News from Rwanda: Gorilla Tracking

Last week we went to Volcanoes National Park (formerly Ruhengeri) to see the famed mountain gorillas.  Many of you will recall that Dian Fossey spent years of her life studying and protecting the gorillas in their mountain territory, and working hard to dispel myths that gorillas were a danger like the fictional King Kong.

I am discovering that there are certain pivotal moments in my life where I am in the midst of a powerful experience and suddenly understand the professional life of someone notable in a way that I never had before.  Spending an hour with the Kwitonda Family of gorillas was one of those moments.  Dian Fossey made complete sense to me.

There is little one can say to describe the power of being so close to an animal so rare, powerful, and so human-like.  It was awe-inspiring, amazingly peaceful, and incredibly moving.  I truly believe that I could go there day after day and never get bored.  Like I said, Dian Fossey suddenly made perfect sense.

I am not alone in my wonder-struck phase.  Ryan too has been charmed by the gorillas.  Now, don't worry!  We are not packing up and moving to Volcanoes National Park.  But truly, if we were wealthier I can safely say that we would have spent several days tracking just to see the other gorilla  families.  As it is, gorilla tracking is a huge splurge for us, but looking back, it was well worth the price.  If you ever travel to Rwanda, you should not miss this same opportunity!

The last bit of information before I post the photos.  Please note that we were NOT in a car.  We hiked for roughly 60-90 minutes into the mountains where the Kwitonda Family was having a bit of breakfast.  (Omnivores!  No King Kong fangs to be seen.)  By national law, you may only stay for 60 minutes with the assigned family and then you must leave.  There are many families in the mountains and they move each day and night to varying degrees in order to find new food.  Thus, you never know exactly how long your hike will be when you sign up!  

How do you sign up?  You must buy a permit through the Rwandan government and they don't come cheaply.  Nor is there ample supply.  Only 50 permits are issued for each day of the year, so when you come to Rwanda in a "high season" like we have, you must plan ahead!  We wound up sharing a vehicle (which took us only to the trailhead) with 3 British medical students who had bought their permits on June 10, just 2 days later than us.  They were not given a choice of days on which to trek.  They could go on July 1 or they would not go at all.  

So, I will now post some photos which I admit don't capture the experience all that well.  But so it is with most photos.  If you have not received an invitation to view our videos (broadcasting from Rwanda!) on Gabble, please send me an email or make a comment on the post below.  We are currently posting video from our gorilla tracking expedition on Gabble.

Above is the Kinigi Guest House where we stayed the night before our trek.  To get here we spent 2 hours on a big bus, 20 minutes on a little bus, and 4 minutes on a "moto" or motorcycle taxi.  Total cost per person for all three legs of the journey was $5.00 - we are budget travelers.  Had we hired a private driver we would be paying $250-275 per day.  (Not in the budget.)

Gorilla tracking requires you to meet at the park office by 7:00 AM and they will leave without you.  So staying nearby the night before is quite useful.  We got a small clean room and breakfast for $50 US.  Profits from the guest house go to ASOFERWA which helps support women and children left "vulnerable and struggling" as a result of the genocide.  There are other places to stay which are much nicer, but they range from $100-$500 per night.  Maybe next time!

Presenting:  The Kwitonda Family

This first image is one of the two Silverbacks in the family.  He was the first gorilla we saw in the family upon arrival at their feeding spot.  Our guide Oliver was in front, a tourist from the Seychelles behind him, and I was next.  As we approached the feeding area a massive arm reached up out of the bushes and my jaw dropped open.  The woman from Seychelles turned here head slowly to me and whispered with the most shocked expression on her face "Did you SEE THAT?"  I think we were both a little scared but that emotion quickly passed.  As you can see, he is majestic, beautiful, and quite serene.

This next image may invoke fear, but I must tell you...he is yawning!  He had been eating and every so often you'd see him look really sleepy as though he might nod off.  Then he gave several great yawns and laid down to have a nap.  (See?  No fangs.)

The Here is one of the youngest family members - this little one is roughly 3 months old and thankfully came out of its tree a bit later to play with a furry sibling.  Cute no?

Seeing these two play and roll around a bit was definitely a highlight of the morning.  One of our British companions (from Yorkshire) referred to these small gorillas as being "so cooduhlay" and she was right.  They were VERY cuddly.