Mapendano voyages - Parks and Primates

MOUNTAIN GORILLAS

The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei)
The Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda were made famous by Diane Fossey who dedicated her life to their future and immortalised them in her book and the film ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.

There are about 700 Mountain Gorillas remaining in the world today, of which half live in the Virunga Volcanoes. In the past poaching and habitat destruction was the main cause for concern. However with publicity, tourism and education regarding the plight of the Mountain Gorilla, the authorities have been able to halt this rapid decline. There are few animals in Africa about which so many legends circulate. The Gorilla’s enormous size, extraordinary strength and the fact that he lives in mysterious forests of luxuriant vegetation, have contributed to his mystique. A troop consists usually of a dominant male and up to five or more females and their young. It is basically a stable family with the young only leaving after they reach sexual maturity. Females join another group while young males remain solitary until they have an opportunity of forming their own troop. This primate is of impressive dimensions; some males (such as Guhonda the silverback of Sabyinyo Group, which you may visit), attain over six feet in height and weigh more than 440 pounds. The head is massive and the huge jaws are equipped with powerful teeth. Far from being an aggressive animal, as the legends claim, the gorilla is gentle and peaceful in its habits. It is only when threatened that he adopts an intimidating attitude in which he howls in a most frightful way and beats his chest with his fists. Should visitors find themselves in his presence at this moment, they will be advised to assume a submissive, non-threatening attitude. Once his confidence has been restored, the gorilla goes on about his business accepting the intruder.

It is estimated that there are about 170 gorillas in the Rwandan side of the park. They are very sociable animals, living in groups of three up to forty. Being sedentary, they are continually looking for food in a living space that is comparatively restricted. They are active only during the daytime and build nests in which they pass the night. The nests built in trees are occupied by the females and young ones, while the males seem to prefer nests on the ground. Their food consists mainly of leaves, buds, tubers and sorts of wild celery from the umbelliferous family.

Gorilla Tracking
The trek to find gorillas can be quite short, but on most days at least an hour or two of rough hiking each way is necessary. Each visit is by permit and limited to one hour with a professional Gorilla tracker in charge who will coach you in the safety rules and body language required to come close to the Gorilla troops.

At the Park Headquarters you will be assigned your group for today’s trek. Before you set off your guide will introduce himself and give you a briefing about the group that you are going to seek. You then drive the short distance to the trackers base in the foothills and meet your trackers and army rangers who will accompany you on the trek. Sticks are thoughtfully provided and extremely necessary as the terrain is slippery and sometimes the nettles take a lot of knocking back. The trackers remain with their selected group and are familiar with that group’s movements and habits. You will notice how the Gorillas communicate with the trackers whilst you observe the group.

It is important to bear in mind that Gorilla trekking is strenuous and grubby – wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, wet and muddy and that will dry out quickly and wont chafe you as you climb. A waistcoat with lots of deep pockets is very useful as you will be asked to leave all bags, sticks and backpacks with a tracker & porters once you are within 200 meters of the group. You need pockets for spare film, disks, water bottle and any valuables or documents that you are carrying.

Once you are ready you head off for one of the most exhilarating and moving wildlife experiences you can have: you get so close to these giant primates, observing them observing you – their almost human movements, innate dignity and social interaction make a unique connection within each of us. The climb begins through the lush terraced farmland of the lower volcanic slopes. As the slopes become steeper and rockier, the vegetation becomes thick and tangled; the guides must use their machetes to help clear a path. Huge trees, clinging vines and undergrowth add to the challenge of swift streams and slippery red mud underfoot. Usually at around 8,000 foot signs of the huge animals become apparent. Damage to the bamboo trees is an obvious sign as the gorillas relish the young tender shoots and break older stems to suck the sap. The smell of gorilla may waft by in the stray breeze or, if one is really near, it is strong and unmistakable. Sounds, which can be remarkably loud crashes or dull reverberating thuds particularly when there are juveniles in the group – their hollow chest thumping makes a distinctive impression as they crash through the undergrowth around you.

The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of two subspecies of Eastern Gorillas. It is only found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, within three national parks: Mgahinga, in south-west Uganda; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Virunga, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Some claim that the Bwindi population in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a third subspecies; although no formal taxonomic description has been published.

A census taken in 2003 has shown a 17% increase in population size since 1989. There are now a total of 380 gorillas in 30 social groups. However, the Mountain Gorilla continues to be considered critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. It faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching, human disease, and war.

The Mountain Gorilla has longer and darker hair than other gorilla species, enabling it to live at high altitudes and travel into areas where temperatures drop below freezing. It has adapted to a life on the ground more than any other non-human primate, and its feet most resemble those of humans. Gorillas can be identified by nose prints unique to each individual; researchers often use photographs and illustrations of noses for identification and monitoring.

