Balancing Act

Deep in Uganda’s Kyambura Gorge, a family of endangered chimpanzees struggles to survive. Can conscientious tourism help save them?

Visitors to the Kyambura Gorge often liken the prehistoric-feeling rainforest to Jurassic Park. The lush habitat, carved deep into the vast savanna of Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, feels otherworldly, with a mist-shrouded river running through the center, drawing hippos and elephants to its edge, while overhead, lions lounge in the trees. The gorge’s story—a family of stranded chimpanzees, a majestic sunken forest, and a battle to save a habitat—offers a compelling look at the role mindful tourism can play in conserving these rapidly disappearing, crucially important ecosystems.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is situated in the heart of the Albertine Rift, a biodiverse valley of forests, savannas, and waterways on the central-western edge of the country. It was once home to a robust population of big game animals, but under the rule of dictator Idi Amin, following a coup d’etat in 1971, the country plunged into a decline that opened the door for poaching, ivory trading, and rampant deforestation. This period was devastating not just for the citizens of Uganda, but for the ecosystem and wildlife, including the chimpanzees and their habitat.