Uganda’s animal attraction

Mountain Gorillas

There are many things one can do when in Uganda, but tracking mountain gorillas is an experience in it’s own league, writes Jason George of the Tribune Newspaper

For two hours we hiked through the humidity, with only scrapes, blisters and ant bites as our rewards. The promise of seeing a mountain gorilla felt as weak as our mud-coated legs. But all pain vanished when we heard the grunts.
The silverback sounded a low rumble as he emerged eight feet away from behind a bush. The guides whispered that this particular gorilla was the most aggressive of the group, “the most likely to charge.” All eight tourists froze, holding nervous and excited grins.


It’s amazing how quickly one forgets an ant bite when a 450-pound gorilla looks you straight in the eye. Today we live in a small world. Want fresh seafood in Nebraska? No problem. Want to watch the ‘91 World Series? Pop it in. We are often closer to a store that sells food, gas and drink 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


Yet nowhere on the planet can you see mountain gorillas except here at Bwindi and the nearby Virunga Mountains. Only about 750 of the critically endangered animals remain, and not in what one calls a zoo or foreign park home. The mountain gorilla exists as the last great animal that must be experienced on its own turf, its own terms.
Fortunately, as great as the apes are, there is much more to this East African nation than its mountain gorillas: Safaris, whitewater rafting on the White Nile and trekking in the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains are just a few adventures that await — not bad for a landlocked nation about the size of Michigan.


Gorillas are not the first thing most people associate with Uganda. The first is Idi Amin, the country’s former military dictator who ruled from 1971 to 1979. Thousands were killed under his regime. Thirty years later, Uganda is returning to its status as the “Pearl of Africa,” as Winston Churchill once called it. Kampala, the capital, is so orderly it’s almost sleepy. Tourists used to pickpockets and beggars will enjoy strolling through markets without major hassles. The city is quiet, by African standards, and its museums underwhelm. (Amin’s henchmen looted anything of value or interest.)
Perhaps Kampala’s great attraction is its food, thanks to the South Asian immigrants who returned after Amin fled. Indian and African flavours combine in ovens and kalayi (a kind of wok) throughout downtown, and you will find dishes here you won’t see anywhere else.

Eat up and put Kampala in your rearview as Uganda boasts 11 national parks, each offering something unique. Queen Elizabeth, the country’s most visited park, gives tourists the animals they would expect to see on a Kenyan or Tanzanian safari, minus the rhinos and cheetahs.


At Queen Elizabeth, though, you can see lions and track chimpanzees through a river gorge. (If you go, ask to spot Hatari, a mischievous chimp whose name means “danger” in Swahili.)
Other than Queen Elizabeth, parks and highlights include the hot springs at Semliki, fishing at Murchison Falls and bird watching at Kibaale. Jinja, not a park but a town near Kampala, offers adrenaline junkies the chance to bungee jump and raft at the source of the Nile, more than 4,000 miles before the waterway empties into the Mediterranean. Only Kidepo Valley National Park, in the county’s remote northeast corner, should be avoided unless entering by charter flight because of security concerns.

Then there is Bwindi, home to about half the world’s mountain gorilla population. (The other half live just across the borders in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.) Even without the gorillas, Bwindi would impress most visitors with its 320 types of birds, 10 different primates and more than 200 butterfly species. But no one comes here for butterflies. Gorillas are the park’s star attraction and visiting them takes some planning. First you will need a gorilla-tracking permit, which is $500 a day per person. If you’re on an organised tour - as most visitors are - the outfitter will arrange this permit. No matter how you are travelling, you should book early because permits are reserved as long as two years in advance. The high demand and requisite early planning is because of the limited number of visitors, maximum 24, that the park allows each day.


Once you are here and paid up, trackers gather all tourists each morning and share the “no’s” to visiting the gorillas: No eating or drinking, no shiny objects, no loud noises, no one under age 15. You are also not supposed to track if you are sick, because the gorillas could catch your illness. The guides then share some sobering news: While early-morning trackers do their best to locate the gorillas each day, there is no guarantee that they, and you, will see them. The guides offer partial refunds if this happens, but even the mention of this draws groans and guffaws from the crowd — no one travels this far thinking they will be part of the five per cent of visitors who miss the apes. Unfortunately, someone usually is.


Bwindi means “place of darkness” in a local language, and as soon as you enter the forest you see why: Light struggles to break through the thick jungle canopy. Two machete-wielding trackers lead each march through the forest and surrounding fields. Each trip through feels like a first. Porters can be hired to carry your bags (of lunch and liquids) and help you up and down the steep hills. Even if you are young and healthy, a long hunt could make this the best $15 you have ever spent.


Tracking in the park is allowed only from 8:30a.m. to 7p.m. If and when your group finds some gorillas, you get one hour with them before you have to hike out. It probably will be the quickest hour of your life. Most surprising to many is how much you experience the gorillas beyond just watching them: The creatures are often close enough to smell. You are close enough to hear them breathe, grunt and frequently pass gas.


In fact, several guides later told me that blind visitors enjoy visiting the gorillas as much as anybody else. One doesn’t need sight to see how special this place is.

WHERE TO STAY: Ndali Lodge - Fort Portal, ndalilodge.com, Bwindi Lodge, Bwindi National Park. Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, at, wildplacesafrica.com/gorilla-lodge, The Emin Pasha Hotel, Kampala.
Adonai Guesthouses, Kampala. Website: www.adonaiguesthouse.com

Getting there
From Europe, British Airways and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines fly directly to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport, 21 miles from Kampala. You also can get there from various African capitals. No U.S. carrier flies directly from the US. U.S. visitors must obtain a visa either at Entebbe Airport upon arrival or from the Ugandan Embassy in Washington. (ugandaembassy.com)