Travel- Gorillas in the Mist

"Oh my, oh my..." I couldn't speak, I couldn't get up ! I slid down a rain forest slope, covered in prickers, stinging from encounters with nettles and rolled to an anything but coordinated stop within 5 ft. of a Mountain Gorilla! The guide put his hand on my shoulder and made rumbling, clucking sounds. The gorilla eyed me, eyed the long shoot she was eating, tore off another chunk and continued to graze. We'd found the gorillas!

My dramatic face to face was the result of breaking through the thick tangle of vines and ground cover that we were bushwhacking through, losing my balance and hurtling down the slope. I was in Rwanda with http://www.rwandaecotours.com/ and along with my son, Ben. ( And traveling with an adult kid is another whole story -The Mother and I in Rwanda) We flew from Addis Ababa to Rwanda and were met at the airport in Kigali by Jamada, our eco tour guide and driver. I wrote earlier about the impact of Rwanda and the history of genocide. Ecotourism is a much more upbeat topic.

My daughter-in-law advised going with Rwanda Eco Tours for several reasons, not limited to cost , conservation and the incredible passion the young founder, Edwin Sabuhoro has for his work. Initially trained as a park ranger and guide, Edwin continued his studies in England earning not only a law degree but a masters degree in tourism and conservation. He returned to Rwanda on a mission. Briefly, he determined that conservation and tourism could only be partners if the local people, stuck in poverty, were given a stake in the outcome. Almost singlehanded he's turned a village of gorilla poachers into partners in the conservation effort. 20% of his annual profits are ploughed back into the village by way of potato seeds, training in art and crafts, revival of local customs. To date his efforts have transformed the life of one village; children go to school; crops are sold at a fair price; the villagers work with his organisation to sustain the gorilla population transforming former poachers into trackers, guides and porters; a cultural village has been opened and ground broken for a guest house; a mutually profitable partnership thrives. Check out the website and read this compelling story.

The afternoon before our trek Jamada took us to the cultural village created in partnership with Rwanda Eco Tours and villagers. Fun experience - I got to be a queen guarding the king's hut - I think her primay purpose was to weed out some of the additional wives - and try my hand a grinding sorghum seeds.

Our gorilla day began with a crack of dawn briefing at the headquarters of Parc National des Volcans (PNV) close to the Rwanda/Uganda border. On the way out from Ruhengeri where we had spent the previous night, we picked up a group five Americans, stranded when their Land Rover broke down. Arriving together at PNV we were informed that we were a group and that we would be on a moderate hike in to the forest. Ben, my son, and I disagree on the definition of moderate! It was a hard slog. We drove about 30 bone crushing miles over rock (note, not dirt but rock) roads to Muhuburu , our starting point. Local villagers were available as porters for anyone carrying heavy equipment - camera stuff I guess- . We met our guide Innocenti, and headed through the potato fields for the mountains loved it that the potatoes are called "the Irish". About 40 minutes of hard core marching brought us the "the wall" - literally a dry stone wall and deep ditch that marks the boundary of the forest. We were joined at this stage by two rather fierce looking, automatic weapon toting guards. I never did get a clear story as to why. Responses to my questioning the guides varied from "in case a buffalo attacks" to "we might meet poachers."

For anyone who hasn't bushwhacked through a rain forest , be forewarned - it ain't a stroll in the park! About an hour into the forest our guards made radio contact with the two trackers who had followed our gorilla family from their nesting spot the night before. At this point it was "take your camera, drop your packs and follow me" - with machete's slicing through the undergrowth we were definitely off the trail and 30 minutes of this brought me up close and personal with my first Mountain Gorilla.

It was an awe inspiring hour plus that we spent in very close proximity to a family group of around 14 gorillas lead by Charles, a massive Silverback. All the literature warns you to stay at least 7 metres away from the gorillas - they don't have the same rules! Face to face and close encounters were the norm. Not one sign of aggression, one or two rumbled "get out of my way" warnings and , yes, awesome, is the only word to describe the experience.

We watched juveniles romp in the tree canopy; Charles cock his head and restore order amongst young males and, perhaps in one of the most intimate animal encounters I've ever seen. A mature female was nursing her three week old baby; her eighteen month old swung out of the trees and demanded attention; she simultaneously nursed the baby, patted the toddler and then hugged him. It was profoundly moving, intimate and humbling scene that I was privileged to witness.



Check out Rwanda Eco Tours for details. Be aware that permits to the gorilla habitats are limited and expensive ~$500 but the fees are turned back into conservation work. If you go, I hope you come away with the same respect I did for this amazing animal and sense of privilege for being part of a once in a life-time experience.





End note: we couldn't resist putting a photo of a real gorilla into Anne Perry's column this month!


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