The Mountain Gorilla, like all gorillas, is highly sexually dimorphic, with males usually weighing twice as much as females. Adult males also have more pronounced bony crests on the top (sagittal) and back (nuchal) of their skulls, giving their heads a more conical shape. These crests anchor the massive muscles of their large jaws. Adult females also have these crests, but they are much less pronounced.

Adult males are called silverbacks. When they reach sexual maturity, a saddle of gray or silver-coloured hair develops on their backs. The hair on their backs is shorter than on most other body parts, and their arm hair is especially long. Upright, males reach 1.5–1.8 m (5–6 ft) in height, with an arm span of 2.25 m (7 ft 6 in) and weigh 204–227 kg (450–500 lb).

The Mountain Gorilla is primarily terrestrial and quadrupedal. However, it will climb into fruiting trees if the branches can carry its weight, and it is capable of running bipedally up to 6 m (20 ft). Like all great apes other than humans, its arms are longer than its legs. It moves by knuckle-walking (like the Common Chimpanzee, but unlike the Bonobo and both orang-utan species), supporting its weight on the backs of its curved fingers rather than its palms.

The Mountain Gorilla is diurnal, most active between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Many of these hours are spent eating, as large quantities of food are needed to sustain its massive bulk. It forages in early morning, rests during the late morning and around midday, and in the afternoon it forages again before resting at night. Each gorilla builds a nest from surrounding vegetation to sleep in, constructing a new one every evening. Only infants sleep in the same nest as their mothers. They leave their sleeping sites when the sun rises at around 6 am, except when it is cold and overcast; then they often stay longer in their nests.

Habitat and diet
The Mountain Gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2225 to 4267 meters (7300-14000 ft). Most are found on the slopes of three of the dormant volcanoes: Karisimbi, Mikeno, and Visoke. The vegetation is very dense at the bottom of the mountains, becoming sparser at higher elevations, and the forests where the Mountain Gorilla lives are often cloudy, misty and cold.

The Mountain Gorilla is primarily a herbivore; the majority of its diet is composed of the leaves, shoots and stems (85.8%) of 142 plant species. It also feeds on bark (6.9%), roots (3.3%), flowers (2.3%), and fruit (1.7%), as well as larvae, snails and ants (0.1%). Adult males can eat up to 75 pounds of vegetation a day, while a female can eat as much as 40 pounds.

The home range size (the area used by one group of gorillas during one year) is influenced by availability of food sources and usually includes several vegetation zones. George Schaller identified ten distinct zones, including: the bamboo forests at 2225–2804 m (7300–9200 ft); the Hagenia forests at 2804–3353 m (9200–11000 ft); and the giant senecio zone at 3444–4267 m (11300–14000 ft). The Mountain Gorilla spends most of its time in the Hagenia forests, where gallium vines are found year-round. All parts of this vine are consumed: leaves, stems, flowers, and berries. It travels to the bamboo forests during the few months of the year fresh shoots are available, and it climbs into subalpine regions to eat the soft centres of giant senecio trees.

Reproduction

A newborn gorilla weighs about 1.8 kg (4 lb), and spends its first few months of life in constant physical contact with its mother. It begins to walk at around four or five months, and starts to put plant parts in its mouth between four and six months. At eight months it regularly ingests solid food. Weaning occurs around three years of age, although juveniles may remain with their mothers for years after that.

Young male and female gorillas are considered infants from birth until three years of age, juvenile between the ages of about three and six, and subadult from six to about eight years old. Blackbacks are sexually immature males from around eight years until they have developed the silver saddle and large canines of maturity. Females begin to ovulate at 7 or 8 years of age, and have their first infant between the ages of 10 and 12. Males generally do not start breeding before the age of 15.

The Mountain Gorilla has no mating season and females usually initiate mating behaviour. The length of their menstrual cycle is about 28 days with 1-3 fertile days, and ovulation ceases for 3–5 years after reproducing. The length of gestation is eight and a half months. Females generally rear one infant every 6 to 8 years, and may leave only 2–6 offspring over a 40 year life span. Males that have harems of 3–4 females increase their reproductive output by fathering 10-20 offspring over 50 years.

Social structure
The Mountain Gorilla is highly social, and lives in relatively stable, cohesive groups held together by long-term bonds between adult males and females. Relationships among females are relatively weak. These groups are non-territorial; the silverback generally defends his group rather than his territory. In the Virunga Mountain Gorillas, the average length of tenure for a dominant silverback is 4.7 years.

