Robin's Adventures

We were able to use walking sticks for the first part of our trek, which was especially useful when our feet got tangled in the vines, but as we got close to the gorillas, we had to leave them behind with one of the porters. The gorillas remember being hunted with spears by native tribes, so the walking sticks, which look like spears to them, are upsetting.

The silverback for this particular family tended to be somewhat skittish and aggressive. At one point he rushed forward, waving his fists and shrieking. The guide told us not to move and the gorilla stopped short before reaching our group. The silverback then called to his family and they began to move to a different location. Our guide took out the machete, opened up a path, and we followed.

There were other noteworthy organisms in the rainforest. We saw some Giant African Land Snails. They can grow to the size of a rat and are voracious eaters.

Some beautiful chameleon also made an appearance including the Three-Horned Chameleon and the Cape Dwarf Chameleon.

There were also lots of butterflies and other insects.

In our briefing, we were told to stay about 20 feet away from the gorillas, but no one had briefed the gorillas and we often found them to be very close to us. The gorillas are very curious about our shoes because they do not understand why our feet look so different from theirs. One of the gorillas bravely ran up to Steve, tapped his shoes, and then ran off.

The group that we observed today was much less skittish and they had several babies in the group. The mothers were very nurturing and attentive to their young.

Male mountain gorillas weigh on average about 430 pounds and are about 5 to 6 feet tall. The bone structure of the males gives it a more cone shaped head than the females.

The gorillas spend much of the day foraging for food, such as leaves, roots, and fruit. A male gorilla can consume about 75 pounds of vegetation in one day and a female will eat about 40 pounds per day.

It was truly an amazing experience to observe the gorillas up close.

The Bwindi rainforest was also home to the beautiful Red-Tailed Monkey and the mischievous L'Hoest Monkey.

Our last night at the Sanctuary Gorilla Camp the staff surprised us by setting up a private dining table for us in a lovely garden alcove.

The path was lined with candles in paper bags and a campfire was blazing. The table was set for two and decorated with flower petals. At the end of the meal, lodge staff came in singing with an anniversary cake. It was a delightful end to a wonderful trip.

We boarded a small plane that would take us back to Entebbe in preparation for our return home. We had a day room in the Protea Hotel where we could shower and freshen up before our long journey. First, however, we wanted to spend a little time out on Lake Victoria.