Gorillas in the Mist - A Dream Come True

 For as long as I can remember I was fascinated by Gorillas. Their power, majesty and human-like behavior, and gentle nature were something I was in awe of, and I dreamt of one-day coming face to face with them, especially a big Silverback (term used for a mature male gorilla whose hair on his back turns silver-grey as he ages).

 

Over the years, I have read countless books about Mountain Gorillas and the research and conservation work of Dian Fossey, and the motion picture inspired by her work named Gorillas in the Mist which stars Sigourney Weaver as the leading role. After countless documentaries along the way, I had made up my mind, this is the one thing that I want to see before I die. But life had other plans, for as long as I can remember, I was suffering from morbid obesity, which for those who may not understand can be caused by several emotional and mental reasons as well as genetics. I used to suffer from increased bullying, mental anxiety, depression which adds up over time, and further increases ones eating habits, which in turn are a vicious cycle that is very hard to get out of.

 

At my highest back in 2020 I was a staggering 245 KG, the same weight as a Silverback Gorilla! It came to a point where I could hardly move. A small walk of 20 meters would have me gasping for breath and finding day-to-day activities almost impossible.

 

Even at this stage of my life, I dreamt of seeing the Mountain Gorillas but knew in my heart I will never be able to make that trek to see them, hence a deep sadness and frustration used to creep over me.

 

In early 2021, I made a connection with someone who was suffering just as I was and had made a radical change in his life. He did what was called a “bariatric surgery” which reduced the size of your stomach, as well as rerouted your small intestines to bypass a significant portion of it, thus causing malabsorption of nutrients into the body.

 

He swore it changed his life and gave me very sound advice. Motivated that this might be the way to change my life around, and always in the back of my head as the means to making my Mountain Gorilla dream a reality, I went ahead with the plans for the surgery.

 

It took quite some time to go through the consultations, tests and other requirements for the operation, as even walking out of my car to the hospital to see the doctor was a tiring walk for me back then.

 

Finally, in late July 2021, I took the plunge, and I still remember lying on the operating table, looking up at the lights just before I was put out for surgery I thought “should I be doing this?” and then the thought came to my mind “think of the gorillas, think of the gorillas” and I gained my strength to face this small hurdle.

 

Recovery was fast, and even during the small moments of pain and discomfort the Gorillas, and the thought that I can someday see them now became a motivating factor in my path to achieving it.

As the months passed, my weight began shedding, and during this time I began making plans for a trip in 2022 to finally see these majestic apes.

 

My supplier in Rwanda was very professional and understanding and answered all my millions of questions, and queries which I had, as well as provided me with as much information as possible.

 

As the months passed, I began slowly getting used to going for long walks, and even began some high-altitude treks, especially in Horton Plains National Park which is 2500 meters above sea level. My mindset was, if I can do the treks in Horton Plains, then I should be able to manage the Gorilla Treks. Despite this, I was very nervous, as I had paid a considerable amount of money for the Gorilla Treks (one Gorilla Trek permit costs US $ 1500), and I have paid for two treks.

 

As the time approached for our tour, I was getting myself prepared, especially mentally as I was very nervous. Before the Rwanda tour itself, I was leading and guiding a group of clients in the Maasai Mara and following this tour I was to take the flight from Nairobi to Kigali to begin my Gorilla adventure.

 

 After saying goodbye to my wonderful clients in Nairobi, I set off to the airport to board my flight. I was to take a Kenyan Airways flight, which was said to leave at 2.30 PM, and later I received an e-mail saying it was delayed by 45 minutes, so I took my time reaching the airport. But when I reached the check-in counter, I noticed on the board saying the final boarding call for the flight is being announced. I was in shock and ran all the way to the gate in fear that I would be left behind. But when I reached there, it was a complete false alarm, the plane has not even reached the gate. Recovering from the mini panic attack, I waited at the gate, for one hour, two hours, and then the airline staff announced a further 30 min delay. Thereafter 30 min later he announced a further 30 min delay. Finally, we boarded the plane, but my journey will not begin, as the pilot announced a further delay due to a missing passenger. An hour later, he again announced that there is a mechanical issue. I began to panic; will I ever reach Rwanda? Will I have to end my journey here? So many thoughts kept running through my head. Finally, the flight took off almost 3 hours later than the original time. The flight is very short as it took only one hour to reach Kigali.

 

I was elated that I finally made it, as at one moment I thought the plane would never take off. After immigration check and PCR testing at the airport, I made it out to meet Fabrice my driver guide who will be my travel companion for the next few days.

 

We drove through the capital city of Kigali, which was a stark contrast to the chaos of Nairobi. This city was spotlessly clean, orderly, and neat, the people seemed disciplined and orderly. The residential areas are beautiful, and I stopped at a very trendy steak house for dinner before going to my hotel for the night.

