Sunday, September 13, 2015

Gorilla Trekking (Parc National des Volcans) Rwanda - August 24

Today we got up early to prepare for today’s incredible experience of Gorilla trekking. Tracking gorillas can take 2-6 Hours depending on their movements.

Felician brought hot chocolate and coffee and some biscuits/cookies to our cottage in the morning as we got ready. What a great butler!
We then went for a “big breakfast” and grabbed our snack bags in case we didn’t make it back for lunch. We were fitted with leg gaiters after tucking our pants into our socks and chose gloves that were to protect us from the stinging nettles and thistles as we hiked. I had waterproof pants so they decided I didn’t need the gaiters. Waterproof jacket and pants provided very good protection from stinging nettles and thistles.
We assembled at Volcanoes National Park Headquarters where our guide William negotiated with the rangers for which group we would be assigned. You have a choice of easy, medium or hard trek. We had asked for a “medium” and more importantly we wanted a large group if possible with at least one Silverback, some teenagers and a baby or 2. No guarantees of course as we were told it gets quite heated with the different guides trying to get what is best for their clients. While this was going on we were entertained by a wonderful culture show of dancers.















 
The maximum number of tourists that can visit a gorilla group is 8 and the maximum time you are allowed to spend with the gorillas once you find them is 1 hour. There are 10 groups of gorillas so only 80 permits a day are issued, which means you need to buy your permits way in advance….a year prior is not too soon.
These groups include Susa group, Sabinyo, Amahoro, Group 13 (Agasha group), Kwitonda, Umubano, Bwengye, Hirwa, Karinsimbi, Ugenda. Susa is the group Dian Fossey studied. Susa B and Kwitonda are often the hardest ones to get to.
We were assigned 2 park rangers/guides named Patrick & Lisa. We were also assigned Kwitonda which is the second largest group. (23 members as of the date we were there)
 Patrick
 Lisa
 
We each hired a porter that carried everything for us. They also help pull or push you to get you up the steep parts etc. Most are ex-poachers and they have been persuaded towards tourism to provide their income. So, even if you want to carry your own stuff, it’s better to help support them. They were such nice guys and truly helpful. My porter’s name was Andrew and Greg’s was Andreus.
 Andrew
 a few of the porters posed with us
 
We drove about a half hour over some pretty rough roads to get to where we were to start the walk. Then we did a gentle but kinda long walk to where we actually started the Gorilla Trek walking past fields of crops and gorgeous scenery of the surrounding mountains.




 
Then we came to a ladder we had to climb to start the actual trek up the mountain in search of our group.
There are trackers that spend time with the gorillas - about 7 hours per day to get a general idea of where to find them the next day. There are also security guards there that watch out for poachers and keep you safe from gorillas or other animals in the area.
Before we climbed the ladder we were given a briefing on the do’s and don’ts while with the gorillas. Most importantly if the Silverback charges, do not run. Look him straight in the eyes and stand up to him. No flash photography and stay together as a group and keep the proper amount of distance between you and the gorillas.




 
After hiking for at least 45 minutes (once we climbed the ladder) we were told that the gorillas weren’t where the trackers thought they were. So, we kept going until they finally got word (maybe another 45 minutes later) that we were close.
 our "trail"


 we stopped along the way for them to explain the vegetation


 Thistles

 stinging nettles
 me going through the jungle
 
As we came around a corner, the guide turned me to look up and there was a huge Silverback in the bamboo. He was hard to see, but it just takes your breath away. He got up and walked away so we went in search of the rest of them. There are 2 Silverbacks in this group that are brothers. This was the secondary Silverback. We came across a mother and a young baby, but she was very protective of the baby and wisked it away quickly.
 Patrick pointing the gorilla out to me (way top right corner)
 a bit better view of him


