Mountain Gorillas in Northern Rwanda
This post is far overdue! Especially being that last Thursday was one of the most surreal experiences I’ve had to date. I’ll start at the beginning, as most stories should. When I began my preparations for Rwanda I came across several people who had traveled here before. Time and time again they told me about the mountain gorillas. That Rwanda was one of the only places in the world that they were still alive in the wild, and that you can go into the forests and track them. As amazing as the experience sounded, what they had done and described was a bit out of my price range, besides, it was the kind of experience that you want to share with other people. So while I admittedly said a God-if-only-there-was-some-way prayer, I never actually gave it more than a passing thought. Sure enough, God surprises me in the ways he seeks out my joy. And that is what this was, it was God seeking out joy and placing it right before me.
As stated, I didn’t plan on seeing the gorillas here. Then one day in the office I was talking to Becky, a regional coordinator for Food for the Hungry. She mentioned that she and a few friends where finally going to see the mountain gorillas, after having wanted to do it for a long time. Intrigued I began to ask a few questions. It turned out, a friend, Mike, had an SUV and was willing to drive; further, the cost was much less than I had originally been told. Suddenly this was looking like it might happen. After talking for a while she invited me along and ran it by the rest of the group. It was a crazy moment. One I’ve experienced before, the kind of moment that is best described by comparing it to a dream. It’s like that brief 5 seconds when you are a kid opening a Christmas present, you don’t have all the wrapping paper off yet, but the box is familiar and your heart leaps at the mere possibility of what lies just beyond and almost within your grasp . But this was even better. I started to see God’s love taking shape right before me. This is no exaggeration. Most people in the group that was going had lived in Rwanda for at least a year, traveled all over, but had not yet, until this very time, decided to go see the gorillas. Truly, God does want to bless his children and truly he knows better than any of us how to provide joy. I just can’t pass on making clear that this trip wasn’t just a great experience because of the experience itself; it was a gift from our Creator, from which all good things come!
Ok, on with the adventure. It all came together and I left Kigali Wednesday evening having tagged along with Becky. I soon met the rest of the group; Mike, Liz, Melissa, Hadley and Niloo. All live here in Kigali (except for Niloo who was days from leaving) doing amazing work for a variety of great NGO’s. We headed north, after a few stops for snacks and then dinner we finally arrived at the Kinigi Guest House. I think I finally got to sleep around midnight. Having enjoyed my six hours of sleep, I awoke to the obnoxious alarm on my phone. We at a quick breakfast, Becky got trapped in the bathroom stall and ripped her pants, and then we were on our way! (I know I eased that in there pretty casually, but there is a picture below that you can dwell on longer to get the full humor of the situation)
After arriving at the meeting point we were soon introduced to Augustine, our tour guide. Augustine, grew up in Rwanda, more specifically in a little town right near the Virunga Mountains. The mountains themselves are actually dormant volcanoes, they are covered in lush vegetation and are pummeled with rain almost year round. The Virungas, spanning across Rwanda, Uganda, and the DR Congo are the only place in the world to find the mountain gorillas. The gorillas were nearly extinct as poachers hunted them both out of fear, and for their pelts. It was Dian Fossey who fought like no one else for the preservation of these animals, as she perhaps better than anyone else, understood just how special they were. Okay, enough of the history lesson.
So as we talked with Augustine, and as a torrential downpour burst onto the scene, he described the group that we would be tracking- the Amahoro group. He explained that the group had two full grown Silver Back males, and that the gorillas can only be identified by their unique noses, similar to our fingerprints they are never alike. You can see part of the Amahoro group by clicking here.
The rain took a brief respite and we made a rush for the car. Mike did a great job navigating the jagged roads, bursting with volcanic rock. We made our way through farm land and in to a more remote village. After about a half an hour we arrived at the top of a hill, which was in turn the base of the mountain. We got out of the vehicle, threw on our rain jackets, and collected the handcrafted walking sticks that awaited us. I would later find out why Augustine had stepped into an extra pair of pants and large rubber boots. At that point the rain was intermittent and it was a bit chilly, but that was hard to notice as we looked upon the striking beauty of the mountain before us, only its base escaped the misty fog that enveloped the peak. I had my camera around my neck and with one hand kept it tucked under my jacket- now is a good opportunity to say that these were unlike any conditions I have ever shot it in; not only was it constantly raining, but the moisture in the air began to reek havoc with my camera and cause moisture build up between my lens and the filter. While I am pleased with the shots I ended up with, I learned a great deal and will be much better prepared to shoot in this kind of weather in the future! – Back to the story.
