Kibale National Park - Chimpanzees!!!

It's all in the eyes.

On Monday, 9/18, we said a sad goodbye to the wonderful staff at Twiga and began the long drive to our next stop, the positively stunning Ndali Lodge.  Situated between two beautiful crater lakes, Ndali Lodge had some of the loveliest views. The property and landscaping were absolutely gorgeous and the food was fantastic. As an added bonus, Ndali Lodge is home to four (!) puppers! We loved the opportunity for pets and snuggles.  

Entering the grounds at Ndali Lodge.

Ndali was probably the most scenic lodge we stayed at.

Candlelit dinners.

Basil, Schatze and Jinny
(No pic of Zola who was a wee bit antisocial. Lol.)

Fun times at Ndali Lodge.
Basil was the best beggar by far, look at those eyes!

On Tuesday, 9/19, we were up early to visit Kibale National Park, best known for its 13 species of forest primates. At the top of that list are the chimpanzees and that’s what we were there to see. At Kibale there are about 1450 individual chimps that live in 13 troops. Five of those troops are habituated to humans, three of those are for research purposes only and one is less comfortable around humans. The remaining troop of 120 chimps, which live in smaller communities, is available for tourist visits.

Chimpanzee at Kibale National Park, Uganda.

After entertainment by a local dance troupe and a safety briefing we were broken up into small groups and assigned to a guide. Our guide, Jen, has been doing this for seven years and loves it. Unlike gorilla trekking, there are no trackers that go out in advance to locate the chimpanzees. The guides spread out with their group of tourists in tow and keep in contact by radio and phone. They search the areas where the chimpanzees are most likely to be foraging, watching for signs, and listening for their vocalizations. After about 45 minutes of trekking through the thick forest, we heard them and then quickly located a group of 12-15 individuals.

Local music and dance.

(Left) Huge mahogany tree.
(Right) Our guide, Jen, and Rian start down the road.  Jen locates the troop.

We were able to get within 8-10 feet of the chimpanzees. Jen said the large alpha male, called the President, was very friendly. They went about their business - eating, resting, then moving. We got to hang out with them for about an hour and twenty minutes, moving with them through the forest. It was such an incredible opportunity to see these intelligent animals in their natural habitat, going about their business without any concern for the crazy humans all pointing phones and cameras at them and clicking away. I swear some of them were posing!

So fun to watch their interactions and expressions.

Compared to the gorillas, the chimpanzees were much more active and vocal. The first time they signaled to move, the screeching and hooting was incredibly loud and a bit intimidating. Some of them would also drum on the trunks of the huge mahogany trees as they ran past. The guides weren’t at all concerned so we took our cue from them and soon realized the chimps couldn’t care less about our presence. I could not get the video clip to load in the blog, but I did upload it to YouTube, so click on the link below and make sure the sound is on! 😊

Chimpanzee Sounds!  

Jen provided a lot of information on the chimpanzee’s habits, diet, and family/community structure. When one of the smaller community groups find a plentiful food source, they will vocalize to let the others in the troop know, but if there isn’t enough to share, they will be very quiet until they’ve eaten all they want. Lol. We were also very lucky that so many of the individuals were resting on the forest floor, when it is wet or raining they prefer to stay in the trees. It had rained heavily the day before, so Jen said it could have gone either way. They trek rain or shine, so we were thrilled to have such a fabulous interaction with the troop.

The President.

The guides were obviously as comfortable around the chimpanzees as the chimps were around us. The only time Jen ever spoke with any urgency was one time when she told us to move away from a tree where several chimps were hanging out. She said, “It’s coming down!” We thought she meant one of the chimps and turned around to look up and she said, “No move! Warm showers, warm showers!”  One of the male chimps was about to pee on our heads! Lol.

Look out below! Lol. 

Totally chill in the canopy.

On Tuesday afternoon, 9/19, Rog and I did the Bigodi Swamp Walk. Rian opted to hang out with Eddie and give her foot a rest. The walk around and through the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary lasted about 2 hours. The wetlands are home to over 200 species of bids as well as eight primate species, reptiles, and other mammals.

 

Visitor Center for the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.

Before we began our hike, we had to remove our shoes and put on knee-high rubber boots. Parts of the path and boardwalk were still underwater from recent rains and that made for some interesting and slippery footing at times. The first part of the walk was around the perimeter of the wetland and adjacent to the local farmer’s fields. Our guide talked to us about the farming practices and how the farmers plant crops with different harvest times, like maize and sweet potatoes, together. They also have someone stay in the fields from dawn to dark to drive away wildlife that would harm the crops. They have small shelters in each field so the watchers can rest in the shade.

Swamp scenes.
Papyrus (middle picture) looked like green fireworks!

Coffee trees!

One of the more fascinating things we saw was a red fire ant nest on the move. They crossed the boardwalk and made a bridge of ant bodies to carry their larvae across the water. We stepped carefully around them, fire ants can become very aggressive when disturbed and will swarm an intruder when provoked. Fire ants can sting several times, injecting a painful toxic alkaloid venom that may cause an allergic reaction. Best to give them a wide berth!  

Red Fire Ants - tiny, but fierce!

The walk was interesting, but we would have seen a lot more activity, especially more birds, if we’d gone earlier in the morning. It also would have been cooler! Lol. We just aren’t used to the heat and humidity. The temperatures aren’t crazy – mostly high 80’s, but the sun is brutal and the humidity…ugh! Sweat doesn’t evaporate, so it’s really hard to cool down. Africa hot? Yeah, that. Lol.

Blue Turaco - my favorite bird sighting!

Blue Money

Red Colobus Monkey

The next day (9/20) we were up early for our Top of the World hike. We thought this was going to be an easy walk, so Rian joined us. It turned out to be a bit more challenging than we’d anticipated but well worth it. Our guide, James, was a delight. As we walked through fields of coffee and banana trees, James gave us a running commentary on local lives and culture. Super interesting stuff. Money in the bank. Nope. Goats. James would tally up the worth of the small herds as we walked by and said they are often used as currency. He said theft really isn’t as issue because everyone knows which goats belong to who. And instead of compounding interest, you get baby goats! Lol. 

We walk past hand cultivated fields.

After a steep and sometimes slippery climb, the scenic payoff was a gorgeous view of three crater lakes.

View from the "Top of the World".

But the highlight of the walk was coffee! James led us to the home of a local woman, Zima, that supplies coffee to several of the nearby lodges. She roasts and grinds it all by hand using the most basic equipment. James showed us a pan of coffee berries that had been harvested and then dried in the sun. We started by putting them into a large wooden mortar and pestle. Zima demonstrated how she pounded the beans with the wood pestle to break open the husks and allowed us to give it a try.

Dried coffee cherries go into the mortar and the work begins.

She then tossed the beans on a large flat plate and blew away the chaff. Next came the roasting. The beans went into a small metal pot which was placed over an open wood fire. The beans were stirred constantly for about 5 minutes until they were roasted. James handed Zima a couple banana leaves which she used as hot pads to remove the pot from the fire and dump the beans onto a plate to cool.

Blowing off the husks. Roasting is hot work!

Then back into the wood mortar and pestle for grinding. Zima screened the ground coffee back onto the plate and then used a simple mesh filter pour-over to make each individual cup of coffee. I can honestly say it was some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted! Not bitter, but very dark and bold with a richer flavor than any commercial coffee I’ve had. We bought small bags of beans and ground coffee to bring home. Zima ships too, so if you want some amazing small batch coffee, I can hook you up! 😊

More pounding, sifting and then brewing.

Ahhhh...worth the wait and the work!

Next up is Queen Elizabeth National Park and a fun safari boat cruise.