61% of groups are composed of one adult male and a number of females and 36% contain more than one adult male. The remaining gorillas are either lone males or exclusively male groups, usually made up of one mature male and a few younger males. Group sizes vary from five to thirty, with an average of ten individuals. A typical group contains: one silverback, who is the group's undisputed leader; one or two blackbacks, who act as sentries; three to four sexually mature females, who are ordinarily bonded to the dominant silverback for life; and from three to six juveniles and infants.

Most males, and about 60% of females, leave their natal group. Males leave when they are about 11 years old, and often the separation process is slow: they spend more and more time on the edge of the group until they leave altogether.

The dominant silverback generally determines the movements of the group, leading it to appropriate feeding sites throughout the year. He also mediates conflicts within the group and protects it from external threats. Experienced silverbacks are capable of removing poachers' snares from the hands or feet of their group members. He is the centre of attention during rest sessions, and young animals frequently stay close to him and include him in their games. If a mother dies or leaves the group, the silverback is usually the one who looks after his abandoned offspring, even allowing them to sleep in his nest.

When the dominant silverback dies or is killed by disease, accident, or poachers, the family group may be severely disrupted. Unless he leaves behind a male descendant capable of taking over his position, the group will either split up or be taken over in its entirety by an unrelated male. When a new silverback takes control of a family group, he may kill all of the infants of the dead silverback. This practice of infanticide is an effective reproductive strategy, in that the newly acquired females are then able to conceive the new male's offspring. Infanticide has not been observed in stable groups.

Severe aggression is rare in stable groups, but when two Mountain Gorilla groups meet, the two silverbacks can sometimes engage in a fight to the death, using their canines to cause deep, gaping injuries. For this reason, conflicts are most often resolved by displays and other threat behaviors that are intended to intimidate without becoming physical. The ritualized charge display is unique to gorillas. The entire sequence has nine steps: hooting slow to fast, symbolic feeding, rising bipedally, throwing vegetation, chest-beating with cupped hands, one leg kick, sideways running, two-legged to four-legged, slapping and tearing vegetation, and thumping the ground with palms to end display.

The midday rest period is an important time for establishing and reinforcing relationships within the group. Mutual grooming reinforces social bonds, and helps keep hair free from dirt and parasites. It is not as common among gorillas as in other primates, although females groom their offspring regularly. Young gorillas play often and are more arboreal than the large adults. Playing helps them to learn how to communicate and behave within the group. Activities include wrestling, chasing and somersaults. The silverback and his females tolerate and even participate if encouraged.

Twenty-five distinct vocalizations are recognized, many of which are used primarily for group communication within dense vegetation. Sounds classified as grunts and barks are heard most frequently while travelling, and indicate the whereabouts of individual group members. They may also be used during social interactions when discipline is required. Screams and roars signal alarm or warning, and are produced most often by silverbacks. Deep, rumbling belches suggest contentment and are heard frequently during feeding and resting periods. They are the most common form of intragroup communication.

is a subspecies of Eastern Gorilla that is now only found in the forests of eastern

Democratic Republic of the Congo

. There are three groups of Lowland Gorillas habituated to tourism, in Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The tracking rules are the same as for Mountain Gorillas.

This subspecies is more robust in appearance than the Western Lowland Gorilla, having longer teeth, a stronger jaw and a broader torso. They have black coats; in males, as with other gorillas, these turn silver at the back as the animal matures.

The Eastern Lowland Gorilla is predominantly herbivorous, eating mostly leaves. They are known to eat only a few leaves from a single plant, allowing the plant to regrow. They will also eat fruit, seeds, bamboo shoots and insects.

Size
The Eastern Lowland Gorilla subspecies is the largest living primate. The maximum size of a male gorilla can be over 225 kg (500 lb) and 1.83 m (6 ft) in the wild, with much heavier weights recorded in captivity.

Behavior
The Eastern Lowland Gorilla tends to be sociable and peaceful, living in groups of 5 to 30. A group usually consists of one silverback and a few subdominant males. Silverbacks are the strong, dominant troop leaders (alpha male). They are in charge of leading the group to food and protecting the group from danger. Males will slowly begin to leave their original group when they reach maturity, usually travelling with a group of other males for a few years before being able to attract females to form a new group.

The Western Lowland Gorilla Gorilla gorilla gorilla
is a subspecies of the Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps throughout all or parts of Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Of all gorillas it is the least endangered and is the gorilla usually found in zoos.

The Western Lowland Gorilla eats plants and, occasionally, insects. They live in family groupings consisting of one dominant male, 5 to 7 adult females, children and adolescents, and possibly a few non-dominant males.

