Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is probably the most famous area in Uganda and is renowned for its gorilla trekking experience. Before I flew out to East Africa, I searched high and low for gorilla photographs to stimulate my imagination. I was however, left uninspired.
For those who have not been lucky enough to have visited Uganda or Rwanda, gorilla trekking begins quite early in the morning. At your headquarters you will receive a briefing and depending on the number of other trekkers, will determine how big your group size is (with a maximum of eight guests).
Treks can take anywhere between one hour and up to four to reach your designated family where you will have a maximum of one hour with these Great Apes. It definitely adds pressure to get ‘the’ shot within that time-frame. Bwindi is home to about twenty habituated families, so it receives a higher number of visitors than other National Parks that gorillas call home.
Our trek took us up steep ravines and through local farmer’s crops, before hacking our way through the dense foliage that gives Bwindi its ‘Impenetrable’ name. As well as the jungle being thick, it is beautiful and no words can really do justice the views that accompanied us throughout our trek.
We had heard there had been a baby boom during the months leading up to our visit, and we were certainly not disappointed. A number of very young (and very cute) gorillas accompanied one silverback and a number of females to make up the family unit of around twelve individuals.
Their relaxed demeanour allowed me to get up close with some of the individuals and capture the portraits of the babies featured in this post.
Whether it is the ‘Baby of Bwindi’, ‘Mum’s the Best Seat’ or ‘Up Close’, all three are available on the online store as signed, limited edition fine art prints in Standard or Large format.
I hope you enjoy the photos and thank you for looking.
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