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