En / Ru
Select a category

Trekking to Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda

"Bald gorilla?" - I thought that the guide of the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda was just playing a joke on me, I was too worried about which group of mountain gorillas we were going to visit. There are 10 gorillas communities in the forest of the park with are accustomed to the daily visits of people. Another wild group is being observed by scientists. Each family has a different number of members and alpha males with a silver color that have reached maturity, here they are called silverbacks. “Wards” are distributed every morning at the park office, families for a group visit are selected according to the principle of the physical preparation of tourists and remoteness in the mountains. You can express preferences, but not the fact that they will be taken into account. We got the Sabiyno group, known for its males - the world's only bald one named Big Ben and leader Guhonda, born in 1971, that is, the oldest and largest silverback in Rwanda. In total, there were 19 individuals in the Sabiyno family.

Moutain Gorilla in Rwanda

We sat in the visitor center of the Volcanoes National Park, where the guide Frederick brought us up to date in the early morning, the briefing was simple. Do not touch anything prickly, strange, do not try to eat it, speak only in a whisper, stick to the group, which will be accompanied by armed AK-47 trekkers. Porters will carry all the luggage and help climb mountains, move down from muddy hills, bypass swampy areas. Seeing a gorilla, it was recommended to say hello and then observe their life from a distance of at least 7 meters. It is forbidden to approach closer, but the prohibition is often violated by the primates themselves.

Young Mountain Gorilla in Rwanda

If the gorillas climbed up to hug, and this is rare, but it happens, it was prescribed to act according to the circumstances. Despite their impressive torso and strong arms, mountain gorillas are completely non-aggressive. But they protect their territory and do not let strangers into their forest circle of trust. If a silverback starts beating his chest with his hands, you can’t look into his eyes and continue to shoot. With a high probability, you can get a crack and at the same time a set of clearly obscene "gorilla" curses.

Guides in the Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

It was unknown, how long we had to look for gorillas in the forest. “We might we meet the the group in the meadow in half an hour, but there is a possibility that after three hours we will still be wandering through the rain forest,” Frederick continued. And although the trekkers who watch the gorillas and know their approximate location by dawn tell the guides information with coordinates, after a few hours the gorillas can easily change their location.

Meeting Point in the Volcanoes National Park Rwanda Handle stick Orange traveler in Rwanda

There were six of us in the group who came to Rwanda and wanted to see the endangered species of mountain gorillas with their own eyes, out of 80 tourists who receive official permission every day. We processed ours in six months, and who would have known that I would receive such a funny bonus - a bald ape. Having shipped all the baggage to the porter we shook hands for only $10, we set off through the chamomile field into the jungle of the rainforest. For convenience, each of the members of our hiking team was given a beautiful carved cane with gorilla heads on the handle.

Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda

We walked pretty briskly. We either made our way through the forests, then we crossed some marshy areas and fields with grass in human growth. Heavy clouds hung over the Virunga rainforest. I secretly turned to the Universe to make it rain later, after we saw the gorillas.

Jungles of Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

The forest was already so wet and dirty. I was worried that the technique would not withstand, the lenses would fog up, and I would lose the opportunity to change lenses. «Why did Big Ben get bald?» — I couldn't resist and asked Frederic, at the same time dodging a branch flying in the face. We have been walking for half an hour now, through a mist-shrouded forest growing on the slopes of Mount Virunga, full of amazing aromas of plants and mushrooms. Despite the overcast weather, the rain forest was stuffy and humid. The ranger said that Ben lost his hair at a very young age, the doctors did not establish the cause, and in general, he is absolutely healthy.

Bald Mountain gorilla Gorillas hand

We saw Big Ben first, he was sitting in a thicket of bamboo and thoughtfully chewing fresh sprouts. Its powerful body, large, muscular, was covered by shiny black hair, the skin on its chest and stomach, quite a beer, shimmered with silver. From time to time, Big Ben rose, turned to us with a strong backside, demonstrating strong pumped up buttocks and hips, and deftly, literally with one paw, broke another tree.

Big Ben in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

The bald head clearly reduced the degree of brutality, silverback Ben looked good-natured. It is quite possible that it was like that, the huge male did not pay any attention to us, although we were standing quite close. All cinematic analogies about a huge gorilla crushing buildings and throwing people with one left were instantly forgotten.

