Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda

I am Karen, a wildlife photographer based in Florida, and I travel the world to document animals and the people working to protect them. Not every day is spent in the field. Many are spent editing, planning, answering emails and sharing the work. So when a field day comes around, it feels like something special. Let me give you a glimpse of what one of those days is like.

The day begins in Uganda, where I have come to photograph chimpanzees. I wake at around six in the morning, while the rainforest is still cool and quiet.

After breakfast and a briefing from the team, we drive through the lush Kibale rainforest. The excitement builds with every mile as the forest closes in around us.

We reach the starting point and step into the rainforest on foot. Trained rangers and trackers move ahead of us, reading the forest for signs of the family we hope to find.

Word comes back that a chimpanzee family has been located. Before we go any closer, we put on protective equipment and a face mask, so there is no risk of passing on any illness to the chimps.

We spot the family through the trees. The slow, careful approach is my favourite moment of the whole day, the quiet seconds before everything comes to life.

Now the work I came for begins. Camera up, breath steady, I start to make pictures.

We are given one hour with the family. I watch and photograph as gently as I can, careful never to cause them any stress. They go about their lives as if we were not there.

When the hour is over we make our way back through the forest. At the end of the trek we receive our chimpanzee trekking certificates, a small marker of a morning I will not forget.

We return to the lodge, which looks out over the Kibale rainforest. After hours in the forest, sitting with that view is its own kind of reward.

The evening brings a warm dinner and, just as importantly, dessert. It is a chance to rest and talk through everything the day held.

Once it is dark, I transfer the day's photographs from my memory cards to a hard drive. Protecting the images is as much a part of the job as taking them.

Finally I prepare my gear for the next day and get some sleep. Tomorrow I will wake early and head back out to do it all again.