The Chimpanzee Pan troglodyte schweinfurthi

Chimpanzees are very familiar to us humans, perhaps because so much of their behaviour reminds us of ourselves. They are considered great apes, just like gorillas, orang-utans, and bonobos. Chimpanzees spend much time on the ground. Their distinctive mode of travel - walking on the soles of their feet and the knuckles of their hands – have earned them the title of knuckle-walkers. They can also stand on two legs and sometimes walk this way for short distances. They climb trees in pursuit of food and for nesting and can swing by their hands from branch to branch. Chimps are very intelligent and can be trained by humans to perform a variety of tasks. They use and even make tools; for example, they collect termites using twigs. Many primatologists now attribute culture to chimpanzees, noting learned variations in such skills and habits among different groups.

Home for a chimpanzee is a community of other chimps made up of multiple family groups. Within these family groups there are usually about 6 to 10 individuals. An entire chimp community can sometimes have

as many as 100 members. One experienced adult male chimp can be the leader of the community, although in other communities leadership is shared among several males. Chimps use body language, facial expressions and hand-clapping, grooming and kissing to communicate within their community. Usually a male chimp stays in the community into which he was born, but females transfer to other communities when they become adults. Female chimps in the wild usually give birth for the first time when they are between 12 and 15 years old. The newborn is extremely helpless, and the youngster must stay with its mother until age seven before it can survive on its own. Soon after birth, the baby learns to cling to its mother’s underside. Later it will transfer to her back, and uses this "piggyback" style of riding for the next seven months or so. Young chimps get milk from their mothers until they are about three years old. A single infant is born every three to eight years. Under ideal circumstances chimpanzees may live 50 years. They can begin walking on their own at about age four, but continue to stay with their mothers for a few more years, learning all the skills they need to survive. A mother chimp develops a close bond with her young that may last a lifetime.

Although incapable of speech beyond their own simple vocalizations, captive chimpanzees have been taught to communicate in a language using visual rather than verbal symbols. Because of their close evolutionary relationship to humans they are often used for medical and behavioural experimentation, but the degree to which chimpanzees and humans are genetically close is a subject of dispute, with estimates of the amount of DNA the species share ranging from 94.6% to 99.4%. Chimpanzees, especially bonobos, are considered endangered species because of hunting and loss of habitat.

Chimpanzees eat a wide variety of food. Observers have recorded about 80 different items wild chimps eat, including seeds, fruit, leaves, bark, honey, flowers, and insects. This makes up most of their diet. However, chimpanzees also hunt other animals, like monkeys or small antelope, for meat. Feeding is usually an individual activity, but sometimes chimps look for food together. When water is scarce, chimps chew leaves so they are soft and sponge-like—this allows them to then soak up rainwater inside tree holes.

Chimpanzee Tracking
As with Gorilla Tracking, following chimpanzees is hard work – the terrain is wet, muddy and often up or down steep slopes through thick vegetation. Chimps are far more mobile and agile and often a tantalising glimpse is all you see. Unlike Gorillas, Chimps are elusive and sightings are not guaranteed. In the very early morning, your guide takes you into the forest and you wait, listening for the tell tale ‘hoots’ and screeches that give away these noisy gangs’ locations. The trackers work via walkie-talkie with the trackers who spend nights in the forest following the Chimpanzees. Part of the thrill as you walk in the thick forest tracking the Chimpanzees, is the scenery and sounds of birds, insects, monkeys and other inhabitants of the forest.

It can take 3 to 4 hours to get close to these extremely mobile primates but once you stop and watch the thrill and connection between observer and subject is simply amazing. Sometimes you are lucky and the trackers are able to locate a group within a few hours of not too difficult tracking. Often the group is well camouflaged in the branches above, but telltale movements and sheer exuberance usually reveal their whereabouts.

Unlike monkeys that have long tails for jumping, chimpanzees can literally swing from trees – up to about 2 meters as opposed to 10 meters for monkeys – but usually they get down from the trees and move quickly on the ground to another group of trees that will offer them sanctuary. Chimpanzees will make a bed high up in the trees of the rainforests, a different bed in a different tree every night, unless there is an abundance of fruits or berries on a particular tree, in which they may then stay for up to two days.

"In the heart of Central Africa, so high up that you shiver more than you sweat," wrote the eminent primatologist Dian Fossey, "are great, old volcanoes towering up almost 15,000 feet, and nearly covered with rich, green rainforest - the Virunga". Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda, the Volcanoes National Park protects the steep slopes of this magnificent mountain range - home of the rare mountain gorilla - and the rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp and heath. An exhilarating trek through the cultivated foothills of the Virunga offers stirring views in all directions. Then, abruptly, the trail enters the national park, immersing trekkers in the mysterious intimacy of the rainforest, alive with the calls of colourful birds and chattering of the rare golden monkey, and littered with fresh spoor of the mountains’ elusive populations of buffalo and elephant. Through gaps in the forest canopy, the magnificent peaks are glimpsed, easily accessible and among the highest in Africa, beckoning an ascent.

