Nyungwe National Park

Let us preserve our heritage……..Genuine eco-tourism means tourism that has no negative impact on eco-systems, and positively contributes to the destination on a social and environmental level

Eyes trained on the canopy, the hunters slipped with speed and agility across the forest floor. Although communication was kept to a minimum everyone seemed certain of their role. Occasionally one of the party turned and shot a glance back at me, sweating and stumbling over branches and roots, far behind. Suddenly, a squeal of alarm reverberated through the forest. A docile group of beautiful colobus monkeys with coats the envy of a catwalk model had spotted the approaching hunting party.

"Let us preserve our heritage……..Genuine eco-tourism means tourism that has no negative impact on eco-systems, and positively contributes to the destination on a social and environmental level"

As the colobus started to flee, pandemonium broke out on the forest floor. The hunters raced ahead, some hauled themselves up the trees and others gave chase from ground level. Screams and barks drowned out the bird song and deafened the insects. Things moved so fast over the next two minutes that I was unsure of what was happening. And then calm returned to the forest. The colobus had escaped and the frustrated hunters returned to the more leisurely pursuit of grooming one another. It was just another morning for the chimpanzees of Uganda’s Kibale Forest National Park.