Trekking mountain gorillas
Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 1:52pm
For the second time in less than two years, I’ve had the wonderful fortune to see mountain gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
There are only about 750 mountain gorillas still living the wild. Rwanda has some 250 of them in 14 habituated groups (accustomed to the presence of humans) – seven are part of the country’s tourism program while the other seven are studied by scientists at the Karisoke Research Center. Karisoke began in 1967 when Dian Fossey set up her primitive base camp with a porter and a cook.
On September 23rd, we visited Group 13 led by the silverback Agashya. There are 25 gorillas in his group, 10 of which are Agashya’s wives.
The trek began with a three-fourths mile walk through cropland to a stone wall marking the park’s boundary. The three foot high wall went up five years ago and serves two purposes – to keep animals such as elephants and buffalo out of the crops and to let villagers know where the protected national park begins.
We hike uphill along muddy pathways, slowing climbing in elevation with every few steps. After an hour and 15 minutes we reach Agashya and his group. The gorillas are scattered and moving slowly in several directions through thick stands of bamboo – occasionally stopping to eat the fresh shoots and leaves. Our guides, Francois and Eugene, are constantly moving us into position for a better view and photo/video opportunities. I had no luck with my digital camera since flash is not permitted near the apes. The Sony HD camcorder I lugged along worked fantastically. It shoots broadcast quality video and performed great in the low light conditions.
Towards the end of our one-hour, $500 visit, Agashya and his family moved into a clearing which provided a breathtaking five minutes of close contact viewing. As with my first visit in 2007, the mountain gorilla experience with its magnificent beauty, unique sounds and distinctive smells will be a cherished for many days ahead.
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