The bustling market town of Ruhengeri has a memorable setting at the base of the Virunga. On the outskirts of town, the natural bridge at Musanze - a solidified lava flow - is a fascinating relic of the volcanic activity that shaped this scenic area. Also within easy day tripping distance of Ruhengeri are the seldom visited but lovely Lakes Burera, Ruhondo and Karago.

Ruhengeri offers a good selection of reasonably-priced small hotels and guest houses, including the newly renovated hotel Gorilla's Nest.

Visitors could also base themselves in Gisenyi or Kigali and - with an early start - head to the Volcanoes National Park and Ruhengeri as a day trip.

Extending for 1,000 square kilometers across the majestic hills of southeast Rwanda, Nyungwe National Park is the largest block of montane forest in East or Central Africa, and one of the most ancient, dating back to before the last Ice Age. A uniquely rich centre of floral diversity, the forest has more than 200 different types of tree, and a myriad of flowering plants including the other-worldly giant lobelia and a host of colourful orchids. Nyungwe is most alluring for its primates: 13 species in all, including humankind’s closest living relative the chimpanzee, as well as the handsome L’Hoest’s monkey and hundred-strong troops of the delightfully acrobatic Angola colobus.

The most important ornithological site in Rwanda, Nyungwe harbours almost 300 bird species of which two dozen are restricted to a handful of montane forests on the Albertine Rift. The avian highlight of Nyungwe is the great blue turaco - an outlandish blue, red and green bird which streams from tree to tree like a procession of streamlined psychedelic turkeys. An extensive network of well-maintained walking trails leads through the orest to various waterfalls and viewing points. A comfortably rustic rest house and perfectly situated campsite lie alongside the main road, and the reserve can readily be visited as a day trip from the towns of Butare and Cyangugu. Nyungwe does, however, deserve more time: anybody who wants to track chimps and see several varieties of smaller primate will need two days there - and dedicated birdwatchers might never want to leave!

AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK, North-east Rwanda

Set at a relatively low altitude on the border with Tanzania, Akagera National Park could scarcely be more different in mood to the breezy cultivated hills that characterise much of

Rwanda

. Dominated scenically by the labyrinth of swamps and lakes that follow the meandering course of the Akagera River, the most remote source of the Nile, this is archetypal African savannah landscape of tangled acacia woodland interspersed with open grassland.

Akagera is, above all, big game country! Herds of elephant and buffalo emerge from the woodland to drink at the lakes, while lucky visitors might stumble across a leopard, a spotted hyena or even a stray lion. Giraffe and zebra haunt the savannah, and more than a dozen types of

antelope inhabit the park, most commonly the handsome chestnut-coated impala, but also the diminutive oribi and secretive bushbuck, as well as the ungainly tsessebe and the world's largest antelope, the statuesque Cape eland.

Camping alongside the picturesque lakes of Akagera is a truly mystical introduction to the wonders of the African bush. Pods of 50 hippopotami grunt and splutter throughout the day, while outsized crocodiles soak up the sun with their vast jaws menacingly agape. Magically, the air is torn apart by the unforgettable high duetting of a pair of fish eagles, asserting their status as the avian monarchs of Africa's waterways. Lining the lakes are some of the continent’s densest concentrations of water birds, while the connecting marshes are the haunt of the endangered and exquisite papyrus gonolek, and the bizarre shoebill stork - the latter perhaps the most eagerly sought of all African birds.

UGANDA

Uganda

's largest national park covers 3840 sq km and is situated in the north-west, approx 90km from Masindi. It is a long day's drive from Kampala, with a possible overnight break at Masindi.

It protects a chunk of untamed African savannah bisected by the mighty river Nile.

It is named for the dramatic Murchison Falls, where the Nile, the world's longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. Wildlife populations have largely recovered from the poaching of the 1980s; in the lush borassus grassland to the north of the Nile, elephant, buffalo, giraffe and a variety of antelope are regularly encountered on game drives, while lion are seen with increasing frequency.

In the southeast, Rabongo Forest is home to chimps and other rainforest creatures.

The Nile itself hosts one of Africa's densest hippo and crocodile populations, and a dazzling variety of water birds including the world's most accessible wild population of the rare shoebill stork.

Boat trips to Lake Albert delta provide the best chance of seeing this bird.
Regular launch trips go to the base of the falls and offer fine game-viewing and bird-watching.
There is Chimp tracking at Rabongo Forest, and en route from Masindi in the Budongo Forest.
There is a good network of roads and the park can be visited any time of year.

