We stayed in a great lodge on the edge of Volcanoes National Park, we spent four nights due to the change in our itinerary which gave Sophie some time to continue dealing with the school crunch. The staff where friendly and enjoyed having kids around, as this is unusual at the lodge. Aiden engaged the manager in a game of soccer and Sophie had her volleyball out to practice. We stayed in traditional lodges, kept warm with a nightly fire and water bottles in the bed. Being at higher altitude meant it was a much colder and damper climate than we have been used too; we laughed at our overconfidence as Canadians to deal with the cold. The central lodge had the only internet. They warmed the building with large fireplaces lit mid-afternoon. Upstairs dinning area was an open balcony with blinds to keep out the wind, they would move a portable charcoal fire to the side our table for the early morning breakfast and provided cosy blankets. On our first night a local dance and drummer group visited, we were the only guest watching and then reluctantly participating in the show. Although we were told this show would only happen on our first night, the dance troop comes each night if staff can convince new guest to attend their show (thus increasing the chances for making tips). We found tipping in Rwanda a little difficult as each trek or activity seems to seems to have some combination of two guides (one learning), four trackers, a tour guide, and a driver. In addition you are also strongly encouraging to hire porters whether or not you need them. Supporting as many local people as you can helps prevent poaching and decreases poverty, but it also gets very expensive (on top of an already very expensive experience).
For our gorilla trekking experience we started early in the morning, we had breakfast at the lodge, then drove out to the orientation centre to form groups and orientate with our guide. It was amazing how many tourist where there to participate in the gorilla trekking. We then got back in the truck and drove the designated trailhead. We hiked through hilly farmland to the edge of the park over a few kms, with a couple hundred metres elevation. We took many short breaks, as the altitude was hard on the tourist lungs, the slow pace was encouraged “Polly, Polly”. We had chosen to participate in a medium difficult trekking group, we were strongly encouraged to hire a porter. As Canadians who do a fair bit of hiking, we did not need to use our Porter at all, but our fellow travellers, who did not have as much experience hiking benefitted from the extra porter. When we initially got the park, we learned from the gorilla trackers that the gorilla family we were going to meet had moved to a different location. This meant there was a higher and more difficult climb than anticipated.
Our first view of the gorillas through the mist was amazing. As they moved out of view we followed them. To reached the gorillas, we had to climb over a high stone wall (about 8 feet). It was a bit precarious, with lose stones. The tall gentleman behind me grabbed me suddenly when he became unstable, I was already on top of the wall and almost fell. There was another moment when I grabbed Sophie because one of the loose stones on top of the wall made me unbalanced. Luckily everyone remained safe, and we all had an incredible experience. We had amazing views of the Gorillas, including the silverback, a mom and a juvenile from the wall.
We then entered the jungle following the gorilla’s trail. They were travelling slowly, focussed on eating the bamboo shoots and thistles. The gorillas were not at all bothered by our presence and have been habituated to humans visiting. The family we visited was 12 in total, with one dominate male, 3 females, 3 juvenile and one baby (1year old). Although we have been told we would need to maintain 7 to 10 m distance the gorillas on their own would sometimes come quite close. The guides and trackers would also move us into positions for great photos and videos (closer to the animals). It was amazing to watch them closely for approximately an hour, observing their lovely interaction with each other and the young gorillas playing. We then headed out on a very challenging trek back out of the jungle. There were times we were crawling on our hands and knees, another time where we slid using rope vines approximately 8 feet down a steep dirt track. “Polly, Polly” from our leaders seemed to have gone out the window and we had to rush to keep up. There were times when you felt the jungle vines catch around your hiking shoes and even around your neck. Our group with eight visitors made every effort to help each other. Some of our fellow traveler would have had real difficulty without the help of their porters. We were shocked to learn that some of the less mobile tourists can hire a stretcher carried by 4-8 guides to take them to see the Gorillas!
The following day, Alastair Aiden and I visited the Buhanga Ecological Park, to experience the Sacred Forest on an Eco tour. This was a beautiful jungle were lava rock paving stones lined the pathway and are covered in moss. It had been used for many centuries as a place that the king would visit prior to his coronation, for education and spiritual guidance. Aiden was quite excited by the trail as he thought it looked like an Indiana Jones Site out a video game.
On our last day, we visited the Gorilla Guardian’s Village. This is very much set up as tourist destination to introduce you to traditional Rwandan culture. It is one of the ways the country and National Park system is trying to build a stronger economy for the local people living around the park as an alternative to animal poaching, which in the past has been very lucrative (gorilla hand ashtrays where once a sign of wealth and prestige). While at the village, we learned history of the local area, saw demonstrations on iron working for traditional tools, learned about local bee keeping, banana beer production, drumming, and dancing. They pushed us to take the opportunity to dress in traditional royal clothing, followed by a Rwandan style wedding for Alastair and I!
