Travel Uganda, gorilla's

Uganda, gorilla's · 04:50 AM

This is what we came to Uganda for:

pepecito · 08-02-2010, 05:01 AM

Great shots! I like the 2nd.
How far were you from them?

the swede · 08-02-2010, 05:06 AM

the second one is really nice

bymy141 · 08-02-2010, 05:57 AM

Originally posted by pepecito

Great shots! I like the 2nd.
How far were you from them?

It depended on the group and the animal.
We have been gorilla trekking 2 days in a row on 2 different locations.
The first day we encountered the gorilla's after 3 hours walking through the Bwindi Impenitrable Forest... steep hills, up and down.
And of course it tooks us 3 hours back.
If you ever want to go there, you do need some level of physical condition.

The second day we were lucky, at that place we only needed to walk for 25 minutes.
However, they were mostly in the trees, high up.

The animals there were browsing through the bush, constantly moving.
They came up to 1 or 2 meters close.
Due to the thickness of the forest (branches *everywhere*) focusing was hard.
I shot most pictures with AF off.

We have 500+ gorilla pictures.
I'm not sure that these are the best, this selection is the result of a first browsing through.

- Bert

arpaagent · 08-02-2010, 06:26 AM

Nice photos! Just a quick question...gorillas are wild animals, so I was wondering if there is any danger in getting 1-2 meters away from them? They are quite strong animals as I understand, and I wouldn't want to get in a quarrel with one. Not sure if they are territorial or ever aggressive towards humans in the wild.

daacon · 08-02-2010, 06:49 AM

Wow what an adventure great job !

bymy141 · 08-02-2010, 06:50 AM

Originally posted by arpaagent

Nice photos! Just a quick question...gorillas are wild animals, so I was wondering if there is any danger in getting 1-2 meters away from them? They are quite strong animals as I understand, and I wouldn't want to get in a quarrel with one. Not sure if they are territorial or ever aggressive towards humans in the wild.

Yes and no.

There are approximatly 800 wild gorilla's left.
They live in groups of 8 - 20 animals, in the forests of the border area of DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
Some of these groups are daily followed by rangers / trackers who know these gorilla's very well.
These groups are used to humans and appear not to be aggressive at all.
You are supposed to stay away for at least 7 meters, however some of the animals will approach you.
Some may even touch you, you are not supposed to touch them.

The wild groups, not used to humans seem to be *very* dangerous indeed.

A few more pics:

This is the type of forest you need to "walk" through:

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08-02-2010, 05:01 AM	#2
pepecito Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Torino (Italy) Posts: 74	Great shots! I like the 2nd. How far were you from them?

08-02-2010, 05:06 AM	#3
the swede Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 2,310	the second one is really nice

08-02-2010, 05:57 AM	#4
bymy141 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,563 Original Poster	Originally posted by pepecito Great shots! I like the 2nd. How far were you from them? It depended on the group and the animal. We have been gorilla trekking 2 days in a row on 2 different locations. The first day we encountered the gorilla's after 3 hours walking through the Bwindi Impenitrable Forest... steep hills, up and down. And of course it tooks us 3 hours back. If you ever want to go there, you do need some level of physical condition. The second day we were lucky, at that place we only needed to walk for 25 minutes. However, they were mostly in the trees, high up. The animals there were browsing through the bush, constantly moving. They came up to 1 or 2 meters close. Due to the thickness of the forest (branches everywhere) focusing was hard. I shot most pictures with AF off. We have 500+ gorilla pictures. I'm not sure that these are the best, this selection is the result of a first browsing through. - Bert

08-02-2010, 06:26 AM	#5
arpaagent Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 803	Nice photos! Just a quick question...gorillas are wild animals, so I was wondering if there is any danger in getting 1-2 meters away from them? They are quite strong animals as I understand, and I wouldn't want to get in a quarrel with one. Not sure if they are territorial or ever aggressive towards humans in the wild.

08-02-2010, 06:49 AM	#6
daacon Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Alberta,Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 20,914	Wow what an adventure great job !

08-02-2010, 06:50 AM	#7
bymy141 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,563 Original Poster	Originally posted by arpaagent Nice photos! Just a quick question...gorillas are wild animals, so I was wondering if there is any danger in getting 1-2 meters away from them? They are quite strong animals as I understand, and I wouldn't want to get in a quarrel with one. Not sure if they are territorial or ever aggressive towards humans in the wild. Yes and no. There are approximatly 800 wild gorilla's left. They live in groups of 8 - 20 animals, in the forests of the border area of DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Some of these groups are daily followed by rangers / trackers who know these gorilla's very well. These groups are used to humans and appear not to be aggressive at all. You are supposed to stay away for at least 7 meters, however some of the animals will approach you. Some may even touch you, you are not supposed to touch them. The wild groups, not used to humans seem to be very dangerous indeed. A few more pics: This is the type of forest you need to "walk" through: