It’s no secret that Africa is filled with fascinating animals. Even Kenya’s capital, Nairobi—a sprawling city of 5 million people where Jen and I spent a week recovering from Kilimanjaro—hosts a center for endangered giraffes, a municipal game park, and an orphanage for baby elephants rescued from all around Kenya.
But though we’d seen plenty of elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards, and cheetahs during our past several months in the country, there was still one very important animal — and one of mankind’s closest relatives, no less — that we still needed to see. Of course, finding these elusive creatures would require trekking deep into the jungles of Uganda, one of the only places where Africa’s mountain gorillas still live.
Leaving Nairobi behind, we began our long drive into Uganda, pausing briefly to admire incredible views over the Great Rift Valley. Stretching from the Middle East to Southern Africa, the rift was formed by the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates, defines the geography of East Africa and — following the discovery of ancient human remains— also known as the “cradle of humankind.”
That evening, we camped on the shore of Lake Nakuru, one of a series of lakes dotting the valley floor. Protected by a national park, the lake hosts a vast quantity of flamingo, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, impala, hippo, and black and white rhinos that graze along the shore.
The next day, the scenery changed from vast grasslands to lush, rolling hills as we climbed into Kenya’s highlands. We passed through the town of Eldoret — home to many of Kenya’s famed long-distance runners — before crossing the border into Uganda.
After spending a brief night on the outskirts of Uganda’s capital city, Kampala, we arrived in the Kalinzu Forest, a verdant stretch of tropical forest home to approximately 300 chimpanzees.
Considered one of the “great apes” (as are gorilla), chimps are our closest living relatives, sharing up to 98 percent of our genetic blueprint. It was famed scientist Jane Goodall who first observed that chimps are highly intelligent and routinely use tools to collect food.
Unfortunately, after hours of trekking through thick forest to catch a glimpse of our nearest living relative, it seemed these chimps had used their legendary intelligence to outwit us. We were just about to give up when we finally saw a family of chimps gleefully feeding in a colossal fig tree.
Later that afternoon, we enjoyed a more sedate cruise down Kazinga channel, a 20-mile stretch of water connecting two lakes. These calm waters are also home to countless wildlife, including Cape buffalo, nile crocodile, and one of the world’s largest populations of hippo. We also saw an array of bird life, including grey crowned heron, African fish eagle, Palm-nut vulture, and the gorgeous woodland kingfisher.
As we disembarked the boat, we came face-to-face with a large elephant feasting on papyrus reeds. Thankfully, he was far more interested in feeding than he was with us, presenting us with some amazing close-up photos before we headed deeper into Queen Elizabeth National Park. Here, we encountered more elephants (though at a much safer distance), zebra, a local species of antelope known as the Ugandan kob, and one very grumpy lion!
After leaving Queen Elizabeth National Park, we headed southwest towards Uganda’s borders with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Along the way, we were struck by the incredible mountain scenery and mist-shrouded forests of Uganda’s highlands.
Upon arriving in the mountain town of Kisoro—our base for the next few days—our group was divided into smaller groups to visit the gorillas, whose visiting hours are strictly controlled to minimize disturbance and prevent transmission of disease.
Early the next morning, Jen and I (who were selected to join the first group) donned our hiking boots and headed into the hills. Joined by a team of local rangers, we hiked for a couple of hours before our guide let us know trackers had found gorillas in a dense section of forest.
Leaving the trail behind, we forged our way through the undergrowth (thankfully, we’d heeded local advice to wear gardening gloves) and soon found ourselves in the company of nine gorillas. The group consisted of a great male silverback, two subordinate silverbacks, three females, two juveniles, and a baby.
For the next spell-binding hour, we watched these amazing creatures play, relax, and feed. Gorillas are entirely vegetarian, which makes their size so remarkable. The large males were close to six feet tall and weighed more than 400 pounds. They were certainly intimidating—although they patiently tolerated our presence.
The 2-year-old baby of the group kept everyone entertained by tormenting his older siblings who nevertheless tolerated his antics.
Although brief, our time with the gorillas was an incredible experience, and a highlight of a trip that’s already given us so many memorable moments. It was sad to learn that—as a result of habitat loss—only around a thousand mountain gorillas remain in the wild.
The following day, we returned to the mountain to look for another endangered species, the golden monkey, which is also affected by habitat loss. Named for their striking golden and black fur, we found a large, lively family group feeding in a bamboo grove.
After spending a few exhilarating-yet-exhausting days hiking though the mountains, we headed east towards Jinja, a Ugandan town located on the banks of the river Nile. While more adventurous members of our group spent the day whitewater rafting, Jen and I opted for a more leisurely sunset cruise on Lake Victoria.
The cruise—which also brought us past the source of the Nile—proved a relaxing end to our time in Uganda. Tomorrow, we’ll be heading back to Kenya for the final leg of our adventure in the Masai Mara National Park.
By Tom Mountford