Wingi

Hi, everybody. I'm in the final stages of booking a Gorillas and Chimps trip to Uganda and Rwanda.

We are going to Kibale Forest NP, Kyambura (Chambura) Gorge in QENP amd Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary to see chimps, but I'm not sure of the best way to balance the number of days spent at each to get the best photographic opportunities.

I think that photographing them will be hard at Kibale and Kyambura, due to the light conditions and the fact that they are fast moving. Comments from those of you who have been there and done it would be appreciated.

We've scheduled some time at the end of the trip to visit Ngamba Island but feel a bit daunted by all the medical stuff - have people really had to have a chest x-ray to prove they haven't got TB? Also, they say that the chimps try to take your cameras off you if you walk with them, so if we just did a feeding session what kind of photo opps would this give us?

This bit of our itinerary is proving really difficult to balance, but I must get it sorted out by Monday or the flights and the gorilla permits might become unavailable! All advice welcome!

Chris_GA_Atl

I can't comment on trying to shoot pictures of wild chimps, other than to say that it seems like it would be very, very difficult based on the descriptions I have read. I did know one person who got some good shots using a Canon 1D Mark III and 400mm f/4 DO lens. Given the dark conditions and viewing distances, I would think you would need a lens like that.

With respect to Ngamba Island, we went there about a year ago without any chest x-rays. My understanding is that an x-ray is only required for TB if your skin test is positive.

Ngamba Island was a wonderful highlight of our trip, and doing the forest walk with the younger chimps was absolutely unforgettable. I have heard many other people who have done it say the same thing.

In terms of photography, Ngamba Island is a perfect place to take chimpanzee pictures. The fence that divides the island has an observation walkway on top of it, and the chimps are brought close to the fence a couple of times per day for feeding. You just get on top of the observation walkway and shoot pictures from there. They do not allow you to carry cameras on the walks with the chimps, nor allow photography of visitors with the chimps. They feel it promotes the pet trade in chimpanzees.

You can see our pictures of the island (including the observation walkways) and the resident chimps at http://www.pbase.com/cwillis/ngamba.
Chris

Wingi

Thanks Chris, your info and pictures are really helpful. The chimps are in much more natural surroundings for their feeding sessions than I had imagined. The monitors are cool too!

About the chest x-ray - I was innoculated for TB at school when I was 14, so no record of it, but I think it means that I'll show positive on a skin or blood test!

Is there anyone else out there who has tried to take photos of the chimps at Kibale or Kyambura? I'd welcome your comments too.

Lynneb

I've seen the chimps at Kyambura and they are quite difficult to spot and photograph. Occasionally, you might get a good view but as you pointed out, it can be dark. If you have a video camera available that might be good for the chimps as their calls are great and the movement through the trees is fantastic to watch.

Chris_GA_Atl

By the way, here is the link to the set of pictures I mentioned before, taken by Susan McConnell. She told me that these were extremely difficult to take and she had very few "keepers" out of the pictures she took. The pictures were taken in Mahale in Tanzania.
http://web.mac.com/susan.mcconnell/T...impanzees.html

In terms of the habitat on Ngamba Island, it it totally natural. Almost the entire island is untouched forest, and that is where the chimps are during the day. So the pictures can come out looking really nice. They put the chimps into large cages at night, but they are free to roam almost the entire 100-acre island all day.

And, if you asked me whether getting the medical exam and chest x-ray was worth it to do the forest walk with the chimps on Ngamba Island, my answer would be a resounding yes. It was really an incredible experience.

Chris

Wingi

Lynneb - Thanks for your input. You can't beat first hand experience.

Chris - Those chimp pics of Susan McConnell's are very good - I've seen other good ones from Mahale too. Maybe that's the best place to photograph chimps in the wild. We nearly went there last Christmas but didn't in the end.

After seeing your photos of Ngamba Island, we decided to overnight there. I've just got to sort out how long to spend chimp tracking at Kibale and Kyambura now!

atravelynn

At Kibale and Chambura, the photo conditions were not good, as is usually the case. I think I have one keeper at Kibale (tool using behavior cutting a fig branch with another stick!!) and none that I kept from Chambura because the chimps were high in the trees. (I also don't have fancy equipment and am not an expert photographer.)

As Chris stated, no cameras on the chimp walk and they do grab anything from pockets and try to eat it.

On balancing your days for photography, I think that unless you can devote more time than most of us have for our vacations, luck plays more of a role in Kibale and Chambura than whether you spend 1 day or 3 days. I wouldn't get my heart set on taking lots of good chimp photos because even though you may have outstanding, memorable viewing, the photos might not turn out so good.

Now at Ngamba I think there was a direct relationship between days spent and number and quality of photos. My first visit was for an afternoon & a feeding and I got a few nice photos. My four day stay volunteering at Ngamba produced lots and lots of great photos. But most were not at the feeding sessions, they were before and after. If you stay at Ngamba, then you can hang around for hours and get good shots. If you visit for the feeding session, you don't have that opportunity of sitting and waiting all day. The fact that I volunteered did not give me any additional opportunities for photographing chimps in their natural settings. If I had been there just as a guest, my photo ops would have been even more numerous.

No chest x-rays for me either at Ngamba. The medical was stuff a nuisance, but necessary for the chimp walk. I faxed all documentation in advance and got the ok on everything before I left home. I took the original copies with me.

Agreeing with Chris once again, I'd submit an x-ray of any body part they would like to do the chimp walk!