1The most accessible of Uganda's major rainforests, Kibale covers 776 sq km and is home to a remarkable 13 primate species, including the localised red colobus and L'Hoest's monkey. Kibale's major attraction, however, is the opportunity to track habituated chimps - these delightful apes, more closely related to humans than to any other living creature, are tremendous fun to watch as they squabble and play in fruiting trees. A network of shady forest trails provides much to delight botanists and butterfly lovers, while birders are in for a treat with 335 species recorded including the endemic Prirogrine's ground thrush. The elusive forest elephant, smaller and hairier than its savannah counterpart, moves seasonally into the developed part of the park, while other terrestrial mammals include buffalo, giant forest hog and a half dozen antelope species.

Fort Portal lies 320km from Kampala along a mostly surfaced direct road, or an hour's drive from Kasese (near Queen Elizabeth NP). Kanyanchu Visitors Centre, 35km from Fort Portal, is reached via a dirt road and is accessible on public transport.

Chimp tracking and other guided forest walks, even night walks can be done. Birders shouldn't miss Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a superb community development fringing the park. A field of beautiful crater lakes lies between Fort Portal and Kibale Forest.

Formerly called the Toro Game Reserve, this large (500 sq km) reserve abutting Lake Albert and the northern base of the Rwenzoris is a rich mosaic of grassland, savannah, forest and wetland habitats.

The fauna is correspondingly diverse:

Uganda

cob is the commonest large mammal, but there are also forest elephant, chimpanzees, buffalo, leopard and various monkeys and antelope.

Of the 400 bird species recorded, the shoebill stork is regularly seen at close quarters on Lake Albert.

To get there, follow the road towards Semliki National Park for 30km, then take a right turn which after about 35km leads to the Semliki Safari Lodge, the only place to stay in the reserve.

Game drives, guided walks and boat trips on Lake Albert can be arranged from the lodge. Can be visited all year round.

From open savannah to rainforest, from dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward, it is little wonder that Queen Elizabeth NP boasts one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world. It is very large, nearly 2000 sq km in size.

Almost 100 mammal species and a remarkable 606 bird species makes this superb safari territory, with elephant, a profusion of hippos, the elusive giant forest hog and handsome Uganda cob all regularly sighted around the tourist village on the Mweya Peninsula - which also boasts a marvelous waterfront setting in the shadow of the Rwenzori Mountains.

Elsewhere, the remote Ishasha Sector is famed for its tree-climbing lions, the Kyambura Gorge harbours habituated chimps, the Maramagambo Forest is home to an alluring selection of forest monkeys and birds, and flocks of flamingo are resident on the crater lakes.

The park lies 5-6 hours from Kampala on a surfaced road via Mbarara, and can be reached on a dirt road from Bwindi. Accessible by public transport.

Launch trips on the Kazinga Channel offer great game viewing, as do game drives around Mweya.
Also available are chimp tracking in Kyambura Gorge and guided walks in Maramagambo Forest.

At Mweya there is an upmarket lodge, a campsite and budget hostel. Another upmarket lodge fringes a crater lake in Maramagambo Forest. A low key camp is found in the Ishasha Sector. Accommodation is also available in Kasese.

This park covers 331 sq km and offers a magnificent verdant swathe across the steep ridges of the Albertine Rift Valley, this ancient rainforest - one of the few in Africa to have flourished throughout the last Ice Age - is home to roughly half of the world's mountain gorillas.
Looking deep into the expressive brown eyes of these gentle giants is surely the most exciting and poignant wildlife encounter that Africa has to offer - but we should not let it distract from Bwindi's broader biodiversity, a result of its immense antiquity and an altitude span from 1,160 to 2,607m. The national park has 90 mammal species, including 11 primates, of which the black-and-white colobus, with its lovely flowing white tail, is prominent.
The forest birding ranks with the best in Uganda, with 23 highly localised Albertine Rift endemics present.
Bwindi can be reached from Queen Elizabeth NP in the north (2-3 hours), from Kabale to the south (1-2 hours), or from Kampala via Mbarara (6-8 hours). The roads meet at Butogota, 17km from the Buhoma entrance gate. 4x4 recommended during the rains.
Gorilla tracking is the main attraction; permits must pre-booked at the UWA office in Kampala. Other guided forest walks are available: one popular trail leads to a pretty waterfall, others focus on birding and monkey-viewing. Two up-market tented camps, a lodge, community-run budget rooms and camping are available near the Buhoma entrance gate.
One can visit any time, though conditions are more challenging during the rainy season. Back to top

Lying in the one part of

Uganda

covered in extensive acacia woodland; this 260 sq km park has markedly different fauna to other reserves. Lake Mburo is the best place in the country to see the gigantic eland antelope, as well as zebra, topi, impala, and several acacia-associated birds.

