* This adventure took place the last week in August*
I was so excited to be back in the forest and at Kibale National Park; I decided to stay at the only lodge located right in the park. Primate Eco Lodge was recently purchased and renovated by Great Lakes Safari. Their facility was so new; I was the first person to sleep in their beautiful Banda. I was in heaven! While eating breakfast one morning, I was entertained by the red tailed monkeys. My primary reason for visiting the park was to hopefully secure a permit to join a Chimpanzee trekking expedition in the lush tropical rain forest of Kibale. Similar to the gorilla trekking, the Chimpanzees are equally protected allowing only groups of seven per chimp family. The number of Chimpanzees in Kibale National Forest total over 4,000, so there are at least six groups in just the one area of forest where I was hoping to trek. Well, it was my lucky day. There was a group of five from England and I was able to able to join them. Before we begin we are instructed to tuck our pants in our socks as the jungle ants are nasty bitters. Then we head off on our journey. You’re senses immediately come alive the minute you step inside the welcome mat of the forest. First, you are captivated by the sounds… birds, beautiful pitches and tones that I have never heard before. They are complemented by the background rhythm of numerous frogs and insects. Then to complete the chorus, sudden bursts of dominant calls from primates. The sounds draw your eyes to search for the hidden treasures. It’s hard to zero in on any one object because the overall bright green canvas of the forest is picture in itself I in-hale slowly through my nose and take in the fresh, clean air. As I continue my walk the smells change…. musty, damp, and then even a bitter smell. It’s at this time the guide reminds us of the thousands of plants in the forest that are used for medicines. He said, “Even the one for Viagra in here”. OUCH! Then I felt something. Jungle ants! Our whole group had just walked through a nest. Our guide was right, these suckers are bitters! One had managed to work its way up my pants leg to my thigh. He let me know he was there by latching on. I went to brush him off and he wasn’t going anywhere. Then I grabbed hold of him with my thumb and forefinger to pull him off and he was still holding on. Are you kidding me?! These ants mean war! I finally released his death grip crunching him at the same time. Luckily, I didn’t have too many. The others in my group were not as lucky. One poor lady did not have on longs socks and the beastly ants crawled straight up her pants. Whoever came up with the phrase “ants in your pants” must have experienced jungle ants. The trekking is much easy than with the mountain gorillas, and we even have a path. We venture off path on several occasions to search for the c chimps, but even then the trekking was not too bad. We spot many primates before we spot the first sign of the chimps. First, we see a chimps nest. We are told that chimps make a nest each night to for sleep. Then, we hear a call and a chimp banging on a tree. Our guide had informed us earlier that this is a technique they will use to try to find each other. We head in the direction of the sounds. We spot them high in the trees dining on some leaves. We even spot one settling in for a post meal nap. They were certainly amazing to watch, but a challenge to photograph. They remained high in the trees with the bright skylight behind them. I don’t know what it is, but I really could pull up a lounge chair and sit there all day watching them. The trek back was equally as enjoyable…sights, sounds, smells, and no jungle ants this time.
I was so excited to be back in the forest and at Kibale National Park; I decided to stay at the only lodge located right in the park. Primate Eco Lodge was recently purchased and renovated by Great Lakes Safari. Their facility was so new; I was the first person to sleep in their beautiful Banda. I was in heaven! While eating breakfast one morning, I was entertained by the red tailed monkeys. My primary reason for visiting the park was to hopefully secure a permit to join a Chimpanzee trekking expedition in the lush tropical rain forest of Kibale. Similar to the gorilla trekking, the Chimpanzees are equally protected allowing only groups of seven per chimp family. The number of Chimpanzees in Kibale National Forest total over 4,000, so there are at least six groups in just the one area of forest where I was hoping to trek. Well, it was my lucky day. There was a group of five from England and I was able to able to join them. Before we begin we are instructed to tuck our pants in our socks as the jungle ants are nasty bitters. Then we head off on our journey. You’re senses immediately come alive the minute you step inside the welcome mat of the forest. First, you are captivated by the sounds… birds, beautiful pitches and tones that I have never heard before. They are complemented by the background rhythm of numerous frogs and insects. Then to complete the chorus, sudden bursts of dominant calls from primates. The sounds draw your eyes to search for the hidden treasures. It’s hard to zero in on any one object because the overall bright green canvas of the forest is picture in itself I in-hale slowly through my nose and take in the fresh, clean air. As I continue my walk the smells change…. musty, damp, and then even a bitter smell. It’s at this time the guide reminds us of the thousands of plants in the forest that are used for medicines. He said, “Even the one for Viagra in here”. OUCH! Then I felt something. Jungle ants! Our whole group had just walked through a nest. Our guide was right, these suckers are bitters! One had managed to work its way up my pants leg to my thigh. He let me know he was there by latching on. I went to brush him off and he wasn’t going anywhere. Then I grabbed hold of him with my thumb and forefinger to pull him off and he was still holding on. Are you kidding me?! These ants mean war! I finally released his death grip crunching him at the same time. Luckily, I didn’t have too many. The others in my group were not as lucky. One poor lady did not have on longs socks and the beastly ants crawled straight up her pants. Whoever came up with the phrase “ants in your pants” must have experienced jungle ants. The trekking is much easy than with the mountain gorillas, and we even have a path. We venture off path on several occasions to search for the c chimps, but even then the trekking was not too bad. We spot many primates before we spot the first sign of the chimps. First, we see a chimps nest. We are told that chimps make a nest each night to for sleep. Then, we hear a call and a chimp banging on a tree. Our guide had informed us earlier that this is a technique they will use to try to find each other. We head in the direction of the sounds. We spot them high in the trees dining on some leaves. We even spot one settling in for a post meal nap. They were certainly amazing to watch, but a challenge to photograph. They remained high in the trees with the bright skylight behind them. I don’t know what it is, but I really could pull up a lounge chair and sit there all day watching them. The trek back was equally as enjoyable…sights, sounds, smells, and no jungle ants this time.
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