On the flight to the Equatorial African destination I flipped through the pages
of my travel guide on Rwanda. I did not know what to expect of this nation that
brought memories of a genocide just over a decade ago.
My welcome was warm and formalities were a breeze. After a short drive I was
delivered to the Hotel des Milles Collines (popularly known as Hotel Rwanda).
The next day, after a healthy breakfast I took a walk into the city of Kigali.
Much to my surprise there was not a moment that I felt uncomfortable or unsafe.
As I meandered through the busy streets my lessons at the Alliance Francaise
came in handy as my command of the French language was put to test in asking
for directions. Convinced finally and enlightened I ventured on away from the
city of Kigali after midday. Even though I had the option of a hired vehicle
I opted for public transport on the local mini buses in order to get a real feel
of the culture of the Rwandese people. A smooth 2-hour journey through the hilly
countryside had us in the small town of Ruhengeri where I met my local guide.
He was to spend the next few days showing me his backyard and educating me about
life in the mountains with the gorillas and golden monkeys.
The first couple of days we climbed volcanoes and walked areas in the ecotone
of the forest and the farmland. This gave me an understanding of the competition
for habitat between man and the rare primates but I must admit was absolute punishment
because we had not attempted to see the primates yet. Eventually my time had
come.
Starting off with and early morning briefing while enjoying a fresh cup of Rwanda
coffee we were divided into groups depending on which family we wanted to track.
Sussa’s group (named after the largest and eldest silverback) was the largest
family in existence but on some days was a 6 hr hike into the forest. Knowing
me, always being up for a challenge I journeyed on with 3 other guests and our
guide. A short drive had us at the base of the volcanoes. In half an hour of
climb through some fairly open terrain we arrived in the Sussa home range at
which stage we were met by 2 armed soldiers that were going to guarantee our
safety and that of the gorillas in the forest. A porter also joined but we all
insisted on carrying our backpacks. The trek was probably quite steep but the
pace at which it was taken and the excitement of seeing our first gorilla kept
the whole party going. Occasionally a path had to be cut though the dense vegetation
We had been walking a total of about 3 hrs when our guide signaled us to drop
our packs and leave any food and extras behind as he thought he heard the activity
of the troop. A more detailed safety briefing was given. Cameras were all we
had and we cautiously crept through the forest.
With an eye that has been trained over the years to look into the distance I
was surprised when the guide stopped us and I almost fell over and released tears
of joy as I set my eyes on a young gorilla within ten yards of us. Further inspection
of the bushes revealed at least a dozen gorillas going about their days work.
My camera was out of action for the first fifteen minutes of this experience,
as I had no choice but to follow my mind and just savor the moment. Before we
knew it the troop was coming to congregate in an open area and in our view we
had all 38 of Sussa’s family. This included two 8-week-old babies (first
twins to be recorded in the wild). My camera finger then took over and befor
I knew it we had spent 45 minutes with them. Midway during this precious sighting
a year old gorilla stood up, beat his chest and ran in my direction “lightly” hooking
my calf as he went past. I realised at this instance the might that a large silverback
would have had he done the same and was the first to give way when Sussa decided
to walk past. With four other male relatives there were a total of 5 silverback
gorillas in this group. Even though these large primates weigh about 500 pounds
the way they carried themselves around he rest of the troop was most charming
and humbling. Time flew so fast and before we knew it our guide advised that
we had to make the most of the last moments as our time was coming up. We had
spent over an hour with this family of near extinct primates. To avoid exchange
of diseases and infections and as a way of respect to the life of these wild
creatures, time spent was limited to about an hour. On leaving the troop, I struggled
not to shed a tear and I reassured myself that one day I would be back to share
this experience with small groups seeking a rare adventure. This hour with the
gorillas has to be one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
The walk down the slope felt like a ten-minute stroll in the park as all the
time my mind was focused on reliving the experience that I had just had. A few
more days that included a short and unsuccessful attempt at golden monkey tracking
and it was time to head down the African continent. After a few days in Rwanda
I felt like I had lived there a few years and memories in this country remain
close to my heart.
