Gorillas in the Mist - a personal encounter

It’s hard not to have some sort of emotion while watching the movie “Gorillas in the Mist” based on a true story in Rwanda. While the filming of a young David Attenborough spending time with a family of mountain gorillas has seemingly reached iconic status in the wildlife documentary world. Surely this would be classed as a super special experience if I did the same? After a long hiatus from travelling I was looking for a “once in a lifetime” experience to kick start my new adventures.

With a three-week overland trip booked which would be my first ever true long haul adventure, the day had come with us arriving at the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda with its impressive ring of eight volcanoes. After confirming we were not carrying any ailments (colds, flu etc.) it was time to choose the family group we would like to visit with the estimated trekking time and number of family members quoted. Currently, there are some ten family groups on the Rwandan side which are used to human contact with 8 tourists allowed to visit a group per day for an hour.

In my case, I went for the Umubano (living together) family with its eight members some two to three hours away by foot. I could have gone for a closer group but really wanted to see some of the scenery and trek over the slopes of the volcanoes. The largest group of over thirty was a good four to five hours away and with all wildlife experiences there is always the chance you may return disappointed, so the Umubano family seemed a good bet. The travel estimations are based on their location when last visited, which isn’t every day.

With the trackers having gone ahead, we walked through the fields of smallholdings accompanied by a soldier to the dry stone wall which marked the perimeter of the park. The ring of volcanoes also spreads into the Congo (DRC) and Uganda while armed poachers are always a threat so security has to be tight.

Over the years the land has been cleared and reclaimed by the farmers and now reaches the park perimeter where occasionally a family group of gorillas will venture. This can cause a standoff but much has been done as in education with the local people so both can live side by side so reducing potential persecution.

The next couple of hours would see us gain altitude with our guides thrashing the undergrowth with vigour with their machetes with the occasional stop to show us items of interest including a fruit which the gorillas love. The sun was shining and the excitement mounting although tinged with slight apprehension as no nature experience can be guaranteed but soon a tracker returned, the family had been spotted.

It had been an early start as the idea was to catch the family before midday when they tend to have a siesta. Once they wake from their overnight nests, the silverback will often move the family to another location where the adults will actively feed. However, by late morning the adults will sleep rather than endure the heat of the midday sun.

Suddenly in the thick of the undergrowth on a slope, the guides told us to stop and listen, below us, we could see branches moving and suddenly a female gorilla came into view, we had found our family. The chief guide started to make a loud short humming noise to let the group know we were here and slowly moved around where more family members came into view. A couple of younger smaller females were in the ground vegetation while a youngster dangled from a vine. Another sat on a branch watching us while eating, we were only a few metres away.

With no sign of Charles the silverback as yet, we just sat and watched with two youngsters chasing each other through the undergrowth and at one point were just a metre away as they tugged the branches of the bush I was sat next too.

Although we were told to keep a gap, the gorillas didn’t seem too bothered about our presence and were told if they approached, just to sit tight as in most instances they will just pass by. Two youngsters gave us much amusement by hanging from a vine with one biting the vine so it snapped so both fell to the ground. These were just naughty playful children, so many parallels can be made with us and them regards behaviour.

Moving further around the clump of trees another big female just laid in the vegetation on her back relaxing. Just for a moment, she adjusted her gaze to look at me before closing her eyes, for me that was an incredible moment.

Suddenly one of the guides gestured us to move a bit further still where we could now see Charles the silverback and what a magnificent beast. The boss of the Umubamo family suddenly rushed towards up before stopping abruptly. For a second our hearts were in our mouths but this was just a show of strength with Charles soon disappearing into a dense thicket to cool down. This would be the last we would see of him.

After watching the blackback (young male) playing with the young females, our hour was up and was time to trek back out of the park this time through a bamboo forest in the lower reaches. But what an hour that was and still feels privileged to of had the opportunity.

As a postscript, the good news is the population since my visit back in 2006 has increased. At that time there was thought to be some 480 mountain gorillas in the park but now I see they estimate over 600 with a global estimation of a thousand. In fact, Charles now has 12 others in his family including another silverback which is great news. It has also been interesting to read that Charles once belonged to the Amahoro group but could not accept the authority of the silverback so stormed off taking two females with him hence starting his own family. I reckon a gorilla soap opera could be quite entertaining!

As long haul tourism has grown, the price of a gorilla permit has greatly increased, I seem to remember I paid $350 and on the website today is $1500, it seems to me Rwanda is really pricing itself out of the market. As mentioned the park also spreads into Uganda where a permit is a much more palatable $600 and lower still at $400 for the DRC. However, for the latter I would do your research as safety may be an issue. For all three, the following seems to be an excellent source of information. https://www.volcanoesparkrwanda.org/

So was this a trip of a lifetime? I’m often asked which of my trips do I consider the best, my answer is always the same, they all have their own virtues and you can’t really compare. But one thing for sure, this hour of my life certainly kicked started a desire to carry on exploring the world and as a top experience, it will be right up there forever.