![]() ![]() We all ogle the mother gorilla, who so gingerly, and with such care, cradles her baby – her maternal mannerisms human-like. Up ahead of us, our trackers peer through the trees at a silverback, and behind us, the mother gorilla and her baby are now sitting three meters from us. The ensuing moments are surreal, and will forever be etched into my memory. A mother gorilla and her infant baby had sauntered past our Czech friend mid-stream. She staggers out of the bush, dishevelled with pants barely pulled up, a look of adrenaline-infused excitement on her face. Moments later, a yelp emits from the swirl of vegetation. She is quickly swallowed up into the undergrowth she likely has more privacy in the forest than she has in many public restrooms back home. We continue onward, our group numbering a mere nine people: Goreth, two other Ugandan trackers, a local porter, an armed escort, myself, my brother, my mother, and a traveller from Czechoslovakia.Īfter walking for some time, the woman from Czechoslovakia quietly slips behind us and into the bushes, using it as a makeshift bathroom to relieve herself. “Not yet.” Trekking deeper into the forest in silence, led by knowledgeable guides, brings electric anticipation that heightens the senses “No,” she breathes softly, her voice a notch above a whisper. She holds up an index finger and wags it at me. “Gorillas?” I whisper into Goreth’s ear, between panting and trying to catch my breath. We obediently follow suit, anxiously peering over their shoulders and into the sea of green hoping that our sought-after primates are nearby. As a sheen of sweat envelopes my face and I wave bugs from my forehead, Goreth and the other three rangers come to an abrupt stop. We trek onward, with our guide, Goreth Niyibizi, leading the way. Tufts of rain clouds hang over the forest like ghosts, lending an eerie beauty. With altitudes ranging from 1,160 to 2,607 meters, the forest has some of the highest levels of biodiversity in Uganda Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is known for its dense, ancient rainforest thickets, and thick clouds of mist. It is no surprise that mountain gorillas have a preference for this tropical haven. This primaeval forest is so dense and expansive that it appears prehistoric. ![]() The forest itself is a living manifestation of the illustrated pages of dinosaur books I read as a kid. To finally trek into the heart of this 25,000-year-old rainforest is enchanting in its own way, even before catching a mere whiff of the black-haired great apes that we are hoping to encounter. The prospect of seeing mountain gorillas with my own eyes is what brings me to Uganda. My heart is hammering the walls of my chest as our small team of Ugandan rangers, dressed in camouflage uniforms, leads us into the fable-like Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on a trekking expedition, in search of mountain gorillas. The air hangs heavy with humidity, and pearls of dew glisten on the leaves against the early morning light, barely slipping through the canopy overhead. ![]() This forest is so thick and tangled with vines that a T-rex could emerge from this expansive sea of green and I wouldn’t be surprised. In Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, I find the jungle of my childhood imagination. ![]()
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