MY 4DAYS COVID 19 SAFARI TO BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST NATIONAL PARK 

After 7 months of no safaris because of this Covid 19 pandemic, finally, a safari comes through to Bwindi impenetrable forest home of the gentle giants (Gorillas). It was an abrupt call and Alfred (The Client) inquires about a safari to see the gorillas, it was music to my ears, I was back in my element and thanked God for the safari. We organized the safari and booked the lodge where he will be staying in Buhoma(Gorilla tracking area in Bwindi.
Alfred being 72 years of age, Now this should encourage some of you who think Gorilla tracking is hard and done only by the young and fit. Alfred was determined and excited to track the Gorillas his eyes said it all. We opted for him to fly to Kihihi by Aerolink Air one of the small charter planes one can use in Uganda to fly to most National Parks than driving for over 10hours by road to Bwindi. So upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, Covid 19 negative medical results were presented to the health officials and headed to the Boma GuestHouse, a 5minute drive from the airport a place I highly recommend for travelers. 

Early the next morning, Alfred headed to the Airport for Kihihi, which takes about an hour: 10minutes flight, and found me waiting for him. We drove to the Buhoma sector in Bwindi, which takes about one and a half hours to drive through busy trading centers, tea and coffee plantations arriving in time for early lunch at Silverback Lodge. The lodge is at an altitude of about 2000m above sea level with perfect views of the Bwindi Impenetrable forest. For most first-timers to track gorillas, the sight of Bwindi is scaring but for Alfred, it was absolute excitement to enter the forest. I gave him a briefing about the dos and don’t Gorilla tracking and Covid 19 SOP’’s for tracking gorillas. In the afternoon, we went for a cultural community walk. Buhoma sector offers some of the best cultural tours you can find in Bwindi. We visited the Batwa community, these were the forest dweller who were resettled in communities, banana brewing site, coffee, and tea plantations, and they show you how each of them is made, Ride for a woman a project set up to help women in Buhoma, the medicine man such an exciting visit, the facial expression of Alfred was to pay for. He was in shock how some local herbs were used to heal a number of diseases. The walk lasted for 2hours and headed back to Silver Back Lodge.

By 5:30 am, Alfred told me he was up preparing himself for this once in a lifetime gorilla tracking experience. Breakfast was served at 6:30 am and by 7:45 am; we headed to the briefing center, which is about a 5minutes drive. Because of theCovid 19 pandemic, the number of people tracking was about 14 yet on a normal day, the number is over 40 just in Buhoma. In Buhoma there five Gorilla families one can track. The briefing was short and off we entered the forest in search of the Gorillas being led by a ranger. A porter was hired to help Alfred with his bag. Porters a very useful, they help carry your bags, help pull you up steep hills, and in case you can’t make it to the Gorillas, they will walk you back to the starting point. They know the forest in and out.

We walked for about one hour and found the Gorillas feeding in open areas, which was an excellent good opportunity to take good photos. The advantage with Gorilla Tracking is that trackers are sent ahead of you to find the Gorillas, and when they find them, they communicate with the head ranger leading the tourist to the exact area where the Gorilla a located so you don’t take a lot of time walking. We tracked a Gorilla family called RUSHEGURA of 14members. They are an active group with young ones. We spent one hour with them at a safe distance and then returned to the briefing center to graduate. Now, everyone who tracks the Gorillas is given a certificate as proof that they saw them. We were back by 1 pm. That whole was afternoon was spent going through the photos, editing and deleting with a cup of coffee and nuts. 

After an early breakfast, we drove to Kihihi in time for our flight back to EntebbeInternational Airport connecting to Mombasa city.