mountain gorillas

[Ken Gargett]

just saw this on the net. saw them in rwanda back in the late 80s. one of the greatest experiences imaginable. anyone else had the privilege?

 

An Epic Journey to Find the Endangered Mountain Gorilla

By Chandler Bondurant    Photo by Chandler Bondurant

I’ll say this about East Africa: it is one of the most beautiful and unique places I’ve ever been. It’s a place of lively culture, rich food and robust experiences. Having stayed at the Virunga Lodge, which sits atop a mountain with views of crater lakes and a range of volcanoes, and trekked into the jungle in the Parc National des Volcans to come face-to-face with wild, endangered mountain gorillas, I’ll also say a trip like this you doesn’t leave you unchanged. I came to see the ongoing impact of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and has successfully helped protect gorillas and increase the sustainability of villages surrounding Virunga National Park. And I left with one resounding conviction: if you have the chance to take this trip, take the opportunity.

The Adventure List

 

Find Adventure (and Luxury) in Rwanda and Uganda

 

Pre-Packaged Dopp Kits are the Travel Hack You’ve Been Ignoring

 

After arriving in Rwanda, I stayed a night at the Hotel des Mille Collines (the same one from the film). The hotel provided a beautiful sunrise view over Kigali the following morning, and after breakfast, we loaded up our black Defender 110 and began our journey to the Gahinga Lodge in Uganda. We arrived at the lodge after dark, where we were treated to a fire and a warm meal. The following morning, I woke up at sunrise to the sight of two massive cloud-covered volcanoes, right from the porch of my banda.

After an hour and a half of slow progress and meddling nettles, we made our way into a bamboo thicket where we found an entire family of mountain gorillas.

That day I hiked into the Ugandan countryside to meet up with the Batwa tribe to hear their history, learn about their projects, and receive instruction on traditional skills, such as using plants for medical purposes, bow hunting and making fire with sticks. In addition to learning from the Batwa tribe, I met with plenty of locals and experienced the unique lifestyles of families who live out in this rather remote area. The following day, we set out to track the golden monkeys in Mgahinga National Park. Guides led us into the bamboo forests of the park, where after some communication troubles with our trackers, we came across the playful golden monkeys. We spent an hour watching and photographing them, then hiked back to the lodge and packed up to head to the Virunga Lodge. Similar to the Gahinga, the Virunga lodge offers a 360-degree view from which you can see villages, two massive crater lakes, and the entire range of Virunga Volcanoes.

The following morning we set out to track the gorillas in the national park. Permits secured and guide in tow, we drove an hour outside of the town Kinigi to the start of the hike. The first mile of the trek is an easy walk through a village and accompanying farmland. Once we reached the jungle, however, it got messy. At this point, there was no trail. We blindly followed our guide and porters, communicating with trackers via radio and hacking our way through the brush. After an hour and a half of slow progress and meddling nettles, we made our way into a bamboo thicket where we found an entire family of mountain gorillas, including a 40-year-old silverback. For this part, words don’t really do justice. So here, I’ll leave the photos to finish to story.

Looking down into Kigali from the Le Panorama Restaurant in the Hotel des Mille Collines.

A bustling local market just outside the city limits of Kigali.

Some locals selling bananas by the roadside near the Ugandan border.

LEFT: Motorcycle seems to be the one of the more popular forms of transportation once you leave the city. RIGHT: In addition to motorcycles, the roads are populated with old 4×4’s like this Defender.

Children continuously followed us throughout the countryside, asking us questions and playing games.

The temporary sharecropping home of the Batwa tribe, who are currently in the process of relocating to land they own. This process is being made possible with support from the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust.

Late afternoon sun warming up the living room at the Gahinga Lodge.

A lone golden monkey searching for some bamboo shoots to eat in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Roadside scenes on the journey from Kigali to Gahinga.

A dormant caldera which Ugandan farmers have cultivated in its entirety to farmland.

Children taking a break from working in the fields curiously watched our group as we passed by.

Making our way up the steep dirt road to the Volcanoes Safaris Virunga Lodge at sunset with the Gahinga Volcano looming in the background.

LEFT: A member of the Batwa tribe showing a medicinal plant used in traditional healing practices. RIGHT: Yona, our lighthearted lead guide who has been leading treks in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for three years.

Our guide Francien discussing the events of the day with our trackers, who had been out since 5:00 a.m. searching for the mountain gorillas.

Abel, our secondary guide, carried an AK47 in order to ward off aggressive forest buffalos.

