The trail is narrow, with vines and trees close by, along with the dreaded stinging nettle plants. Gorillas I have missedĪs we started up the mountain, we were instantly in a thick, lush, tangled jungle - and climbing at an alarming incline. We were all given a carved, wooden walking stick, which would turn out to be a crucial help in beating a path through the nettles. Some spotters had gone on ahead to locate our gorilla family and they were in walkie-talkie contact with our guide. They called the ride "an African massage."īesides the tourists, our group included a park guide (a funny, energetic and entertaining man named Hope), a porter armed with a sharp machete and a soldier armed with a rifle (ostensibly to shoot any marauding mountain elephants or mountain buffalo, but more likely to soothe the fears of the not-so-intrepid tourists). Our group piled into the jeeps and headed off down an unbelievably rocky road to the trailheads leading to the different gorilla families. We were relieved, but we would soon be faced with the grim reality of an hour's hike on a Rwandan mountainside. We were told that the family we would be visiting was about an hour away, at least it was the previous day. Others are a much more difficult three- or four-hour trek. Some of the gorilla families are closer to the bottom of the mountain, which is only an hour's hike away. The trekking team: Rwanda guides and park rangers who shepherd tourists up the slopes of Volcanoes National Park. An African massageĪt the park office, everyone had arrived with their own jeep and driver and we were divided into groups of eight, loosely based on our perceived fitness. There had been two cancellations - and on our day off as well. The viewing permits cost $500 US per trekker, which generates millions of dollars for the Rwandan economy each year.ĭespite the steep fee, the permits are sold out most days, especially in the popular tourist months, such as July.Īs many as 12,000 gorilla watchers show up in Rwanda each year and when we arrived, there were initially no permits to be had.īut then we received a call. There are seven other gorilla families in the vicinity but they are off limits to ordinary gorilla watchers. There are seven distinct gorilla families living on the sides of this particular volcanic mountain and the permits limit their exposure to eight trekkers per family on any given day. On the other hand, supporters of the idea say the daily presence of tourists and trekkers on the mountain ensures the safety of the gorillas by keeping the poachers away. His previous reports were: Trying to come to terms with mass slaughter and Acquiring a taste for banana beer. ![]() He was teaching journalism this summer at the National University of Rwanda in Butare and sending back stories on his experiences there. Jim Handman is Executive Producer with the CBC show Quirks & Quarks.
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