Family of Mountain Gorillas

Its family was nearby. In the impassable thickets, the young growth rushed around, deftly leaning on the knuckles of the fingers. Their trekkers are called troublemakers, they are the ones who can get very close to people. In order not to interfere with the races, we sat down for several minutes until the young gorillas sped away. The teenagers did not pay any attention to us, except for one case, playing catch-up, one of the youths quite noticeably shoved my neighbour with his paw, running past.

Cubs of Mountain Gorillas

The main group of primates was resting in a small trampled meadow, among ferns and giant lobelias. A huge silverback lay in the very center, its females sat around him, mothers pressed curly-haired babies to their chests, whose funny faces, small hands and heels caused the same tenderness as at the sight of human cubs.

Gorilla's cubs playing Female Gorilla and it baby

Some of the young females calmly basked on the fresh grass, some feasted on thistle leaves. The habits of primates, unconscious scratching in different places, picking their nose and even letting off gases were too similar to ours, in those moments when no one is watching us.

Young Mountain Gorilla ia playing

Gorillas are capable of making 26 sounds and with their help, it turns out, you can establish the first communication. "Good morning" in their language is very similar to a slight cough, like clearing your throat - heh, heh. Gorillas react instantly, the response khe-khe causes a storm of emotions - from incredible joy to a sense of kinship. Yet our DNA matches almost 98 percent. I wonder at what turn of the evolutionary road did we go our own way, leaving our genome brethren in the cloud forests?

Eyes of Gorilla

More recently, in the territory of the three countries of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there were only 680 individuals. At the time when Dian Fossey took up the rescue of gorillas, there were 250 of them at all.

Gorilla's cub Fingers of Gorilla Male of Gorilla

Diane did a lot to save the species, but she paid with her life because of her irreconcilable nature, not only desperately and by all means fought against poachers, but also clashed with the local population and the authorities of the country. One night, her throat was cut with a machete in her cabin in the mountains. The killers were never found. 

Gorillas's baby

Together we managed to raise the population. There are now more than a thousand mountain gorillas, but it is still very few. The female brings only one cub every two years. In 2019, a record number of babies were born - 25. In September, a special Kwita Izina ceremony is held in Rwanda, during which all newborns are given names. The honor of naming a gorilla falls to few it is trusted by celebrities visiting the country or prominent citizens. For example, this year a Rwandan boy, Emmanuel, who single-handedly paved a 7-km road in his village, was entrusted with choosing a name.

Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

Population growth pleases everyone, but scientists have begun to notice alarming bells. Groups of gorillas, which are becoming more and more, do not have enough habitat - the area of ​​the National Park of Volcanoes is only 160 square kilometres. Fighting for the range, animals often conflict with each other. In addition, gorillas began to get out of the forest into the villages more often to feast on eucalyptus bark, fruits or beans. Locals simply drive away a pack of mountain gorillas with sticks — animals break trees and fences.

Fun Mountain Gorilla

And the researchers are worried, because the monkeys during such shoots can pick up some kind of human infection. That is why you cannot go trekking to mountain gorillas even with the slightest runny nose, cough or virus. Great apes are very vulnerable to diseases. There have been cases when monkeys died from a simple rhinovirus, from which gorillas have no immunity. This was also advocated by Dian Fossey, believing that tourism would accelerate the extinction of the species. But while all is going well for mountain gorillas, few endangered species are so well cared for.

Mountain Gorilla I Rwanda

The hour allotted by the regulations passed after about a thousand frames and a good hundred videos. Dirty, in one wet boot - a hummock treacherously went into the swamp from behind my leg, with a torn pocket on my raincoat, with an itchy hand - I still accidentally touched the local nettle, but full of impressions, I returned to Bisate Lodge a couple of hours later. Sitting on the balcony, flipping through portraits of black gorillas on my phone, I could not believe that all this was real.I would love to repeat this incomparable experience, right tomorrow. But, alas, it was impossible. I promised myself to come back again.

How to get a gorilla trekking permit?

Big Male of Mountain Gorilla

The easiest way is to contact Wilderness Safaris and pay for the permit along with the accommodation reservation.

Another option is to contact the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) at booking@rwandatourism.comThe permit costs $1,500 per person and entitles you to watch one group of gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park for one hour.

A 30% discount is given to those who plan to visit two national parks in the country in one trip. Permits are issued only to persons of age over 15. If at the time of the trip to the forest the ranger notices a cold, the permit will be canceled, only 50% of the amount will be returned.

