWA to help continue their work, and also to the community to support the local area.
Once reaching the gorillas, we were told we'd need to leave our walking sticks behind us (as some still remember being hunted by poachers with sticks that had spears on the end) and maintain a distance of at least 7 feet to avoid any cross contamination, just as much for the gorillas' sake as ours. Still, 7 feet was a lot closer than I had expected.
Again, because of low season, I lucked out on group size and was only joined by 2 other tourists - one woman from Colorado and another from California. Like me, they were keen to avoid any news about the Presidential election result (due on the same day) so we all agreed to ban election talk.
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| 2 armed guards (Sam and Gideon), 1 guide (Osbert), the Americans (Linda and Gail) and their porters. |
We set off at about 8:30, a couple of hours after the trackers had gone ahead earlier to track the Nkuringo group from where they had been yesterday.
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| With Gideon, one of the guards |
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| With Osbert, our guide |
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Getting into the denser (and steeper) forest
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Just as we reached the trackers (who had radioed Osbert to say they'd found the group) the sky got really dark and it chucked it down for the first 10 minutes so the gorillas were hiding under the trees. I still couldn't believe I was actually standing in a forest watching a group of gorillas, only 15 feet away.
Fortunately the rain only lasted 10-15 minutes and when it stopped, the gorillas became more active, apart from the dominant silverback who remained aloof and spend most of his time showing us his silverBACK or lounging around dozing (and occasionally farting). The females and 2 babies on the other hand moved around a lot, with the babies even playing a game of 'let's see who can push the other off this tree first' cat and mouse. One was 18 months old, the other 2 years. Generally the younger one succeeded in pushing the older cousin off. It was more amazing than I could have hoped for, and the hour flew by. My pictures aren't as good as some people probably take, but I was so awestruck that I just wanted to watch and soak it all in. A magical experience that I'll never forget.
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| The dominant silverback, Rafique |
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| Showing us his silverBACK |
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| Give us a wave... |
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| Back at my Nkuringo room after visiting the Nkuringo group |
Day 5 - Ruhugire mountain hike (4 hours)
The last day of my trip, and it didn't disappoint. No gorillas but some really steep mountain climbing through dense bush (reminding me of the first time I ever went hiking on Cradle Mountain in Tasmania when I was 18), reaching some amazing panoramic views out towards the Virungas and the Congo's rift valley.
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| Thank goodness for gardening gloves - I was grabbing onto anything I could to pull myself up! |
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| The valley before the final push to the top |
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| At the top, eating bananas and chapati rolex (a legacy of the Indians - kind of like a chapati burrito with egg. YUM) |
From the top we could also see far into the Congo and Deus told me he was scared to cross the border in case he wouldn't be able too get back. He was just telling me about the refugees who come across to Uganda to escape the civil conflict, when we looked down towards the road and saw a UNHCR truck heading towards the border. I was trying to explain the Syrian refugee crisis the best I could, but it was clear that it was too far from his reality, though so alike in so many ways - with rebels fighting an authoritarian government regime. Hard to believe that not so far away from the conflict, the gorillas continue to live peacefully.
On the way back to the lodge, Deus found a 3 horned chameleon. I'd never seen one before so it was a great end to the day. As he picked it up (rather him than me) you could see its skin start to darken - such a clever defence mechanism.
So that was the end of my stay in Bwindi... only a 2 hour car, 9 hour bus, 4 hour plane, 7 hour plane and 1 hour train to get home. But if it wasn't so remote it wouldn't have been so special, so definitely worth all the travel.
Check out www.bwindibackpackerslodge.com - I couldn't recommend it more!
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| Last photo with Deus, back at the lodge |