The five lakes within the park attract hippos, crocodiles and a variety of waterbirds, while fringing swamps hide secretive papyrus specialists such as the sitatunga antelope and red, black and yellow papyrus gonalek.

Game Viewing is the major tourist activity in this park, which is famous for its richness in biodiversity. It has about 68 different species of mammals. The common ones are Zebra, Impala, Buffalo, Topi, and Eland as well as the rare Roan antelope. There are leopard, Hyaena and jackal too.

It is possible to take boat trips, where crocodile and hippopotami can be seen, as well as birds: pelican, black crake, heron, cormorant, fish eagle. You may also sight the rare Shoebill Stork.

The nature trail offers the visitor a chance to admire nature in situ. Visitors have the opportunity to walk in the circuit at their own pace although in the company of an armed guide.

Rubanga Forest
You can explore this forest by making arrangements with the Park Management to have a Ranger accompany you. The Rubanga Forest

is very small but a true forest with a closed canopy in places. A common tree is Markhamia platycalyx (grey-brown trunk with irregular flaky patches, divided leaves, yellow flowers stripped and spotted with red; branches of extremely long (up to 1.3 m) podlike fruits. Palms, figs, sapium (a tall tree whose leaves turn red before falling) and the flame tree Erythrina abyssinica occur towards the edge of the swamp.

Lake Mburo National Park is found in Mbarara district, 3.5 hours drive from Kampala on Mbarara Kampala highway. Turn left at 13 km (Akageti) past Lyantonde, which then brings you to Sanga gate. Both junctions have clearly labelled signposts. It is 13 km from Sanga trading centre of Sanga gate, 5 km from the main road to Nshara gate and about 20 minutes drive from Rwonyo Park Head Quarters.

There are also 3 public campsites, all strategically located to facilitate and enhance scenic viewing and easy access to water. Lake Mburo dining shelter provides meals on order.

It is also possible to stay comfortably at the Agip hotel in Mbarara.
Neither the Rest Camp nor hostel stock food, visitors are therefore advised to carry sufficient food and drinks for the duration of their stay in the park. The Rest Camp staff can arrange for the cooking. However other supplementaries such as chicken and goat meat can be arranged from the nearby community for visitors who intend to stay longer.

The park is one of the last refuges of the rare eastern lowland Gorilla. Prior to conflicts which have plagued this part of Africa since the 1990's, only an estimated 600 gorillas remained throughout the range. As a result of the remaining gorilla population, the park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

The Park is named after two extinct volcanoes, Mount Kahuzi (3,308 m) and Mount Biéga (2,790 m). Mount Kahuzi is the highest in this part of Kivu.

The eastern lowland gorillas, including four groups accustomed to being watched, are the unique attraction. A road crosses the park from east to west and some paths are kept open to facilitate gorilla observation. Visitors on gorilla tracking tours are admitted to the park in groups of eight people.

The NP was gazetted in 1970 and is situated 50km west of the town of Bukavu in the Kivu Region, near to Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border. It now occupies an area of 600,000ha and consists of a smaller sector on the eastern side covering part of the Mitumba Mountains, and a larger western sector in the Zairean central basin. The two zones are connected by a narrow corridor. The entrance to the park is at Tshivanga, on the eastern side. The boundary is not marked in many places.

The original 75,000ha is entirely montane. The massif is part of the Mitumba Mountain range, the western mountains of the Great Rift Valley. The two main peaks, Mount Kahuzi (3,308m) and Mount Biéga (2,790m) are extinct volcanoes, and the massif dates from the late Tertiary or early Quaternary. The lowland extension in the Zairean central basin covers the watersheds of the tributaries of the Luka and Lugulu rivers. These both drain into the river Lualaba via the rivers Lowa and Ulindi. The extension lies below 1,500m apart from isolated peaks such as Mount Kamani (1,700m), and consists of mountains cut by deep valleys. Undulating terrain in the west forms a belt between the two zones.

Climate
In the eastern zone, average annual maximum temperatures are about 18°C and minimum temperatures about 10.4°C. Mean annual rainfall is about 1800mm with wide variation. Humidity varies between 50% and 85%.

