When the mind wonders off – part X

Uganda! We crossed the border and camped along the river Nile, near lake Victoria. We walked to the rapids of the river, but the huge boulders and raging river were not enough. From time to time local inhabitants crossed the rapids swimming, for a schilling or two.
 
And then: onwards to Kampala, where we wanted to obtain a pass to watch wild gorillas. As we expected the permits have been sold out for long time periods in advance, but the friendly official told us we should go to the starting point just in case there’s a cancelation. So we went there hoping for the best. 
 
It was a special feeling when we stopped somewhere along the way to camp and found out, you’ve stopped at the crocodile farm. An average village, where we were hoping for nothing more than a parking place and facilities; but arrived to a nicely set up camping site on the shores of lake Victoria. At sunrise we even got a breakfast made by the locals. The strong smell of fresh coffee and pancakes woke us up.

We arrived to Bohoma, at the foot of Virunga mountains, from where we wanted to take a hike among the mountain gorillas. We met a traveler here, by the name of Tony, who visited Yugoslavia back in 1978 and was even arrested in Niš, but let out the very same day, after the authorities realized they’ve made a mistake. Tony told us, the site was visited by the son of Ugandan president that very same day, so we finally understood why there were so many military escorts placed in the area. The Son came to see the gorillas and that meant many armored vehicles and heavily armed personnel. 
 
I bet he had no problems getting the permits to see the gentle giants, as these creatures are also called. We had no such luck and after talking to some more travelers we decided to leave for Ruanda, where gorillas lived freely from the volcano mountains to Congo. It was there the story of Dian Fossey “Gorillas in the mist” took place. The long and violent history of the country left an impact on the population of primates as well and there are only about 700 of them left in the wild.

We camped the first day and tried to see if anybody canceled – and were in luck! We got two tickets for that day and another one for the next day. The fare is not included in the price, so we asked Ugandan travelers for the ride and company and went together to the base of the volcano, where more than half of remaining mountain gorillas still live. The groups must be limited to 8 and are not allowed to stay more than an hour in the near of gorillas. 
 
We started on the trail, which included rock climbing, avoiding stinging grass, forest tracking and making a way through dense shrubs. I enjoyed watching the seasoned guides, who read the old trail of these endangered species. And finally a warning – we’ve arrived. We saw a mama gorilla, with a young one, just a few feet away.
 
Next a strong male with silvery hare on his back – the father of the family – joined with his over 200 kilos... and there were two more young ones beside him. Despite his bulkiness the father was extremely gentile towards the younglings. He treated them as something woundable and precious. It’s hard to explain the feeling you get, when you’re close to such a huge animal and hear it sigh with gentleness... but you realize that if anything goes wrong, your moments are counted. There are no fences or security measures – you’re just happy to see this mass of flesh lets you enter its territory. We had an hour, but it passed us by in a blink of an eye. Just 17 more minutes and we had to go. Only three more left... time to leave! 

In the last moments of our stay there, the huge male made himself comfortable on his back and watched us. The guides were calling us, because 60 minuts is the most time tourists can bother these creatures in nature. Some were already going, but my camera wouldn’t stop making photos. It was hard to leave. I was convinced of what I’ve read at several occasions – these gorillas are among the most majestic and mysterious creatures in the animal kingdom.