One of our porters, Deny, cutting a path through the dense jungle. There are no trails on the trek to the gorillas, and all paths have to be cut by machete through the undergrowth.

LEFT: Farmers out in the fields harvesting flowers, which are then dried and used in the making of pesticides. RIGHT: An adolescent blackback gorilla analyzing the members of our party as we enter their thicket.

A baby gorilla rides its mother’s back as she searches for food.

A small island on the massive Lake Burera at sunrise.

Gear used on this trip: Canon 5D MKIII, 70-200 2.8 IS II, 24-70 2.8 II, Patagonia Field Pants, Pendleton Fireside Shirt, Topo Designs Klettersack, Penfield Kasson Mountain Parka.

 

[Ken Gargett]

no idea why it did not include the pics. trying again.

 

okay - it did not, so try http://gearpatrol.com/2017/01/30/journey-to-gorillas-of-east-africa/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily Daily&utm_content=Daily Daily+CID_6233e049901ce6f676234d42699c11b8&utm_source=Campaign Monitor&utm_term=An Epic Journey to Find the Endangered Mountain Gorilla

 

 

[MrGlass]

I was in Rwanda last year and looked into arranging this but unfortunately I didn't have the time.  I was also really struggling to justify the cost as it is phenomenally expensive.

[Ken Gargett]

9 minutes ago, MrGlass said:

I was in Rwanda last year and looked into arranging this but unfortunately I didn't have the time.  I was also really struggling to justify the cost as it is phenomenally expensive.

do you remember costs (ballpark?)?

i ask as from memory, when i did it in the late 80s it was around $40 - for which you trekked in from near kigali with a couple of guides (group of 6 max, an all were part of our travelling group), dinner and accommodation in cabins (fairly basic). next day they take you out to look for the gorillas - no guarantees but usually not too hard to track a gorilla (they go to where they were last seen and follow the carnage through the forest). depending on the mood of the gorillas, you might (assuming you find them) get two minutes or four hours, though i think they have cut the time considerably these days. we had a perfect day and aside from an early charge or two by the silverback - really scary but they tell you under no circumstances to run or look at them as they might take it as a challenge. not running i could manage but not looking is near impossible. so you end up looking like some demented flamingo with an inverted head trying to look but not be caught looking.

then we had the most truly magic day. sadly, this was back in the days of film so photos rationed but i got a good number.

and i think i have told the story of jambo investigating me before. really was the most amazing moment of my life.

[Dijit]

This one is on my bucket list for sure. I was given my nickname based on one of the gorillas in the movie "Gorillas in the mist" and I have wanted to go ever since then.

[Ken Gargett]

2 hours ago, Dijit said:

This one is on my bucket list for sure. I was given my nickname based on one of the gorillas in the movie "Gorillas in the mist" and I have wanted to go ever since then.

loved the book and was so keen to see the film, came out shortly after i had seen the real things. found the film really disappointing, as it was so easy to see the fake gorillas. which was most of them - blokes in suits. i think these days, they'd do a way better movie.

the story of digit is truly heartbreaking.

[MrGlass]

13 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

do you remember costs (ballpark?)?

It starts at around US$1000 and goes up from there depending on how many days your paticular trek is and where you stay.  The park entry fee alone is US$750 per person per day, but of course you need guides, transport, accommodation, etc. A tour like yours (which is the smallest they recommend and what I was looking at) was around US$1300ish from memory.  So with the AUD to USD exchange rate it got pretty expensive fast.  The time spent with the gorillas is limited to 1 hour once you find them now as well.

You did tell the story of Jambo here - I inadvertently found it while I was preparing for that trip.  Although from memory, you promised to scan the infamous photo but never delivered.  It would be great to see it if you can find it.

[Ken Gargett]

5 minutes ago, MrGlass said:

It starts at around US$1000 and goes up from there depending on how many days your paticular trek is and where you stay.  The park entry fee alone is US$750 per person per day, but of course you need guides, transport, accommodation, etc. A tour like yours (which is the smallest they recommend and what I was looking at) was around US$1300ish from memory.  So with the AUD to USD exchange rate it got pretty expensive fast.  The time spent with the gorillas is limited to 1 hour once you find them now as well.

You did tell the story of Jambo here - I inadvertently found it while I was preparing for that trip.  Although from memory, you promised to scan the infamous photo but never delivered.  It would be great to see it if you can find it.

wow! my tour was the only thing on offer back then. the one hour sucks but i can understand it. but it is still an extraordinary thing to do. you'd never regret it.

will try and find the pic.