Vegetation
The western extension zone is forested by equatorial rain forest, with transition forest between 1,200m to 1,500m. In the eastern zone, six different primary vegetation types have been distinguished: mountain rain forest, high-altitude rain forest, swamp forest, bamboo forest, sub-alpine heather and swamp and peat bog. Mountain rain forest occurs from 900 to 2,300m, and dominant species include Albizia gummifera, Parinari excelsum, Chrysophyllum gorungosanum, Michelsonia spp., Gilbertiodendron spp., Pentadesma spp., and Lebrunia spp. Montane rain forest occurs in the park above 2,300m and is characterised by Podocarpus usambarensis, Syzygium guineense and Psychotria mahoni. Swamp forest is dominated by Syzygium rowlandii, Podocarpus usambarensis, Agauria salicifolia, and Anthocleista grandiflora. Bamboo forest is widespread due to colonisation of land cleared for cultivation, covering approximately one-third of the original 75,000ha park zone, occurring between 2,300-2,600m. It is monophytic, consisting mainly of Arundinaria alpina. Subalpine heather occurs above the treeline, at around 2,600m, and Erica rugegensis is the characteristic species, growing with Vaccinium stanleyi and Breutelia spp. on the summit of Mount Biéga, and with Hedythrsus thamnoideus, and Disa erubescens on the first summit of Mount Kahuzi. On the main summit (3,200 to 3,300m), Erica grows with Senecio kahuzicus, Helichrysum mildbraedii, Huperzia saururus and Deschampsia flexuosa. Swamp and peat bogs are generally found below 2,400m due to the steepness of slopes at high altitudes. The "Cyperus swamps" of Cyperus latifolius are the main vegetation of swamp bogs, and Hypericum lanceolatum, Cyperus aterrimus, Alchemilla cryptantha, Anagallis angustiloba and Jussiaea repens are represented. The remaining area is mainly mesophytic woodland including Hagenia trees and areas of Cyperus swamp and peatbog. There are a total of 448 species from 28 families and 2 unknown species were found.

The park was established to protect 200-300 eastern lowland (Grauer's) Gorilla, Gorilla gorilla graueri occurring mainly in the forests at 2,100m-2,400m, but also in the lower rain forest. In 1979 some 223 individuals were counted, encompassing 14 families and 5 solitary males. This increased to 258-284 gorillas in 1990 encompassing 25 groups and 9 solitary males. The 1996 census showed almost the same number of groups still existing in the region. However, there are fears that the war has adversely affected gorilla numbers since the last survey was carried out. The 'mosaic' of biotypes makes the park an excellent gorilla habitat. Other primates include eastern chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi, and numerous Cercopithecinae and Colobinae, including black and white colobus monkey, Colobus guereza and red colobus, C. badius.
Other mammals include elephant, estimated to number 9,000 individuals in 1989. Also forest hog, Hylochoerus meinertzhageni and many antelope and duiker.

Avifauna includes the endemic Rockefeller's sunbird, Nectarinia rockefelleri, Grauer's broadbill, Pseudocalyptomena graueri, Grauer's warbler, Bradypterus graueri, and Shelley's crimsonwing, Cryptospiza shelleyi.
Endemic mammal species include Giant gennet, Genetta victoriae, Aquatic civet Osbornictis piscivora (DD), Maclaud's horseshoebat, Rhinolophus maclaudi, Ruwenzori least otter shrew, Micropotamogale ruwenzorii, Owl-faced monkey, Cercopithecus hamlyni, Eastern needle-clawed galago, Galago inustus, Thomas' tree squirrel, Funisciurus anerythrus and Alexander's bush squirrel, Paraxerus alexandri.

Local Human Population
Fifteen villages of shifting cultivators were located in the eastern sectors of the park when it was created and continue to be occupied. The park is situated in one of the most densely populated areas of the country, with up to 300 people per km2 (Basabose and Yamagiwa, 1997). Some 90% of the population of Kivu is rural, mainly dependent on agriculture. Seven separate tribal groups live around the park including the Pygmy, Barega and Bashi peoples. Traditional livelihoods are based on shifting agriculture and subsistence hunting. Banana beer is a locally important commercial product, and the demand for land for banana plantations is rising rapidly.

The Virunga National Park (formerly Albert National Park) ranges from the Virunga Mountains to the Rwenzori Mountains, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It borders the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda. Covering 7,800 sq km it was established in 1925 as Africa's first national park. It was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1979. In later years it has become known for its mountain gorillas, although poaching and the Congo Civil War have seriously damaged its wildlife population. The park is managed by the Congolese National Park Authorities, the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN).

The national park covers the western shores of Lake Edward, known for its hippopotamuses (depleted by more than 95 percent in 2006) while elsewhere marshland, grassland plateau and plains dominate the park. The Ruwenzori Mountains lie on the Ugandan border and rise to alpine meadows and a glacier, while Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira are both active volcanoes with substantial associated lava plains.

Although mountain gorillas are now extremely rare, successful conservation work has secured the remaining populations. In fact, they increased during the years of political upheaval in the region (1994-2004). It is believed that both savanna and forest elephants and chimpanzees can still be found in Virunga, along with Okapi, giraffes, buffaloes and many endemic birds. The neighbouring Mount Hoyo area is home to a population of Bambuti Pygmy people, caves and waterfalls.