Uganda/Rwanda day 10

Our second and final foray into gorilla territory.

Hmm… I’ve run out of superlatives. Let’s just say that today was pretty damned good.

All those months of hill walking and jogging paid dividends today. This was the toughest walk I’ve done for many years, if ever. We trekked up steep mountainside for about two and a half hours before finding the gorillas.

But the scenery was breathtaking.

Ok, I’ll work on the photos when I get home.

The altitude we reached matched the highest mountain in the Pyrenees! Oxygen was a little scarce (thus ‘breathtaking’). If heavy breathing turns you on, this is the place to be.

Our guide was a real entertainer, full of stories of the relationships between the many gorillas in this park.

Here he is, talking to us, telling us what and what not to do around these massive beasts, whilst looking downhill at a small group of gorillas beneath us. As we were sorting ourselves out, taking off backpacks etc. the undergrowth behind us parted and this guy barged right through us! Turn, focus, shoot…

Over the next few minutes several more of the group wandered through us. We followed them a short way to where they had settled to eat, sleep and play. This baby tried to join in with all of it.

This big silverback had lost one arm to a poachers trap some years ago. Although a big fella, he’ll never be able to become the boss.

This group was named 'Peace’. Why? Well, the head silverback of a family group remains the boss until he dies (naturally between 35 and 45 years old). He is never challenged. Once he is dead, the silverbacks in the group must fight for leadership.

With this group there were then two silverbacks. They fought for two days with no overall winner.

They then did something never before seen; they agreed to split the group into two. Ever since then, the two brothers occasionally swap groups, including wives!

Hmmm…

Here is the big guy, overlooking his family.

On sadly taking our leave from this humbling experience, we stopped for a breather overlooking a forested volcanic crater.

We finally arrived back at base, dusty and tired.

Such an amazing day. Never to be forgotten.

After a quick freshen up, we set off on our way back to Europe. We stopped off for an overnight stay at Gisenyi on the shores of Lake Kivu.

We are now to head off to the airport in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, to battle a couple of days of bureaucracy and discomfort, before arriving home and letting loose the dogs of photoshop.


Bye!

Uganda/Rwanda day 9

So the sun rises on the day Annick has awaited for most of her life. No jokes about meeting the right man please.

After being briefed on what to do when a silverback gorilla charges at you (clue: change underwear), we set off fully kitted-up with gaiters and gardening gloves, trekking initially through farmland towered over by a volcano shaped like an amusing body part.

Then into the dense tropical rain forest.

After walking and crawling and ducking and tripping for several hours (editors note: 90 minutes) we stumbled across our first gorilla, who just happened to be the largest silverback in the wild anywhere on earth…

Truly magnificent, if not a little pissed off that we had interrupted his dining activities. His charge towards us caused a number of wet patches.

Once he had wondered off in disgust, we turned to see a blackback staring at us. He decided to come across to us, apparently interested in one of the Trekkers mobile phones. No signal though.

We saw eight gorillas all told. Once more we came across the head poncho, this time in a better mood smoking grass.

Before leaving the area, our guide took a photo of the three of us wondering what the hell was going on behind us.

The trip back left us physically and emotional exhausted.

What a great day.

Uganda/Rwanda day 8

A long winding days drive today, along some pretty horrific roads, but with some astounding views. We started heading into the mountains past the ubiquitous tea plantations.

The villages here were prosperous compared to the rest of Uganda that we had travelled through. But still terribly poor.

We drove up into the Bwindi National Park, a tropical rain forest bordering the constant vistas of farm land. Every inch was farmed, to nearly vertical inclines.

It’s humbling to see how much hard work they put into these fields, yet how little they gain.

On one hand, you feel proud of these people that live so close to the soil. On the other hand, these fields were once the domain of the mountain gorillas that we were in search of, and because of these farmers and peasants, the gorilla species is very nearly extinct.

The road through the dense forest was practically off–road. Stunning to both our senses and our bottoms. This picture shows farming encroaching on the gorillas habitat, which has halved in the last 50 years.

Before reaching Rwanda we passed Lake Bunyonyo, the deepest lake in Uganda.

We also saw some ‘campsites’ set up for the millions of refugees arriving from the Congo. How a country so poor can possibly cope with this influx I have no idea. Indeed, it may not be possible without huge suffering. How many times have I heard Brits complain about the 'foreigners’ taking our jobs and our welfare. We have no idea.

Who put the Phil in Philosophy?

After stopping for lunch at the 'Travellers Rest’ we passed the border into Rwanda and onto our next stop, the Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, overlooked by enormous volcanoes.

Tomorrow we are up early to start our trek through the volcanoes and tropical forests in search of our ultimate prize.


No, not McDonalds…

Uganda/Rwanda day 7

Two days of travelling. Today, a game drive to our next lodge, tomorrow a long day to travel to Rwanda. It may take hours to get through customs.

