Never, ever grin at a gorilla
Stan Cullimore reveals his astonishing encounter with the great apes of Uganda and discovers why you should...
When I booked to go gorilla trekking in the mountains of Uganda, I couldn’t help thinking of DavidAttenborough and that time, many years ago, when he was filmed being cuddled on the lap of an enormous silverback. I never imagined I would have a close encounter of my very own with one of these gentle but dangerous giants. It just goes to show how wrong you can be.
A flight on Qatar Airways took me to Entebbe, near Kampala, the Ugandan capital, where I had a stopover for the night.
Luckily, there is a small and perfectly formed boutique hotel, The Boma, very close to the airport. After a dip in its inviting pool, I spent the first hours of my African adventure trying not to get overexcited.
The next day, after a short flight, I set foot in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where over half the world’s endangered gorilla population roam wild and free. I was going to spend time experiencing the very best that jungle life has to offer at the Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp.
It is described as a luxury tented camp but that really doesn’t do it justice. It offers so much more than camping. The setting is breathtaking: it overlooks the forest valley where shy monkeys and colourful birds fill every corner with sweet music and crazy antics.
After a welcome drink, I was shown to my sleeping quarters, complete with luxurious bed, a full-sized bath and rainfall shower. It was more like a palace than a tent – I felt as if I had somehow walked on to a Hollywood film set.
After a refreshing sleep, I was ready to see the gorillas. The day started with a briefing from our guide, Moses, who told us to stay at least 25ft from the animals at all times. They are used to humans, but they are still wild creatures.
Next he told us that if any of them should approach us, we should kneel down, avoid eye contact and try not to show our teeth, as these things could be seen as aggressive acts by the gorillas. With all that in mind we set off. The impenetrable forest certainly lived up to its name. It took us a couple of hours to make our way to the spot where our trackers had last seen a family group. However, by the time we reached that spot, they had gone.
Then, as we walked on in single file, not sure which way to go, something brushed against my leg. Looking down, I could hardly believe my eyes: a mother gorilla with a baby on her back, casually pushed past me. We all stopped and stood in silence as the rest of the gorillas whizzed by.
Another highlight was find-
ing myself in a clearing where the dominant male was having a rest. After taking a quick selfie with the silverback, I beat a hasty retreat.
Later that night, after a feast fit for royalty, we sat around the campfire, swapping stories under the clear mountain sky.
The superb staff moved among us like delicate ballerinas, topping up drinks and bringing supplies as if they knew what we wanted even before we knew it ourselves.
The next day we set off to meet a different group of gorillas. I thought nothing could possibly match the excitement of the day before. But, once again, I was wrong. Our trackers soon found the gorillas, close by the camp and in a relaxed mood.
While a young adult female sat at the base of a nearby tree, I watched in delight as one of the youngsters scampered up and down various trunks. He was treating the forest as his adventure playground.
I was busy snapping pictures of him until I heard a low rumbling from behind. Turning around, I saw a fully grown adult male gorilla, standing just feet away, gazing in my direction.
Kneeling slowly, as instructed by Moses in the briefing, I raised my phone and took a single picture. Hearing the click of the camera, the silverback decided to edge closer.
That was when it dawned on me that this enormous creature, twice my size, was much closer than 25ft away. In fact, he was close enough to reach out and touch me if he wanted to – which I really hoped he didn’t. Time seemed to stand still. I desperately wanted to get out of the way, but didn’t want to make any sudden movements. Sensing my confusion, the gorilla turned to look me straight in the eyes. I’m afraid to say that at this point I did something rather foolish. Forgetting all Moses had told us, I fell back on oldfashioned manners: I looked right back at the gorilla and flashed the politest smile I could manage. Exactly the wrong thing to do. No doubt seeing my soppy grin as a ridiculous challenge to his supremacy, the silverback moved closer, leaned in towards me and gave a nudge with his shoulder as he brushed past. There was no anger, no aggression, no malice, but even that small movement was enough to send me sprawling on my back. He then casually put out his back leg and flicked me out of his way. It was a modest but effective way off reminding me of my place. While he was prepared to tolerate humans, there could only ever be one king of the jungle. As close encounters go, it was short and sweet and its denouement was my fault. It was also strangely exhilarating. I just wish David had been there to give me advice.