Shona Napier, Land Product Coordinator at Kuoni, tells us about her unforgettable experience tracking gorillas in Rwanda.

This has to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life – a trip to Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas.

I spent my first day in Rwanda’s capital of Kigali, meeting people who have moved back to the country and tried to rebuild their lives after the genocide that took place 15 years ago. I also visited the Genocide Memorial, a very moving museum set in pretty gardens where local people come to remember and pray for their missing relatives.

From Kigali, we drove for two and a half hours to Ruhegeri, the main base for our trekking adventure. At the entrance to Volcanoes National Park, we were met by our guide and allocated a troop of gorillas to track. No more than eight people are allowed in a group and you can only spend one hour each day with the gorillas.

We walked to the base of the volcano and started to climb through thick bamboo forest. It was hard work but exciting. Our troop of gorillas was in an athletic mood and they’d moved to the rim of the volcano.

Exhausted, we finally reached the top and our guide ushered us to stop. A few feet away were two young gorillas playing a game of tag with each other. The guide led us down to the rest of the family, where I saw a tiny baby gorilla cradled in its mother’s arms and a huge silverback watching over his large family.

Words can’t describe how amazing it is to be in their presence. The gorillas were interested in us and came over to get a good look at our faces. You can see them thinking about why we look so different.

The hour we had with the gorillas went so fast and we were soon climbing down the volcano. We had trekked for over seven hours to see these beautiful creatures and be part of their world. I would have trekked for longer.

The experience was so moving that we hardly spoke when we got back.

 

Find our Volcanoes and Gorillas tour
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Article added 28 August 2009.

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