Rwanda Wandering: Meeting Mountain Gorillas in the Wild
A fully-grown male silverback gorilla can weigh around 400 pounds. They’re also 6-9 times stronger than an average human. So coming face-to-face with one on their turf can be hella intimidating. Meeting mountain gorillas in the wild is also one of the most memorable, adrenalin-fueled experiences on Earth.
Volcanoes National Park
Our adventure began while filming in northwest Rwanda, in Volcanoes National Park. Located in a remote rainforest, the park is nestled in the Virunga Mountains conservation region. This isn’t your everyday hike through a city park; it’s a challenging multi-mile slog up & down steep mountains, along muddy barely-there paths through thick primordial jungle filled with stinging nettles and thorny plants. It ain’t easy. Fortunately, the local guides are helpful and patient. Tourism is vital to the local economy, as is the survival of the mountain gorillas that are so revered.
After a week’s safari filming in nearby Kenya, this part of Africa feels a million miles away. It’s a different kind of beautiful here. Green and lush and filled with life –– and unusual sounds of life. Odd birds squawking overhead, hungry bugs buzzing in your ears, the clapping of our lead guide to warn snakes and other creepy crawlies of our approach. Every time something scuttles through the underbrush you wonder what you’d see in there…and what might be watching you.
Part of our trek takes us to the tomb of Dian Fossey, the respected American primatologist and conservationist. She became world-famous for studying mountain gorilla groups extensively from 1966 until her murder in 1985. She documented their behaviors, lived among them, and became their greatest champion.
Gorillas reign in the rain forest
Hours into our journey over slippery slopes and through multiple pop-up showers, we enter a clearing and can’t believe our eyes. There they are, wondrous and wild and free. A troop of majestic mountain gorillas. Foraging and frolicking. Staring back at us. Not afraid of us, just…observing us. We wander among them for some time, quietly respecting them and their home. Just two species not that far apart evolutionarily speaking. In fact, data confirms that humans and gorillas are about 98 percent identical on a genetic level. In this moment, in this rainforest, watching gorilla mothers and fathers and children interact and share a meal, that feels about right.
Photo credit: Once again thanks to my good friend and creative co-worker of 30 years, Ron Foth Jr., for a few of these awesome photos. He’s a gifted, award-winning photographer and I’m appreciative he was there to get the shot…without upsetting the silverbacks.
