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Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi’s impenetrable forest: An adventure of a lifetime that’s helping to save the endangered mountain gorilla
- Jenna Price Mercurio
- 1 AÄŸu
- 5 dakikada okunur
From a young age, my heart has been firmly rooted in a profound love for wildlife, the natural world, and conservation. For the past thirteen years, I've dedicated my life to nurturing and safeguarding animals, especially those who can no longer live a wild life, and have turned this passion into a fulfilling career. Yet, alongside this lifelong dedication, there has always been another flame burning within me — wildlife photography. Photography, a steadfast passion of mine since childhood, has provided me with a unique medium through which I can share the beauty and fragility of our natural world. Through my lens, I aim to ignite a sense of wonder and urgency, inspiring others to join the crucial effort to protect and preserve wildlife and their habitats worldwide. It's my belief that through art and advocacy, we can catalyze positive change and ensure a brighter future for all living beings. More so, it is an honor to now also lead and host adventures around the world to directly connect you to our amazing planet firsthand.
One of these adventures is sought out by many, but few actually get the opportunity to do it: trekking to find Mountain Gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
The Endangered Mountain Gorilla
The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is a subspecies of the eastern gorilla and is found only in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda and the Virunga Mountains. Once listed as a critically endangered species, they are now considered endangered, with just over 1,000 individuals left in the wild. Though their populations are increasing and becoming more stable, they continue to be threatened by poaching, habitat loss, human encroachment, and conflict. They live in family groups of up to around 10 individuals, with a dominant silverback male leading the family. There are 19 different gorilla families found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest that have been habituated to humans.
What is habituation?
Habituation refers to the long process of getting the gorillas used to and comfortable with human presence. In order for the gorillas not to be disturbed by humans near them, it takes multiple positive encounters over several years to gain their trust and to ensure that we are seen as nonthreatening. This enables us to coexist with them as part of their environment, facilitating these life-changing treks.
What is a gorilla trek?
While Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is not the only place where you can embark on this life-changing adventure, it is said to be the most authentic and adventurous of the options (as well as the cheapest). Because of its remote location in the southwest corner of Uganda, getting there can be a challenge in itself. I personally flew into Kigali, Rwanda, and drove almost 8 hours through mountainous terrain to get to Buhoma: a village bordering the forest.
In order to actually hike to see the gorillas, a permit must be purchased ahead of time. There is a limited number of permits available per day, costing $800 USD per person, and they sell out quickly. This permit includes an educational performance, a briefing, and a guided trek to one of four regions within the jungle to locate a family of gorillas allocated to your group based on your physical fitness. This trek can be anywhere from 1 to 6 hours into the forest before you actually locate a gorilla family.
My trek was a grueling 4 and a half hours through an elevated and humid forest that was truly impenetrable; this included almost vertical climbs up and down muddy jungle slopes, getting stuck in mud that was knee-deep, avoiding spines on branches used to navigate the terrain, as well as trying to dodge stinging ants and potential heavy downpours. It was physically and mentally demanding. But the struggle and work put in made seeing the gorillas for the first time incredibly worth it.
Once the family is located, you are allowed one hour to spend with them (unless you are doing a habituation experience, which can mean spending several hours with a single family). During this time, you are able to take photos and videos but must adhere to strict rules and regulations provided by the guides in order to keep both you and the gorillas safe. Some of these regulations include leaving food and water in a designated area away from the gorillas, maintaining distance from the gorillas unless advised otherwise, and keeping movement and noise to a minimum.
Being surrounded by these closely related cousins of ours is something that cannot quite be put into words. It’s otherworldly, humbling, and helps to put everything into a new perspective.
The Encounter
Once you come face to face with the gorillas, time seems to stand still. The adults of the group barely pay any mind to your presence at all and go about their business foraging, grooming, resting and looking out for their youngsters. The young gorillas seemed to be a bit more curious and would take notice to us more frequently. They seemed most interested when we were doing things like adjusting clothing or hats. From my experience, my partner had taken off his hat and adjusted it before putting it back on and a young gorillas seemed took notice of this and then proceeded to touch his own head as if figuring out what my partner had just done with his head! Truly an incredible moment to have witnessed! As much as it can be tempting to try to illicit more personal and close encounters like this, it is very important to abide by the rules set in place by the rangers of maintaining distance, not facilitating any kind of contact and not creating a disturbance.
How is this saving the mountain gorillas?
Over the past 30 or so years, the numbers of mountain gorillas have increased. This has been made possible with the help, cooperation, and legislature from the governments of Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC but also through this form of ecotourism. Ecotourism here in Uganda is heavily rooted in community involvement and employment, which is essential for gorilla conservation. Because Ugandans are employed as guides, porters, rangers, educators, etc., it shows them the importance of the gorillas and their ecosystem, and how ecotourism can boost the local economy and quality of life. Without the gorillas, these jobs would cease to exist; therefore, it innately promotes the conservation and protection of the species.
The habituation of gorillas to humans over time makes these treks possible and also helps to foster coexistence between humans and wildlife.
The pricing of the permits is a limiting factor in how many people are able to join a trek, which has long-term benefits. Keeping permit pricing high ultimately limits the number of people that can experience the trek. If this experience were made more accessible to the masses, it could easily shift this form of tourism into a negative space, causing overcrowding and a need for more lodges and supplies. This could ultimately destroy the progress that has been made—not only for the conservation efforts of the gorillas but also the infrastructure of the local communities.
Keeping numbers low maintains an authentic, non-commercialized guest experience, keeps tourism sustainable for the community, and avoids exploiting wildlife and local people.
With more and more people able to travel the world, wildlife encounters are among the most popular types of tourism. It is important to ensure that any wildlife encounter is ethical and sustainable, not only for the species involved but also for the surrounding environments and human communities. Not all ecotourism and conservation work is perfect, and it is difficult to have a definitive list of what is right and wrong as every situation and location has its own unique challenges. In my experience, gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a good example of a successful, well-managed, and sustainable form of wildlife-viewing ecotourism.