Western lowland gorilla trek

The work of researchers Magdalena Bermejo and Germán Illera has enabled two western lowland gorilla families within Odzala-Kokoua National Park to become habituated to human presence, making observation possible.

To approach our distant cousins, visitors, accompanied by a guide and a tracker, set out from their camp and follow the network of forest trails in search of the spot where the gorillas slept the previous night.

The actual tracking begins once that spot has been found. From there, the trek lasts between 1 and 5 hours (depending on how easily the family is located), through 1 to 8 km of forest of varying density, on paths that can be muddy, wet, steep or slippery.

The tracking itself, through the marantaceae forest that shelters a varied biodiversity, is at least as engaging as the observation itself. To find the gorilla family, one must walk past tall grasses, tropical forest expanses and rivers, at the heart of Africa. On the forest trails, it feels almost like standing in the middle of a laboratory of evolution. Searching for barely visible tracks, listening closely for primate vocalisations, or watching the trackers’ near-mysterious intuition as they anticipate the gorillas’ movements to ensure the best possible experience — all of this is genuinely compelling. From time to time, one encounters shy forest elephants or bongo antelopes.

Then, suddenly, past a bend in the vegetation, the gorilla family appears. Some are already feeding in the branches, others quickly climb a completely vertical tree to watch from above. Mothers, carrying their newborns on their backs, sometimes seem barely troubled by the visitors’ arrival. The younger ones may scratch themselves or play with one another in the dense undergrowth. Care must be taken not to make any sudden movements in the presence of the « silverback », the family’s dominant male.

After this emotionally intense experience, travellers return to camp to enjoy a brunch.