Mountain Gorillas: A Cautionary Tale

by Mike Holtby, DenverPhotography.com

On my 74^th birthday, I was very excited about the prospect of being with the mountain gorillas of Uganda, especially as an avid wildlife photographer. I had done a number of African safaris, but hesitated when it came to spending a lot of money, and enduring four long flights, for only an hour with gorillas – especially with no guarantee we’d find them.

But here we were within ten feet of the Mkiza Gorilla family! It exceeded my expectations. The gorillas basically ignored us, having been fully habituated to the presence of gawking tourists. I got overly comfortable sitting in front of the big silverback when he got up and walked towards me. I would have been walked over or pushed out of the way if I hadn’t scrambled to my feet and out of his path.  He must have weighed over three-hundred pounds, and moved like an NFL linebacker. 

The gorilla faces were as expressive as humans, and when one of their babies cried, not only the mother but also the big silverback, jumped up to see what the upset was about. Our guides helpfully cut away branches, so we had a clear view of the family munching on leaves and stripping branches. We were only there an hour, and the time went by in the blink of an eye because it was such an intense and exceptional experience. Most of the time I was within twenty feet of the gorilla family. I came away with photographs I was quite pleased with. After we returned, I entered one in an international photo competition, and won a thousand dollars.

But here is the cautionary caveat: to get to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the Ruhija Sector, we had to drive from the Silverback Lodge (silverbacklodge.com) for two hours. We had what our local guide called an “African Massage” because the roads were so full of ruts and potholes. This is four-wheel drive country where roads are dirt and are made worse by rains and lack of grading.  Our driver was in a hurry, since our breakfast had been served late, as was the custom there. The drive was especially harrowing, and we sometimes were even bouncing against the roof of the jeep, requiring us to brace for the next pothole. With the muddy road we slid around every corner. Although the jungle was on either side, it was not a time to admire the view.

We arrived late, causing us to miss departing with the group who had the “easy” hike, and the ranger orientation. So, we were paired with an “intermediate” trekking group. If this was intermediate, an advanced trek must include ropes and crampons! It was very hilly, and on the return journey we climbed a half-mile hill that was as steep as a staircase and seemed endless. The walk each way took 2 ½ hours. My wife had trouble on the steep hike down the mountain due to her knee replacement. However, it was me who struggled with the uphill return climb. For my age, I thought I was in reasonably good shape, as I usually completed my 10,000 steps a day with my dog. But this trek made my heart rate soar to the point I seriously thought I might pass out. It began to rain but my poncho was not good on my overheated body. So, I got soaked, and of course the hillside turned to slippery mud.

Porters only cost $15 so thankfully my wife and I had each hired one. They carried our day packs and cameras and helped to insure we didn’t lose our balance. But that last, long hill in the rain felt like what Mount Everest climbers describe as: one foot in front of another, gasping for air – and then just one more step. My muscles aching, my legs feeling heavy, all exacerbated by the 7,000-foot elevation. I was panting like an overheated dog.

In the end, my wife’s porter and my own were pushing and pulling me up the hill, with many stops so I could catch my breath. The ranger put me at the front of the group, so I had to set the pace. He didn’t want the group divided so it was led by the slowest member. However, despite my snail’s pace, the others weren’t complaining. I was told afterward that everyone was struggling and appreciated the stops.

My advice?  Knowing that many travelers are close to my age, and mostly because they have the time, the money, and a bucket list, I would say plan for avoiding an “intermediate” trek and consider an “advanced” walk only if you’re a mountain climber in exceptional shape. An “easy” walk is one that is shorter with less challenging hills based on where the different gorilla families are.  In retrospect, I wish we’d been more assertive about leaving early so we were there in enough time for a choice of an “easy” walk and heard the orientation.  I believe there may also be lodges closer to the departure site if you go with the right guide and book early enough. I was also told that if you can arrange to get a more expensive permit you can actually spend about four hours with a gorilla family. However, this would be a family not yet fully habituated to people. That might involve facing a big, chest beating silverback, and running after them as they crash through the jungle. There are advance teams that follow the gorilla groups, and radio back where they are located, to help the rangers leading tourists. So, there is only a very small chance you wouldn’t see them at all.

When we returned, I scheduled a treadmill test, thinking that I may have a cardiac problem. The medical staff hooked me up, and progressively sped up the treadmill as I began to pant and felt my heartrate increase. At the end, with a review of all the data they collected, I got the diagnosis: “deconditioned.” It meant I was out of shape! I was told by the rangers on the mountain that some older people are actually carried to the gorillas on some kind of a litter by four porters. Unless you want to totally humiliate yourself it might be best to do a month of uphill walks to get ready for this climb. To spend time with the gorillas is on many people’s bucket list, you just don’t want to kick the bucket in the process!

Ultimately, despite the challenges, you will only regret NOT going to see the gorillas.

To see a short video clip of our time with the gorillas go to: https://vimeo.com/378884143

It would actually be a shame if you traveled all the way to Uganda and only saw the gorillas.  The country also has a number of exotic birds, and we spent an interesting couple of days at a farm that raised a special kind of longhorn livestock, called Ankole cattle. We were able to milk them, while we toured the farm’s banana plantation. We also saw the manual harvest of coffee beans from very scenic hillsides. Kids are universally delightful – spontaneous and curious – and we visited three different schools where they sang and danced for us, some wanting to hold our hands as we walked around the grounds. Continuing with our cultural experiences, we visited with the Batwa tribe who are descendants of the pygmies and danced with the Banyankore tribe.

There is much to see and do in Uganda, and I have a five-minute video that shows off our experience with the people and the country: https://vimeo.com/352161674.