Blogs from Province du Nord, Rwanda, Africa - page 6

Mighty mountain gorillas Day 258 Christmas Eve After much anticipation Mountain Gorilla Day had arrived. We had the privilege of staying in a dorm that evening complete with bunk beds. However, the sleep was short lived as we were up at 5.30. After a short drive from the small Rwandan town of Musanzi we arrived at the mountain gorilla sight, a part of the Warandi massive, home to seven volcano’s and approximately 280 Mountain Gorillas. Our group split into two groups a medium trek and long trek group. Given that Carly had been feeling unwell for a few days we decided it best to tackle the medium trek. We had our briefing from Francis the park ranger and we were off to try and find a family of 13 Gorillas, called the Harati family. The family ... read more

If someone told you that I paid USD500 to see some apes in the jungle then you might laugh at him and call him a liar (especially if your name is Marc ;). Fortunately this time you would be wrong. Not that it was my idea to go and visit them. Kellie insisted on it in the beginning and I'm glad she did. There are three countries which still have Mountain Gorillas left which are Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (which is neither democratic nor a republic) and Rwanda. There is a limited number of gorilla trek permits each day in each country and our luck (or misfortune depends on how you look at it) had it that we went to Rwanda to see the gorillas. Rwanda issues about 40 permits per day (I leave it ... read more

It was an amazing experience, definitely a trip highlight! The trek itself was tough! We pretty much hiked uphill for 3 hours straight, gaining approximately 600m in elevation. The trails were muddy, and at times very steep. Also we had to be wary of the stinging nettles. When we did see the gorillas, it was on a steep hill and through dense bush, which made it tough for viewing, but the guide and trackers were amazing, and always tried to help place us in a better spot for taking photos and viewing the gorillas. We visited the Bwenge group which had one Silverback, two babies, and 7 females. Apparently it was also the group that was featured in the movie "Gorillas in the Mist". ... read more

I came to Rwanda with relatively little knowledge and even less expectations about the place. I knew there had been a recent genocide, I knew there were some gorillas hanging about somewhere, and I knew very little else. But now I’m a little more educated. Rwanda is obviously synonymous with the 1994 genocide. Up to 1.5 million of their people were massacred during a few months of immense bloodshed. Since that tragic scar the nation has progressed at an unbelieveable rate. They do not pretend it never happened and openly face up to the stigma. In 1998, president Kigame took charge, following a well-trodden route to power in Africa - from child refugee to guerrilla leader to president. During his premiership Rwanda has introduced several policies and reforms that are years ahead of other African nations. ... read more

Rwanda packs a fair punch for a small country - sometimes beautiful, sometimes grim, but always fascinating. ... read more