We boarded another small plane and headed to Rwanda. We had purchased our gorilla permits many months in advance. They were for a specific date and that meant we were going rain or shine…I was not looking forward to hiking uphill in the rain that was predicted.
We went to the Genocide Memorial in Kigali. I learned so much about the horrible events of 1994. The docents were mostly descendants of the Hutus and the Tutsis. Their message was one of forgiveness not one of hatred or retribution.
Our next day was a trip to see the Golden Monkeys. They had just recently come down out of the trees to feast on the emerging bamboo shoots (yes, the kind we eat in Chinese food). They were so busy eating that they barely noticed us!
The next day was our hike to see the gorillas. There were 8 of us with 2 guides, 2 trackers, and 1 armed guard (he was there to protect us from rogue buffalo!). There were porters available for hire and we chose to use that service…they carried any gear that we didn’t want to carry, assisted us up slippery/root covered/muddy slopes, and even offered to carry us if necessary (not). These men were once poachers in the gorilla forest and the government encourages them to work as porters and farmers to discourage them from killing the gorillas.
When we arrived at the location where our “family of gorillas” was last seen we put everything down except for cameras and headed into their overnight camp. Gorillas spend the day foraging and playing and then move to a new camp each night.
Wow!!! I knew they were big, but seeing them up close was amazing.
Our family consisted of 3 silverback males, 5 females, and 4 youngsters.
The kids were getting a bit rowdy and dad had a few comments:
The one below is Charles, the head of the family.
Our last look as we headed for home:
Tip: Buy the gorilla tickets way in advance, wear sturdy/waterproof hiking shoes/boots, hire a porter to help (even if you think you don’t need it…good for you and good for them)
so…