Gorillas in Uganda & Rwanda, Chimpanzees on Ngamba Island

We spent five days trekking to see gorillas in Uganda followed by five days doing the same across the border in Rwanda. But it wasn’t the same. In Rwanda the gorillas are much more habituated and they are lower down amongst the bamboo. You essentially go for a gentle half hour stroll, ducking under the bamboo here and there but you get great viewing, very, very close and you get top photographs using a 70-200mm lens. Compare this to the adventure of Uganda, where you can stay in much nicer/friendlier accommodation but the flipside is you will have to climb serious inclines, possibly in the rain. The sightings are great, in our view more scenic than in Rwanda but you do have to work hard to get to the top to see them and you need to be prepared for this or you really aren’t going to enjoy it. No-one warns you about it but this is serious. We have seen a group of 60-80 year olds struggling in Uganda, some coming down the mountain by stretcher, not having seen the Gorillas, when, if they had instead gone across the border to Rwanda they really would have had an excellent experience.  We are not superfit and we easily made it but we are going to get a tad fitter before we go next time, just so that it’s easier and always enjoyable.
We will be returning to see the gorillas in both Uganda and Rwanda in March 2008. Anyone who sees them once wants to see them again! Please let us know whether you would like to join this trip or whether you would like more information.

General camera and travel tips: you must have protection for your camera. The weather in the mountains is changeable and we have seen a couple’s camera gear completely ruined by rain and our own experience saw Adam’s heart stop beating for 3-4 days in Uganda until his condensation cleared from the viewfinder of one of his Canon EOS 1Ds Mark IIs. Plastic bags are fine to cover your gear when you are shooting. Now for your legs, we found gaitors were the order of the day. Not fashionable in the slightest but they will keep stinging nettles, ants and other creepie crawlies and mud away from legs. Not necessary in Rwanda, but great in Uganda.

Ngamba Island (Uganda)

The island is home and sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees and the real highlight of staying here was to take the younger ones out for their daily forest walks. You can only do this if you stay overnight and although most people only stay one night, it is well worth staying for two or three. It is a magnificent, touching experience carrying, holding and playing with the chimps. Julie was more touched by the Chimpanzees than the Gorillas, partly because chimps face a very real and higher risk of extinction than the gorillas, partly because the chimps are closer to humans in DNA match than they are to gorillas (now how sobering a thought is that!) and partly because we were actually carrying and holding them so we got to feel their hearts beating and the warmth of their bodies. They look up into your eyes and really tug on your heartstrings, as well as your arms, buttons, shoe laces and anything else that attracts them. Magical moments! Very well worth the onerous expense and time required for the vaccinations and documentation you have to complete before you go, all designed to protect the chimps, not you. It has definitely been a highlight of all of our travel experiences and the staff there on the island are doing a wonderful job toward preserving a species which is truly facing extinction within our own lifetime.  Regrettably though these chimps are now getting older and more boisterous so the forest walks are likely to be taken off our itinerary.  Instead we will track Chimpanzees on the Ugandan mainland.  Please get in touch if you would like to join us in March 2008 for a primates trip which will include tracking Gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda as well as Chimpanzees on mainland Uganda.