I don’t remember when it started, this feeling that I had to get up close to gorillas in the wild. The longing simmered for years. The universe heard me. In October, I was invited to Volcanoes Safaris’ newly opened Kibale Lodge in Uganda.
I did a hallelujah dance. Then I panicked. At 60-plus and hardly fit, would I be able to trek the terrain? I had visions of leaving the jungle on a stretcher. I spent the summer walking and going to the gym to build strength. Fall came fast. Physically, I still didn’t feel ready, but I got on that plane for the roughly daylong flight to East Africa.
I’ll always remember arriving at Kibale Lodge. It’s magical. The lodge sits atop a ridge with epic views of the Rwenzori Mountains, plains and the Kazinga Channel in Uganda, a landlocked country about twice the size of New York state. My banda (cottage) was beautiful — palatial in size, with a fireplace, exquisite bathroom, outdoor shower, décor with African art and fabrics, even a robe and slippers.
On the first night, chimpanzee primatologist Emily Otali regaled us before dinner with insights about chimpanzees, setting the stage for our encounter with them the next day in the Kibale Forest.
Volcanoes Safaris is big on community and conservation and offers meaningful immersive experiences. Before trekking, we visited two schools. The children stole my heart. Many of them walk miles to school and live in poverty. They were attentive, eager to learn, happy to see us and with big smiles shared what their teachers had taught them.
But the main event was chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park. I was nervous, but I felt better when assigned a porter, Dennis, who would help keep me vertical and avoid bruises or broken bones as we walked and walked and climbed and climbed. The foliage at some points was dense; with slippery mud, fallen trees and very steep inclines, this was an obstacle course and I was getting winded. Just when I thought we were never going to see the chimps, our cool female ranger, Prossy, said we would soon, and told us to put on our masks to protect them from any illnesses we might have. We spotted our first chimpanzee, Basaija, stretched out on the ground by a tree, asleep. It was amazing to see him up close in his world. Then, one by one, the others came. We were mesmerized by their every move. They stopped, a baby played with mom, others sat on the ground. They mostly passed us nonchalantly, while others barreled past and we heard them making loud thrashing noises that sounded like a battle in the bush. It echoed eerily. We were not at the zoo.
Exhilarated, our allotted hour went quickly. I didn’t know how tired I was until we were leaving. My feet felt heavy. I stumbled, and Dennis had to throw my leg over a fallen tree blocking the path. I was out of gas. I slipped and fell forward. I didn’t hurt myself. I was mostly embarrassed and mad at myself. I fell five minutes before we exited. There was pride, though, in surviving. I was grateful nothing worse had happened. I still had my gorillas to see.
The next day, on our way to Kyambura Lodge we stopped in the Rwenzori Sculpture Gallery with its meditative gardens and powerful sculptures. The Kyambura Lodge was stunning and captivating with its perch on the edge of the Kyambura Gorge, a sunken rainforest that’s considered home to the endangered Lost Chimps of Kyambura and has as its backdrop the savanna and Rwenzori Mountains. We took an awesome walk, descending a long flight of stairs into a gorge with the music of rushing water and greenery all around us. It was otherworldly and peaceful, unlike anything I’d seen except in the movies. Where was Indiana Jones?
The following day I let the others romp with the chimps; I was saving my strength for the gorillas. I got a massage (they are complimentary daily) in a little hut where I could take in the sounds of the jungle. I reflected on Uganda: its deep valleys, abundant vegetation, bananas, papayas, avocados, flowers. With many lakes, craters and rainforests, its nature is spellbinding. Toddlers, children and teens can be seen on the sides of the roads, waving wildly, smiling as we passed by in the car. There’s poverty, boarded-up buildings, homes where a sheet covers the doorway. Yet life teems in markets with people selling produce, clothes, anything. Music plays, food is cooked. I realized I had fallen in love with the place.
Thanks to the quiet time, I got my mojo back and was able to join the group on a safari cruise on the Kazinga Channel. I was in my happy place, on the water, watching for egrets, hippos, waterbucks, crocs and elephants.
The next day the excitement was palpable as we left for the Bwindi Lodge and gorilla trekking. En route, we visited Ride 4 a Woman, a nonprofit women’s social and economic empowerment organization. It was impressive. Women make aprons, baskets, bed throws, dresses and more. The organization provides microloans for women to start businesses; it also offers a domestic violence guest house, a coffee shop and several other programs. This is the community’s bright spot.
Finally, we arrived at Bwindi Lodge. The best had been saved for last. The lodge overlooks the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, offering incredible views of the forest canopy and a stream — it was unbelievably beautiful. I also loved the funky Bwindi Bar, known for its signature “Gorillini” cocktail made with a local gin. Then the evening got better still, thanks to a fireside chat and dinner with Dr. Ricky Okwir Okello, a gorilla doctor who has done more than 3,500 treks. He knows the gorillas by name, and they know him. He charmed us with talk of gorilla life — from mating rituals to the fight for power.
We couldn’t wait to meet the gorillas in Bwindi Park. I could barely sleep as I thought about the terrain, said to be the most onerous of the trip. This could go badly, I thought. Should I bail? That would be a big failure. Morning came fast. I needed that long-before-sunrise wake-up call that was my butler singing sweetly in her native tongue at my door.
I was quiet on the short drive to the park. We arrived at the reception area with many others who had gathered for the trek. We received instructions, details on what to expect, and advice on what not to do: No eating or drinking in front of the gorillas, no sudden noises or movements when they came near. I took my seat and again fought through my fear. A musical troupe started performing for us. They sang and danced to the music of my ancestors. This settled my soul: The ancestors were telling me I could do this. When they finished, I was sure that somehow, some way, I’d be OK.
I got a porter named Amos and a ranger named Gloria. I loved how Uganda had female rangers. As we headed out, my nervousness crept back in — but I had to do this. We climbed up and down treacherous terrain. I fell behind the group. Gloria stopped to give the others a rest and us a chance to catch up. She looked out for me.
After about an hour, Gloria got word that the gorillas had been spotted. We moved in a direction that would bring us toward them. That excited everyone and encouraged me to keep stepping. They came, and we froze like statutes. One by one, 300 to 400 pounds of gorilla moved slowly by, sauntering past us. They went a little distance before stopping and hanging out to sit on the forest floor. Used to humans, they looked at us unimpressed. One walked less than six inches past me to go nestle in the bushes. I nearly stopped breathing and finally exhaled when he left.
I have no words to fully explain what it was like to be there, to look into their eyes, to see how humanlike they were. They are gentle giants, spiritual. They went beyond us, and we followed, which got challenging when they traipsed up through bushes. We beat back the brush and climbed higher. At one point, I looked back and was astonished at the height we’d reached. Before we knew it, we were winding our way out of the forest. I was spent, emotionally, from the exhilaration of seeing them and the exhaustion of the climb. I was wobbly; I stumbled a few times and fell, but not as badly as I had with the chimps. I brushed myself off and kept looking forward: The end was coming. I had seen the gorillas in all their glory. I left the jungle victorious — a dream realized, fears conquered.
Top image source: Volcanoes Safaris
