"Gorillas in the mist"

My experience with the Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda left me with many mixed emotions. 

The start of the hike

Being so close to these majestic apes in their habitat was humbling. The gorillas are enormous and you always had the feeling that they know you were in their territory and that they had the upper hand. Our presence did not seem to bother them, however they were very aware of us.  We were able to see them in their own environment doing “gorilla” things and this was an awesome experience. 

It was absolutely awesome

 

2 meters from the group

You are only allowed to be near them for one hour to minimize the stress to the animal and I found it difficult to decide if I should just observe or use the time to take photos and videos.  One did not want to miss anything and looking through a viewfinder seemed to restrict the view of the family so close to us.


The "brother" who played with everyone

The incessant noise of the shutters and beeps from the cameras also did not seem natural but in hindsight I am glad I did take photos/videos as IO have watched them over and over again and have relieved the experience and see different things every time.

A Chameleon

The whole experience left one me with a feeling that we as humans need to do more to ensure that our children get to see these great apes in their natural habitat and the high park fees which we paid are helping to pay for the guards, the local villagers and much more, therefore ensuring the park’s viability and sustainability.


The group which we went with included an American ape veterinarian.

 

Her experience in conjunction with the local guard and park ranger left us with a better appreciation of the gorillas and their unique behaviour.  This included trying to learn ”gorilla” and the sounds they make to communicate amongst each other.  The one sound we needed to know was how to calm them down and literally say “we come in peace”

Whilst on the mountain we also got to see the mountain buffalo and many different plant species and this made the trip something to remember.

 After bidding our fellow group members and guides farewell, I left, humbled and very aware that I had just been fortunate to experience something very special.

 

The 9 month old baby captured everyone's heart