 mother & baby
baby
We continued on and some of our group went in one direction and stopped and Lisa took the rest of us to another area since there wasn’t room for everyone at the first stop. Greg was with the first group and I was taken to the other area.
You are supposed to be about 21 feet from the gorillas, but they were in close quarters and we were much closer. (Less than 6 feet, sometimes less.) Of course the gorillas don’t have to follow the same rules and they can approach you. I was very lucky that Lisa had me kneel down with a young gorilla in the background so she could get my picture with it. While I was down there, the young gorilla ran up behind me and then came up right beside me and pressed against my side. I was  hoping Lisa got the picture, but she was in the process of gently pulling me up and away. As she was pulling me away, the young gorilla patted me on the butt. Lisa wasn’t worried that the baby would hurt me, but the Silverback was really close and she was concerned the he might get upset. Highlight of my day! What a fantastic feeling as the little guy pressed against me. It’s called a “gorilla print” when they make contact with you and the rangers said they love when that happens to the visitors. I have read reports that even the silverbacks can run up and slap you in the chest as they run by you. I think I was the only one touched by one in our group, except there was a camera lady there that came with us as she was taking photos of the young ones for the annual baby gorilla naming ceremony and one came up behind her and the rangers chased the baby away from her. I’m sure Greg would have gotten the photo of the gorilla and I if we hadn’t been separated at that point. Definitely will remember that forever though!
 the young gorilla
 it came running up behind me before sitting right beside me pressed up against my side
 after it swatted me on the butt as I was pulled away by Lisa
 then, it took off
 Greg taking a photo of the Silverback

 me taking a photo of the Silverback


 
We watched one gorilla come swinging in on a vine and others rolling on the ground. Mostly they were just lounging around as they had eaten and were resting. If we had found them earlier they would have been more active. It still was just amazing to be in their presence. There are no Mountain Gorillas in captivity so the only way to see them is to do what we did. There are Lowland Gorillas in captivity which is what we normally see. Needless to say our hour went really fast and it was time to hike back.






























 
I don’t know why half of the group felt the need to literally run down the mountain, but run they did. Mind you we had to climb over fallen trees and just plain rocky terrain that was hard to see for all of the vegetation. Since I had wrenched my knee I was going really slowly. However there was a young couple that preferred to stay in the back as well. They wanted to take in the scenery and just enjoy the nature. It was irritating that the guide did not keep the group together at a decent pace. However, once the back 4 caught up with the front 4 we immediately took off again, meaning they got to rest and we didn’t. My knee was screaming and my porter was doing his best to help me along.
We stopped at a spot to have a rest and our snack bags.

 the porters take a much needed rest
 the Trackers and Security

 we're headed the rest of the way down the mountain
 
We made it down and drove back to the lodge with many of the village kids running up to the car and waving at us.











 Patrick and me dragging up the rear
 
 we got our official Gorilla Trekking Certificates
 


We made it back for a late lunch in the dining room and were ready for a shower.
We had told William that after our late lunch we would do the cultural village, but we heard there was a dance performance at the lodge in a couple of hours and we figured by the time we ate lunch and had a shower we would barely make the culture show at the lodge, much less try to cram in the village. My knee hurt too much to go back down the hill, so Greg went down to tell William we were skipping it and would do it tomorrow after the Golden Monkeys and lunch at the lodge. After getting showered and ready for dinner we made the slow walk down the hill to the main lodge. If I had had an ace bandage I would have put one on to see if it helped.
 Bronzy Sunbird

 
Oh, we also had been informed at dinner the night before that we did have to change from the suite to a regular cottage as the people confirmed at the last minute. ARGH! So, we packed up and Felician moved our things down one level to the cottage. It really wasn’t much different than the suite. It didn’t have a back patio and it didn’t have a small dining table, everything else was pretty much the same. It was just a pain to pack and unpack twice.
We were glad we skipped the cultural village as it gave us more time to just relax and have a cold drink and then the show started. They served us popcorn while we watched. It was very similar to the one we watched at the Gorilla Park Headquarters, except there were a few small children in this one. Very nice show.


















 
Then, we went in for a nice dinner and the New Zealand people sat with us and we compared Gorilla Trek stories. We both had asked for a medium group, but they found Group 13 in less than 15 minutes so their gorillas were pretty active. Of course our Gorillas were hard to find and were told we should find them in 45 minutes or so, but after 45 minutes the trackers said they weren’t where they had left them last. I think we had about 5 hours round trip. The camera lady that was with us had visited almost all of the groups and said our trek was definitely the hardest one she had done.
Well, another early wakeup call tomorrow for the Golden Monkeys, plus we had to check out and drive back to the city later that afternoon. We got back to the cottage and one of the security guys came in and built us a larger fire. Very nice!
We stayed warm all night!
 

1 comment:

  1. You earned your gorilla trekking certificate. I loved all the photos. I 'm glad you finally found the gorilla's.

    ReplyDelete