Today’s game drive was a little lacking in game, although I did see a few trees…

…and a couple of Ugandan national birds…

..and some Topi in search of roasted grass.

Then arrived at the Savannah Lodge..

All of which made for a relaxing day. The night may not be quite as relaxing as the room has a distinctly feminine flavour…

For the next three days we shall be in mountain jungle with no contact with the outside world.


Stop cheering now…

Uganda/Rwanda day 6

This morning we revisited the lion pride that we saw holed up in a tree yesterday. Today, they were on a half-hearted hunt, which rapidly deteriorated into siesta.

Then saw an elephant break-dancing…

We then drove to the Maramagambo Forest where we walked looking up for monkeys and, at the same time, looking down for bitting safari ants on the ground. We forded a small stream with fresh water crabs, fed with water from a deep sinkhole. Next to this was a cave containing about 100,000 Egyptian Fruit-eating Bats. They spend all day making a racket to scare off predators, and will attack anyone who enters the cave. Annick was mildly disconcerted…

This tree has one half completely taken over by a fig tree surrounding its trunk. It looks like love, but it’s more like marriage…

At the edge of the Maramagambo forest, is a lake formed in the basin of a volcanic crater; lake Kasambooka.

An idyllic setting, rendered slightly less romantic on realising that the enormous white tree on the opposite shore is not a lost white tree of Andulin, nor a majestic Oak in its final years, but simply covered with bird poops. Yup, it’s a Cormorant crapper.


Our first evening game trek ended with zero hits, so we went back for a wild party…

Uganda/Rwanda day 5

We drove for about three hours this morning to the Queen Elizabeth National Park, crossing the equator on the way.

Annick was disappointed that she wasn’t the first woman to pee on the equator, but she was given credit for accuracy.


On entering the park area, we took a small detour on the way to our hotel, to see if we could spot any lions. Some passing cyclists (!?!) told us of some that they had recently passed. After a brief spell of driving off road, Sophie spotted something hiding in a giant cactus we were passing by.

A whole pride of lions in one prickly cactus. After that lucky break, we headed on to the hotel, passing elephants en route, once more spotted by Sophie.

Not bad for the first half hour safari although the elephants were not quite as well camouflaged as the lions.

After refilling our stomachs, we set of for a boat trip on the Nile…

…passing mud-baths…

…fish hunters…

Man hunters

Man squashers

Bird on a stick

Then back to dry ground at sun down to gorge ourselves yet again.

Tomorrow morning sees us hunting more lions, then we’ll reciprocate by walking in the bush in the afternoon.

Uganda/Rwanda day 4

An amazing day. We drove for about an hour along back roads still packed with the usual targets, heading for the Kibali Park.

We were there to shoot chimps. With cameras that is. We were dropped off deep in the forest and set off walking at a steady pace. The temperature was not yet high, but the humidity was not conducive to fast jungle whomping. We were lucky. We soon came across our prey.


The first thing we heard sounded like a shotgun, rapidly followed by a cacophony of screaming. Annick’s face was a picture. The chimps were not happy. Thankfully they hadn’t been provided with shotguns, but instead hammered at a tree with their fists making the loud sound we had heard.


They soon settled and let us get quite close, one even walked through our small group. Photography was challenging (black primates in a dark forest) but I’ll have to wait until our return to see the results, snaps were just not possible.


It was a privilege to get so close.


Our guide told us of how the chimps have learned to hunt. Their preference is the red colobus (pictured below). These monkeys seem to have a death-wish, as they love to attack the chimps. He gave the example of two young chimps he saw in a tree next to another full of red colobus. The colobus saw the two chimps alone in the tree and thought that they would be easy pickings. One jumped across towards the tree with the chimps, at which point one of the chimps yanked the tree branch out of the way, leaving the colobus on a trajectory past the tree to crash into the ground where awaited a group of adult chimps ready to tear him apart.

It is not difficult to see how only about ten million years separate us and chimps from common ancestors. They have so many human traits. Take, for instance, the female chimp, when seeing an alpha male with a large chunk of monkey, will proffer their bottom to the male for them to touch. The male then gives the female a chunk of meat. Who da boss?


From there to a meal in a remote restaurant as the only guests (no bottom touching necessary). The couple of drinks we had came to a jaw dropping 33,000 schillings, which magically doubled when converted to dollars. Thankfully our guide, Emanuel, stepped in to save the day. It came to about six quid in the end.


We then went for a long afternoon stroll around a swamp. Where we saw lots of…. swamp.

And a few monkeys and birds. Here’s a competition to see how educated you guys are. Here’s a rare monkey:

Here’s a rare bird (sorry about poor quality pic; very difficult to take):

What are they? (Prizes for correct answer)


In other words, I can’t remember what they’re called.


Tomorrow we move on to the Queen Elizabeth National Park for some lion hunting.