Gorillas of Rwanda - a must see.

As I woke up at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday for my gorilla adventure, I was still having serious doubts about whether spending the US$375 had been a good idea. I don’t very much money to spend in Africa and that amount was nearly a quarter of my total funds.

Before I came to Rwanda, Chris Redmond, a friend from last year’s journalism class, tried to convince me that the experience was well worth the price. I’m glad I took his word for it.

Kyla, Melodie, Emilie and I were the four interns taking part in the adventure. We made it to the gate around 7 a.m. and were put into a group together. We were just as promptly split up to accommodate the maximum limit of people for specific gorilla groups – Melodie and I in one, Kyla and Emilie in another.

While I can’t speak for Kyla and Emilie’s experience, I can say that they were finished and back at the gate by around 12 p.m. At that time, my and Melodie’s group had only just found our Gorillas.

Our hike can be split up into three distinct sections. For the first hour, we made our way through mist, fog, rain and mud. The second hour was an epic of negotiating a large field of “sting nettles” —quite aptly named plants, by the way. The third hour (and a half) involved fewer nettles and a lot of path making by way of a machete-wielding guide.

And yet, despite our slightly longer than expected quest into the jungle (made easier by trackers who radio the gorillas’ position to the guides), it was completely worth it. I could hardly believe it: wild gorillas were mere feet away from me, feasting on plants and caring for their young.

One female gorilla walked by our group. I was standing at the end of the line. As she moved past me, she swatted and grabbed my right leg. Luckily, she let go quickly and continued toward the silverback. It was all very surreal, to be there and witness such things.

The brush was thick and the steepness of the location made it hard to stand, let alone take photos. My best photos were taken with a 70-200mm telephoto lens, which I kept on my camera, in my hands for the entire hike.

The hike back to the 4 by 4 was just as long as the hike in. Seven hours of hiking, we were told, was quite a long time for one of these trips. It was certainly the most challenging hike I’d ever done in my life.

I think the attached photos tell the story in a way that words alone cannot.

When we finally got back to the gate at 4 p.m., we drove to a nearby village to pick up Kyla and Emilie from an internet café. We were back in Kigali by 6:30 p.m., ate dinner, and then went dancing at Cadillac for Christine’s 24th birthday.

We danced until 3:30 a.m.