Africa: a word that conjures up images of exotic cultures and wildlife. Africa: one of the last places on earth where you can still see the herd migrations as they were long ago. For the fourth time in my life, I had traveled to Africa to experience its wonders. At least, that is what I kept telling myself. On that morning in early June, I wasn't really thinking about the wonders of the dark continent. Instead, I was trying to move through a haze of exhaustion and sweat. After three days on airplanes coupled with less then 4 hours sleep it took every ounce of energy I had just to keep moving up the mountain.

For those who do not know me, I am a wildlife photographer who spends a part of every year photographing wildlife around the world. My arrival at the Mahale Mountains National Park was met with a combination of excitement (I had finally arrived) and concern (what have I gotten myself into). Mahale is located in Tanzania along the coast of Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world. Hippos, crocodiles, and an amazing diversity of fish are all reasons to visit this beautiful part of the world, but that is not why I came. I came for chimpanzees. Mahale is one of the few places where wild chimpanzees permit people to approach at close range.

At eight the next morning, our guide led a small group of us into the mountains. The hike itself stared off easily enough. Over the next few hours, however, the altitude increased and the humidity skyrocketed. After the first two hours, we left the trail and cut a path through the forest. Cut-cut-step. Cut-cut-step. For hours this beat became the focus of my life. It was all I though about. Cut-cut-step. Cut-cut-step. It wasn't until our guide motioned for silence that I realized something had changed. It had taken four and a half hours, but we had arrived.

Our guide could sense our excitement, but he held us back a minute to remind us of the rules. Pictures were fine, but flash was not. While we were welcome to move around, the best sightings would result if we moved slowly and stayed low. Most importantly, we could not approach closer then 30 feet and we must wear surgical masks at all times. Yes, that's right, surgical masks. Because chimpanzees are so similar to humans, they are able to catch many of the same diseases that we get. Unfortunately, their immune systems are not up to the task of preventing illness. These rules are in place not to prevent visitors from getting up close and personal. They are in place to keep the chimpanzees alive in a world that has become increasingly difficult to survive in. The previous year 20% of the troop (14 chimpanzees) died because a visitor had the flu and did not following the park's rules. Many wildlife managers fear that the love and admiration that tourists feel for the chimpanzee might eventually be what kills them.

As we moved forward, I began to hear sounds. The occasional hoot followed by the movement of branches acted as a beacon into another world. As we moved down the hillside, I caught my first glimpse. There, sitting in a tree was a female chimpanzee and her baby. Occasionally they would look down at us, but most of the time they went about their lives as if we weren't there. A little further down the hill was another female. This one was eating fruit up a tree. As we moved around, we saw groups of chimpanzees everywhere. Some were resting, some were eating, and some were playing. I was particularly fascinated by the youngest members of the troop. With what appeared to be unlimited energy, they climb and jump out of trees, bounce over sleeping adults, and roll down the hill like little furry balls.

At the end of the hour, we packed up our stuff and began the four and a half hour hike back to camp. Three days later I met up with other photographers and spent three weeks photographing lions, hyenas, and zebra. I had lunch on top of a kopi in the Serengeti while watching 300,000 wildebeest as they covered the landscape. On the flight home, however, it was the memory of my time with the chimpanzees that stayed with me as I drifted to sleep.

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Chris Gamel has been an active wildlife photographer for the past 15 years. The combination of his biological research and photographic interests has taken him around the world. In 2001, Chris discovered the joys of digital photography and he hasn't looked back. Chris lives with his wife and daughter in Salt Lake City where he teaches courses at Weber State University and Salt Lake Community College. To see more of Chris's photography, visit his web site at www.Animal-Antics.net.