Gorilla Trekking

I try not to post about purely tourist activities very often. We don’t do a lot of it on these trips. It’s not the primary reason we are here. But it is hard to go to these places and not take advantage of the activities a little bit. This is one of those instances. And it is so incredible, I’m sharing it.

Purely coincidentally, the graduation ceremony from the prior day was in the same town as the headquarters of the national park where people can go gorilla trekking. I went trekking in 2014 in Uganda and swore I’d do it again, if given the chance. Claudia was all in for it, as well.

Above is a sculpture for the upcoming annual Naming Ceremony. Any of the Rwandan Mountain Gorillas who reach 6 months old are named.

The Mountain Gorillas are rare. There are about 1,300 left. But the population is growing. They only live in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. You can only visit them in Rwanda and Uganda.

Visiting the gorillas is very controlled. You have to buy an expensive permit. The gorillas are accustomed to having humans around them. But you’re only allowed to spend 1 hour a day with any family. No more than 8 tourists in the group, plus guides, porters and an armed guard.

Claudia and I hired a porter, which was more than a little necessary. You are hiking up a steep mountain (volcano) on a very muddy improvised trail at 9,000 feet elevation. I definitely struggled with the altitude, and being old and out of shape.

We hiked for about an hour into the forest. Spotters are allowed to stay with the gorillas longer than tourists, so they track them daily to make them easier to find each day.

Once there, we had a strict hour with these beautiful, gentle, playful creatures. Above a young one eats bamboo that she peeled. They are 100% vegetarian.

We are under strict orders not to get within 10 meters of the gorillas. And then our guides completely ignored that. At the closest, I was within 2 feet of one.

The family is about 15 individuals, from two silverbacks down to babies. The silverback is basically just gray hair on the older males. It doesn’t happen with females. The two silverbacks in this family were, in fact, brothers. The older one was the leader.

Below you can get an idea how close they came to us. The one below went into the bush on the left, and nearly came down on Claudia’s back later.

Below is a mother with a 2-month-old baby. This is the same one from the above picture, I believe.

They actually tell the gorillas apart, once gender is established, by the unique pattern of wrinkles on their noses. Each one is different.

Some of the young ones were playing much of the time. They play-fight, rolling around, hitting and biting each other, pounding their chests. The two below were playing. Got some great videos.

The #2 silverback in a contemplative mood.

Before going in to the gorillas, the guide taught us a few gorilla sounds to make to emphasize our peacefulness. We also got some lessons in what to do if the gorillas approach. The latter part came in handy a few times: Once when a silverback charged through some of the younger ones and about half a dozen scattered. We scattered to get out of the way.

They are pretty much eating or sleeping most of the time.

Below is a 4 month old.

Below the 4 month old is nursing. This is how we met them.

Interestingly, they said the gorillas sometimes have twins. One twin typically doesn’t survive, because the mother has to put one down in order to feed herself. Over time one gets weaker and passes.

After our incredibly exhilarating hour, we hiked back out.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see these beautiful animals again. Well worth it.