Swinging on a Vine through the Stinging Neddles to see the Gorillas!

Today, 7 of us hiked in to the Volcano National Park through the Office of Rwandan Tourism (http://www.rwandatourism.com/home.htm) to see the wild gorillas.  As you might know, these are the only wild gorillas left in the world.  It was an incredible experience to hike in this beautiful jungle and to see the gorillas out in the wild.  We drove to the National Park entrance very early in the morning and upon arriving we met or park ranger guides: Jean Claude & Jean.  They have both been guiding and tracking the gorillas and other animals in Rwandan National Parks for 8 years. After a short debriefing, we drove to the entrance to the trail we would take.  This “trail” is really hiking through Rwandan farmland to get to a certain entrance to the park.  These farms are surrounded by 5 Volcanoes (some active and some not) and much of the land is farmed for Irish potatoes and a certain flower that produces insecticide.  Once we entered the jungle part we hiked up a very steep hill (we mean mountains) for over an hour. Since the jungle is very dense with plants, bushes and trees, a porter accompanied us, using his machete to hack away the plants so we could walk through.  Also a soldier came along too (standard for all gorilla hikes) as a precaution.  He would have fired his gun in to the air if there were any animals (gorillas, elephants, etc) that stampeded us.  Finally we were led to a group of gorillas that we sitting in a small clearing, eating plants.  There were 9 gorillas including the Main Silverback, Brownblack (#2 in command), Moms, Adolescents and Babies. We were about 3 feet away from them at times.  It was very exciting and we all have lots of pictures and videos to share with you when we return.  We were able to stand and watch them eating and playing for an hour.  On the whole, they were pretty subdued except for the adolescents and babies who kept playfully hitting and wrestling with each other.  The hike down was another adventure because of the slippery volcanic soil.  We also had to keep a look out for the stinging neddles which are plants with stinking sharp needels that can poke through your pants or shirt and sting.  Our guides also found some strong vines hanging from the trees and we all swung away like Jane!  Okay well maybe not all of us or so far away but some of us had fun pretending to swing high and far (a little arm toning is in order before more vine swinging)  This morning and afternoon was a good chance to get to know some other Rwandans better, building relationships but also seeing more of this beautiful country and supporting the Rwandan economy.  As we left, our gorilla guide encouraged us to come back and each bring a friend (or maybe even a husband) to hike next time!  Maybe you will come hike the gorillas with one of us in the future!  It’s an amazing, once in a lifetime experience!