Unforgettable Encounters in Uganda
I love monkeys. Primates, apes, any of our closest relatives covered in fur - being around them always makes me smile. I've been lucky enough to see many species in the wild, including red leaf monkeys, langurs, proboscis, howler, gibbons and bathing Japanese macaques.
Seeing orangutans, initially in Indonesia and a few years later in Malaysia, has been my all time wildlife highlight. Until now...
Uganda is home to so many primates and Kibale National Park alone has 14 species, including chimpanzees. I couldn’t wait! On the drive towards Primate Lodge, we saw grey cheeked mangabeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and baboons along the road before we even arrived. It was the perfect welcoming committee!
The next day we set off on a trek to find the chimps. As we entered the forest, we could already hear them – they were on the move looking for food. To be surrounded by trees in a small group of six people, listening to the increasing volume of shrieking chimps and seeing them come towards you through the trees, is a real experience.
In the hour you spend with them, they can be careening around you at speed or sitting/lying down and having a rest. They are so expressive – all that was going through my mind when they were calmly sitting was … "what are they thinking?"
Leaving the chimps, I went further south towards Bwindi’s ‘impenetrable forest’ (that’s enough to try and warn you off – the gardening gloves definitely came in handy!). I've been longing to see gorillas since I first locked eyes with one in a zoo when I was very young and remember Sir David Attenborough saying "There is more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than any other animal I know". I had to see for myself.
Meeting a mountain gorilla family deep inside Bwindi Impenetrable Forest feels as though you've stumbled across a family picnic! The dad (the silverback) is focused on eating, but is always aware of where the kids are and often grunts to check everyone is ok. The mums are following the young ones around, grabbing food when they can, and the 'kids', as with humans, are running around, playing and being mischievous.
The young ones are almost as interested in these strange hairless visitors as we are in them, but only for a few moments before they are either scolded by the silverback for being too nosy or pounced on by one of their siblings, and they get back to business - playtime!
You only get an hour with them, but what an hour it is. You are told to go no closer than two metres from them, but nobody has told them that, so at one point I was face to face with a juvenile, holding my breath. To watch their behaviour and make eye contact with one of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom is unforgettable.
To enjoy your very own unforgettable wildlife encounter in Uganda, contact the wildlife team today!
