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EXPERIENCE
GORILLA SAFARI IN UGANDA
Uganda a land endowed with
misty forests, snow-capped mountain ranges, lake and Rivers, hills,
wildlife and beautiful landscapes. The country has beautiful sceneries
and dense tropical rainforests-some of the few in Africa, which are a
home to roughly half of the world’s mountain gorillas. I had an
experience that proves that Uganda is truly " Gifted by nature".
Arrival in Uganda
We
arrived in Uganda and had a short stay in Kampala, Uganda’s capital
city. It was so beautiful hanging out, relaxing and enjoying the
experience in Africa with warmly welcoming people, beautiful people and
service.
Journey to the heart of South-West
After our night
in Kampala, we set out early morning to southwestern Uganda with
Churchill safari guides, anxious for experience in "the pearl of
Africa." The journey took us 6 hours drive, passing charming
attractions en route like the royal drum makers, the Equator, and we
stopped at the roadside market to enjoy Lunch, fruit and vegetables en
route. The journey from Kabale to Buhoma took us 3-4 hours with a 4WD,
since the terrain is hilly and roads are bumpy. The driving time was
approximately 9 hours and we arrived late afternoon and spent the night
at Bwindi Tented Camp.
Gorilla tracking safari at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi
Impenetrable National Park is magnificent Rain Forest, lying across the
steep ridges of the Albertine Rift Valley. The forest is a home to 326
gorillas, roughly half of the World’s Mountain Gorillas. The altitude
of the forest is above 5200 feet which means trackers need to be
physically fit for tracking. Since the demand of Gorilla tracking is
systematically growing, we had to book for gorilla permits in advance
as well as organise our trip with the help of Churchill safaris and
Travel.
Gorilla tracking experience started early morning with
the guides waking us up, and preparing us for the all day adventure
into the mountains. We then took a long walk at 8:30 am local time
early in the morning through the forest in search of gorillas.
Accompanied by a guide and porters, we were fitted out in jungle boots
and rain jackets because the park is often wet. The terrain can be
difficult, with steep slopes covered in dense vegetation that gives the
park its name. The time taken to track the gorillas varies from as
little as half an hour to as much as 8 hours, and it may occasionally
last the whole day! The Tracking was quite rigorous, and rain gears,
sunscreens, insect repellants and a hat given the fact that the weather
is un-predictable was part of the experience.
The walk through
the dense forest with our guides took us to the spot where the Gorillas
were last seen, and we started following their trail through the dense
forests of Bwindi. Finally we had the most exiting experience when we
had an encounter with the Gorillas. Looking at the gentle giants is
surely the most exciting encounter Uganda has to offer. We were limited
to one hour with the gorillas with rules of course. We were also
allowed to take a few pictures of the Gorillas, an opportunity no one
could miss. Parting from the Gorillas is not easy. Leaving the
spectacular view was such a difficult task.
The day ended with a
walk back after a long day, with scenes of other attractions like
mammals including diurnal primates like the black and white colobus
monkeys, buffalo and elephants, bird species endemic to the Albertine
Rift and butterflies. The forest has a dense under storey of fern,
shrubs, vines, and About different tree species have been recorded
here, 10 of which occur no where else in Uganda. The day was full of
experience and adventure
Gorilla tracking remains the most
popular activity in Uganda safaris, though its dependant on the
seasonal movements of the habituated gorilla groups. The experience was
worth every drop of sweat and money paid, very enjoyable and exciting.
An experience hard to forget.
For more information on Gorilla Safaris, contact www.churchillsafaris.com
Churchill Uganda Safari Company ,The premier Gorilla Safari
Company in Uganda, www.churchillsafaris.com.
Jackie Tusabe is a free lance traveller in Africa.Her articles can be
found on
www.churchillsafaris.com
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