Rwanda's famed mountain gorillas, trapped for many years in a war zone, have managed to survive, taking a small step back from the brink of extinction.
Over the past few decades, Rwanda's gorilla population has increased by a remarkable 10 percent despite a horrific human genocide, incursions into the park by armed rebels, human-spread disease, occasional poaching, government upheaval and constant pressure from land-starved peasants, who hoe their potatoes less than an hour's easy walk from the gorillas' sanctuaries.
Today, more than 350 of the world's most endangered gorillas slip through the misty rainforest below Rwanda's towering Virunga volcanoes. Altogether more than 650 of the woolly black gorillas, first described by a German explorer a century ago and made famous by their murdered protector, American primatologist Dian Fossey, survive in two small areas of cool mountain forest in Uganda and on the Rwanda-Congo border.
The gorillas, one of Rwanda's few major tourist attractions, were the country's third-largest source of foreign income in the late 1980s, behind coffee and tea. Tourism has now been rebuilt post-Genocide, and with foreign visitors handing over hundreds of dollars each to see the gorillas, the government has a powerful incentive to protect them. Guards now keep an eye on the gorillas at all times, not just when tourists come to visit. Tourists, once allowed to touch the gorillas, now are kept a minimum of 20 feet away to prevent the spread of colds and diseases. Visitors, brought into the park in very small groups, are also limited to no more than an hour a day with the gorillas to keep stress levels low.
Our Chance to Visit the Gorillas Coming Right Up in November!
In all the times I’ve been to Rwanda and the Congo, I’ve never seen the gorillas. My schedule has always been spent teaching and training, and I haven’t been able to afford the time or the funds to venture outside of Kigali to see them. But every time I’ve come here, I’m asked by the Rwandese, “Have you seen the gorillas?” (These photos were
taken by people who have been to see them.)
It was with this in mind that I stopped in to see the manager of the Primate Safari (http://www.primatesafaris-rwanda.com/inrwanda_info.php) outfit in Kigali on February 17th to arrange a package for the second half of the trip in November for our group. There are many such companies, but Primate Safari is one of the best and not only focuses on trips to see the gorillas but also to other sites and parks in Rwanda.
Here’s the exciting itinerary I put together with Primate Safari for the second half of the upcoming trip to Rwanda for those who attend the Symposium:
Day 1: KIGALI and AKAGERA GAME LODGE
After lunch in Kigali, we’ll check out of the Lemigo Hotel and drive to Akagera National Park. The park is set at a relatively low altitude on the border with Tanzania. Akagera National Park is scenically dominated by a labyrinth of swamps and lakes that follow the meandering course of the Akagera River. We’ll enter the park for an evening game drive and then have dinner and stay overnight at the Akagera Game Lodge. Akagera is home to a variety of game, and it's an exciting reserve in which to spend some time, and will be an interesting contrast to the more mountainous latter days of the tour. There are plenty of animals around and the birdlife is quite exceptional. Mammals include a healthy population of elephant and buffalo, plus 11 species of antelope including impala, common duiker, defassa waterbuck, bushbuck, oribi, tsessebe, Cape Eland and the rare sable antelope. Hippos are present in impressive numbers in the lakes and rivers and Zebra and Giraffe still roam the more open acacia dotted plains.
Day 2: AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK GAME DRIVE and VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
After an early breakfast, we’ll enter the park for a morning game drive. After game viewing, we’ll drive to Musanze, have dinner and stay overnight at the Gorilla Mountain View Lodge.
Day 3: VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK and the GORILLAS TREK, Then RUBAVU
After the morning wake-up call and breakfast, we’ll report to the park headquarters for gorilla trekking formalities and a briefing by the Volcanoes National Park’s guides on the gorillas’ etiquette. The gorilla group that you will visit will depend on the assignment of visitors to the seven habituated gorilla groups. Park rangers will have already left to locate the Gorilla groups that are accessible to visitors on that day. You will be assigned to a specific group of gorillas. Groups of trekkers will have a maximum of 8 visitors per gorilla family. Your trek will vary in length depending on which gorilla group to which you have been assigned and will commence at about 7,000 feet of altitude in the upper terraced slopes of the volcano. Soon you will enter the forest of bamboo and thick undergrowth. You’ll follow paths and the walking is steep but not overly strenuous. Nothing can prepare you for the impact of encountering a fully-grown silverback gorilla: up to three times as bulky as the average man, yet remarkably peaceful and tolerant of human visitors. There are no words to describe the thrill of recognition attached to staring deeply into the liquid brown eyes of these gentle giants, which share some 97% of their genes with human beings. After locating your assigned Gorilla group you will spend one hour in their company before retracing your steps back down the volcano slopes. Lunch will be taken at the lodge. Then we’ll drive to Rubavu (Gisenyi), located on the shores of Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is a 2650 Square kilometer freshwater expanse and the largest of all the lakes that fill the valleys of Rwanda. We’ll spend the night at Gorillas Lake Kivu Hotel.
Day 4: RUBAVU, THE TWA and KIGALI
We’ll relax by the shore of Lake Kivu and visit the surrounding environs in the morning. On the way back to Kigali, we’ll stop at the compound where I’ve established relationships with the Twa, if we get permission from the local government officials in advance. It’s one thing for me to visit them alone, but to have a large group visit and bring clothing and other gifts would be looked upon with great suspicion. (In fact, we left fairly abruptly when we visited because Pauline noticed two of the officials coming up the hill to see what was going on, and fully expected the Twa to be questioned after we left.) But we’re going to do our best to get whatever permissions we need prior to November. After our visit, we’ll drive to Kigali and spend the night, once again, at the Lemigo Hotel.
Day 5: CITY TOUR, CRAFT SHOPPING and DEPARTURE
Our flight is likely to leave at night, so we’ll have a Kigali city tour and then shopping for crafts during the day. Primate Safari will then provide our transportation to the airport after we check out of the hotel.
We’ll be taking this tour in 5- or 7-seat 4-wheel-drive vehicles in which everyone will have a window seat. The drivers/guides will all speak English (as well as French and a number of African languages) and know an enormous amount about Rwanda and about the places they’ll be taking us.
What I’ll Do Next
My job, once I get back to Louisville, will be to put together the entire package, inclusive of everything for the Symposium and tour, the flight, the hotels, etc., and begin to let people know that there are only 25 places available for this extraordinary opportunity. It looks like the dates will be November 8th to 18th, 2011, so mark your calendars and remember to let me know if you’re interested in receiving more information about this extraordinary opportunity!
Next:
An update on the Quaker Peace House and what’s going on with the people whom I’ve trained in the Congo.
Recent Comments