After 20 minutes of hiking through fields scattered with small huts, the dwelling places of local residents who farmed the land surrounding the base of the mountain, we reached the wall that marked the entrance into the national park. Augustine gave us a briefing that included what to do if hugged by a gorilla, how to conduct ourselves in the presence of the gorillas, and why we would be accompanied by men in full camouflage carrying automatic weapons. The latter was due to other animals that we could stumble upon (or more painfully, that could stumble upon us) such as forest elephants and buffalo. Apparently the sound of gunfire is a good deterrent. After the briefing we took a quick group picture and hit the trail. With each step I became more and more aware of just how amazing the experience was.
The rain had relented to a mere sprinkle, but not before leaving behind a muddied trail and blanket of mist. I felt like we were traveling through another world, maybe the islands of Jurassic Park, each step brought with it a further sense of awe. We continued on through the overgrown path for over an hour. Augustine was using a walki-talki to communicate with trackers who were looking for our group of gorillas. The trackers mark the location of the gorillas each night, then early in the morning return to that spot and follow the trail left by the group tracking it to their new location, at which point he radios the guides and gives them the new location. What a job!
After another half hour we reached a point in which Augustine told us to stop, asking if we were ready to push on he said the trackers had found the gorillas and that they were three more hours away. Though there is no way three more hours would keep me from continuing, I could see on his face that he was pulling our chain (Liz on the other hand looked a little apprehensive as can be seen in the photo below). So walking forward we rounded a corner and after a hundred yards or so met with several trackers. At that point we were instructed to leave our bags and walking sticks. The gorillas can be very curious, and bags tend to draw them a little too close; not to mention they can smell any food. The walking sticks on the other hands can cause aggression as they look like the spears that were once used to hunt the mountain gorillas. Since the average life span of the gorillas is 35, it is quite possible that some of the adults had crossed path with poachers.
After dropping off our packs Mike and I fell into the line behind the rest of the group and we made our way through the narrow path, freshly cut through the thick overgrowth by the machete blades of our trackers. We climbed up and then back down, then as I rounded the next bend I stopped in my tracks. The first half of our group was being signaled to stop and move back by Augustine, my eyes shot from him to the point upon which they where all gazing, a male gorilla had walked over and plopped down right next to them, enjoying a snack just inches away. We all moved to the side approximately 15 feet away. Out came the camera, time to fire away. I could hardly believe how close I was to this gorilla. We were transfixed upon his every move. As I pulled out my telephoto lens (which I am so grateful to Tara for lending me!) I locked on to the gorillas eyes, I was blown away with how expressive they were, though this followed suite with the amazingly detailed characteristics shown across the rest of his face. It was truly incredible.
Totally entranced, I don’t know how much time passed before the trackers motioned us over to another spot. A young gorilla emerged from the bushes. Then to the right a mother briefly passed in and out of view as she walked with an infant clinging to her back, arms hung around her neck. The plants were thick around us, including stinging nettles- ouch! As I looked around I realized we were at the outskirt of the entire group. In either direction you could see leaves rustling or patches of black fur contrasting against the surrounding growth. At one point a youth climbed up a nearby tree, demonstrating an acrobatic act as he picked some leaves to snack on, while casually hanging with his other arm.
The trackers used their blades to cut trails for us and clear a line of site to the gorillas. We moved from spot to spot, taking pictures, looking at one another in amazement, and just soaking in the experience. Our hour with the gorillas seemed to fly bye, and ended with the rain starting up again. My final shots were of what was presumably a mother gorilla, who had tucked her child underneath her, serving as a shield from the quickly forming downpour. For a brief moment she looked up and made eye contact with me, as she did I did my best to both shield my camera from the elements and capture the moment. Amazing.
The trek back down the mountain was much less cautious. I don’t know whether we were to excited from our encounter with the gorillas, or had merely surrendered to nature, but we plowed through those muddy paths. At points we would sink to our calves in the fresh mud. Again mist covered the mountain as we went over, under and around the overgrown vegetation. Some may think this is a bit much, I thought it was perfect. We eventually returned to the base, and did our best to clean up before getting into the vehicle. While I’m sure a part of me was disappointed to be leaving our magical adventure, I didn’t notice, I was still to overwhelmed by the experience.It truly was a gift from God. I can’t think of a better trip, and it couldn’t have been a better group of people. It was a privilege to be able to go along.
So, if you made it to this point, I hope you will take a moment longer to look through some of the pictures that will hopefully do a better job of conveying what I so inadequately attempted to describe. If you’re interested in seeing more pictures you can do so by clicking here.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” -James 1:17