What to wear for a trip to the gorillas and what to take with you?

Orange Traveler and Mountain Gorilla Rain Forest

Trekking is carried out in any weather. The equatorial climate is very unpredictable, but it will definitely be hot, cool, and most likely humid. The most comfortable set of clothing should include trekking waterproof boots, trekking pants, a long-sleeved T-shirt or T-shirt and a light waterproof windbreaker, cap and gloves. Protective leggings that cover the pants from mud and raincoats are given at any camp before the trip. I prefer clothing from the Norwegian brand Bergans of Norway. The backpack that the porter carries can contain a sandwich, a couple of bottles of water, binoculars and a copy of the passport for registration in the national park. 

How to shoot mountain gorillas?

Hand of Mountain Gorilla

Due to the high humidity, you need to take care of a sealed bag and waterproof protection for the camera. Gorillas can be observed from a relatively close distance, so you don't need a powerful telephoto lens. A 70-200 mm lens with aperture ratio of 2.8 and a wide-angle lens of 17-40 mm were enough for me. There is little light in the forest, the shooting is highly dependent on the place where you see the gorillas. My group spent time in the forest more often, I had to set a minimum of ISO 640, most of the shots were taken with ISO 1600. You will have to shoot hand-held, the optimal shutter speed is from 1/500.

Where to see mountain gorillas?

Family of Mountain Gorilla

Mountain gorillas, a special subspecies of the eastern gorilla, live only in three African countries - the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda. The most convenient and safest option, but also the most expensive, will be a trip to Rwanda. The cheapest trekking is offered in the Congo, however, no one gives a 100% guarantee that you will see gorillas. The country has little to no infrastructure, security problems due to civil unrest, and Ebola outbreaks. Things are much better in Uganda. Tourists are treated in the same way as in Rwanda, the minor disadvantages include longer and more physically difficult tracks and a large abundance of insects in Bwindi Park.

Fog in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda


 
подписывайтесь на канал в телеграм

Leave a comment


 

Your comment will be added after verification by the administrator

1. By accepting the terms of this Agreement, the user allows the editor of the "Orange Traveler" blog to collect, store and process his personal data indicated by filling out the web forms at www.orange-traveler.com and www.olgarastegaeva.com - the site). Personal data is any kind of information related to a person directly or indirectly defined or determined individual (citizen).

2. The user also gives the permission of processing and cross-border transfer of the Company's personal data for marketing and informational distribution.

3. The basis for the procession of personal data are: Article 24 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and Article 6 of the Federal Law No. 152-FZ "About Personal Data" with additions and amendments.

4. While processing personal data, the following operations will be performed: collection, storage, clarification, transfer, blocking, removal, destruction - all the actions mentioned above only have the purposes specified in point 2 of this Agreement.

5. The company accepts the responsibility not to share the User’s  data with third parties. Sharing the data with third parties acting according to the agreement with the Company to fulfill obligations to the User and within this Agreement is not a violation of the rules.

6. Personal data is stored and processed until all the necessary procedures are completed or until the company is eliminated.

7. “Orange traveler” does not identify unregistered visitors and does not attempt to connect visitors’ technical data with their personal data. Any personal information shared with the Site by the reader is only processed according to the previously mentioned goals.

8. The consent can be withdrawn by the User or the User’s representative by sending a written application to the Company using this email address olga@orange-traveler.com. The User can also unsubscribe from getting emails using the “Unsubscribe” link at the end of each letter.

9. The User accepts the policy of using cookies files which is used by the Site and gives consent of getting the information about IP-address and other information about the User’s activity while using the Site. This information is not used for identifying the User.

10. While processing of personal data the company takes necessary and sufficient organizational and technical approaches to protect personal data from illegal access to it and from other illegal activities connected to personal data.

11. All information in the site is purely informative and is not a recommendation or motivation for any kind of actions. “Orange traveler” is not responsible for any actions committed using the published information. The Site and the apps can include links to third-party sites, products and services the content of which is not controlled by “Orange traveler” and the company is not responsible for it. It is recommended to learn about privacy policy of the third-party resources.

12. “Orange traveler” may use cookie files and other technologies which let us better understand the readers’ behavior, rate and improve the quality of the product and the efficiency of the advertisement. The information collected with the use of cookie files and other technologies is not personal information. However, IP-addresses and similar identifiers are considered personal information if it is envisaged by local law.