Today was the day that I have been waiting decades for - my first gorilla trek! My stomach was a ball of nerves all morning as I ate breakfast and packed my backpack for the trek. Our luck with encountering chimpanzees and lions was terrible, and I was nervous that would carry over into today. Boy, was I ever wrong.
Getting ready for my first gorilla trek!! (Erin Correia)
We checked in at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park headquarters, had our temperatures taken and then enjoyed the local cultural show while we waited for all the hikers to arrive.
Then the process of assigning travelers to groups began. This is when our luck turned. We had been assigned the Rushegura family of gorillas. This is the largest family in the area - with 17 members, including 2 silverbacks, 4 toddlers and a one-month old baby! (Many of the families are only comprised of 6-8 gorillas, and only a few have young children, so this was really special!)
Bwindi Gorilla Trekking - this was our fabulous trekking group (Erin Correia)
We met our rangers and porters and we began our hike in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - setting off to find the Rushegura family of gorillas (Erin Correia)
The scenery was incredible - it was such a dense, lush jungle, with vines and moss hanging throughout. At this point, we had no idea what kind of hike lay before us. It could be just an hour or two to a nearby spot on the mountain, or it could be a hike of several hours to the very top of the mountain - it was all up to our gorilla family and where they decided to go today - and our guides would not set any expectations with estimates.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Erin Correia)
We climbed up and down (but mostly up), crossed rivers by hopping on rocks, and made our way through the magical forest.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Erin Correia)
Suddenly, only an hour into the hike, I heard the call of the tracker in the distance, and the response call of our guide. That could only mean one thing - we were there! I could not believe that we arrived so quickly with such a (relatively) easy hike!
We grouped up, put on our masks, talked through rules, and then joined our gorilla family in the forest. My eyes flooded with tears as I first spotted them, relaxing in the brush. No words can describe the feeling!
The Rushegura family of gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Erin Correia)
For the next hour, we were amongst the gorillas. While I tried to take as many photos and videos as I could, I decided part way through that I didn’t want that distraction - so I put my phone away and allowed myself to fully experience the moment.
The Rushegura family of gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Erin Correia)
I spent most of my time playing with one of the two year old gorillas. He would test his boundaries by coming closer and closer to me, until the silverback would grunt, warning him to back up. He would obey, but then would be right back to his curious game a few seconds later, hitting us with plant branches and seeing just how close he could get (his brother even ran through and shoved me at one point - making all my dreams come true!!).
The Rushegura family of gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Erin Correia)
After an indescribable hour with these incredible creatures, it was time to leave. We took one last look, then gathered our bags and made our way back down the mountain. The entire experience took less than 3 hours, but gave us memories that will last a lifetime!
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
3 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
4 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
