Rwanda is a truly singular African country.
A small country with landscapes each more striking than the last (volcanoes, lakes, forests, rice paddies, tea fields…). We wanted to share an experience without equal: the encounter with the mountain gorillas.
For our first trek, we are assigned the Susa group.
This is the largest group, with 34 individuals; the dominant male is named Le Pleureur (“the Crier”, for he cried constantly as a baby). After a good two hours of fairly difficult climbing at the heart of the Karisimbi volcano, we reach the vicinity of the clan. The guide and trackers give us the final instructions.
Camera and camcorder are ready.
Here we are, the long-awaited encounter…
The group is not at full strength, but some fifteen individuals are present, including the dominant male. Every generation is represented: babies, subadults, blackbacks and the silverback.
The group is resting in the shade. It must be said that today the sun is particularly strong across the whole of Volcanoes National Park.
There is no trace of mist. The air is heavy.
The first look exchanged is moving, it’s astonishing!
Only a few metres separate us.
We are truly very close.
The youngest move first. The silverback sleeps peacefully under a tree beside his females. The young ones eat while keeping an interested eye on their visitors.
An infant just a few months old even reaches out to touch the shoe of the youngest visitor of the day. This bold youngster is immediately scolded by its mother, who pulls it back to her side.
A subadult moves a short distance from the group, passes close to me and briefly touches my shoulder before continuing on his way.
We have been in the company of this group for almost an hour when suddenly the silverback gives the signal for imminent departure.
A magical moment: the male stands up (1.80 m, over 200 kg) and lets out a few hoarse cries.
The clan rises and disappears uphill into the luxuriant vegetation.
Everything is captured on the memory card. It is clear that the silverback is the Lord of the Volcanoes.
The encounter with the mountain gorillas remains, to this day, the most unforgettable, the finest encounter we have had the chance to experience.
Their behaviour and attitudes are so similar to our own that one can truly speak of a human encounter more than an animal one. They are indeed our cousins!!!
The power and the serenity that the silverback radiates are such that no one can remain indifferent.
We return in awe of this experience.
One should not think that Rwanda is limited to the mountain gorillas…
Akagera National Park admittedly lacks big cats (a reintroduction project involving around twenty lions is planned) but it is rich in herbivores and offers magnificent landscapes.
The shores of Lake Kivu are splendid, with fishing boats setting out at dusk to practise traditional fishing.
The Nyungwe Forest is an exceptional place, both for its flora and its fauna; we were able to observe chimpanzees and Angola colobus monkeys.
The national museum in Butare and the genocide memorial in Kigali are also well worth a visit.
Rwanda is well worth a ten-day journey, both for its gorillas and for its other national parks and landscapes. The warm and welcoming nature of its people will make your journey through the land of a thousand hills all the more enjoyable.
Finally, we want to commend the remarkable day-to-day work of ORTPN (organisation, guides, trackers, porters…), without whom gorilla visits would not be possible.
Isabelle and Julien M.
Journey completed in January 2012 with Étendues Sauvages.