 

The city is very hilly, and with steep climbs and drops as we drove towards my hotel. From the balcony of my room, I had a stunning view of the city lights. I went into a deep sleep dreaming finally of the Gorillas who were so close now.

 

The next day Fabrice and I, drove through Kigali, to get a view of the city during the daytime before heading towards the next stop of my journey the town of Musanze.

 

The drive was very pleasant. The streets of Kigali were very clean and neat, and truly befitted the moniker the Singapore of Africa. The people were very friendly and polite along our journey. There was no aggression and abrasiveness you usually find in places like Kenya. I felt very safe traveling here, and my guide Fabrice is excellent with so much knowledge about local history, culture, and way of life. The children we met along the way, came to say hello and were not there to ask for money, just came over at most of my stops simply to shake my hand and say hello which was a pleasant surprise.

 

The drive from Kigali to Musanze was quite short and pleasant. The drive reminded me of sceneries from the hill country of Sri Lanka, especially the drive from Hatton to Nuwara Eliya.

 

Me with my driver guide Fabrice

We reached Musanze by afternoon, and to my surprise, it was quite a large town/city, as I expected the final stop before our Gorilla Trek was going to be a small village, but rather this was quite a developed town with many buildings, shopping malls, restaurants, cafes and hotels in the area.

 

One of the dormant Volcanoes where the Gorillas can be found. View from Musanze Town 

Two of the dormant Volcanoes where the Gorillas can be found. View from Musanze Town 

View of Musanze Town

One of the dormant Volcanoes where the Gorillas can be found. View from Musanze Town 

View of the beautiful hill country of Musanze area in Rwanda 

Checking into my hotel, I decided to take the evening quite slow and rest for the big day tomorrow. The hotel we stayed in was quite pleasant, and a good place to simply rest and recuperate.

 

That night, I slept with an equal dose of excitement, nervousness, and anxiety. Why nervous and anxious you may ask? It is because despite whatever preparations I have done to get ready for this, I was worried deep down that I will not be able to make the trek, and that I might get injured or feel too exhausted to reach the Gorillas, and then I was worried that after paying so much money, that I will not get the desired photographs that I dreamt of. This is typical Rajiv Welikala, in that I usually think of the worst-case scenario in anything and end up getting relieved when I realize it’s not as bad as I thought. It’s not the best method to use for life, especially for the heart, but it has helped me cope with challenges through the years.

 

When it comes to photography, I knew before I left, that the big telephoto lens was of no use, and hence borrowed a smaller Canon 70-200 F2.8 from my friend which many said was the most useful lens for Gorillas, as they are usually seen in mid to short distance. Further, in case they got very close, I took my wide-angle lens the 24-105 F4 Canon lens. Despite all these preparations and charging over 6 batteries, as well as two 128GB memory cards, I was still worried. My dream shot of all was to be able to take some compelling portraits of a massive Silverback. This was absolutely my dream shot, and nothing could top this. In my mind, if I could get the Silverback photographed properly, I could come back a happy man. Everything else would be a bonus.

 

With all these thoughts in mind, I went to sleep.

 

By 1.00 AM I woke up from bed, my heart pounding fast and breathing heavy. I have had a terrible nightmare, which entailed that Fabrice wasn’t able to take me to the trek and I was left high and dry unable to get to the Gorillas. What a terrible dream it was, it felt so real and shocking, that I could not fall asleep again. Hence, I lay awake in bed, tossing and turning thinking about all the possible eventualities of the trek. It was not a good feeling.

 

By 5.00 AM I got fully dressed, a tad bit too early, but I had nothing else to do till the trek. Further, I wanted to double and triple check my gear to ensure I packed everything in two backpacks, from my camera gear, water bottles, snickers bars for energy, gloves in case I need them, as well as my cash, passports, and documents.

 

Ready for the Gorilla Trek 

I was not sure what to wear for the trek, as many people advised heavy long-sleeved clothing and long pants to avoid ants as well as stinging nettles which are painful plants that can cause a bad allergic reaction. This made me worried as I am prone to allergies, so packed up most of my antihistamines and allergy tablets as well just in case I end up getting a bad reaction. I wore an old camouflage jacket I bought when I was very big and was several times too big for me over my t-shirt and pants to protect me from the elements, and Fabric told me he will get some gaitors (small devices they attach to your feet to prevent ants getting into your pants), from the park gate.

 

By 6.00 AM I went to the hotel restaurant but was too nervous to eat too much, especially as I had an upset stomach the day before. So, I had one boiled egg, and a banana, and packed a few more bananas for the trek and met Fabrice, and set off to the park office in Kinigi.

 

He said we are too early, but I was so nervous I wanted to be there early. Reaching Kiningi, we passed a beautiful monument on the ground with massive volcanoes in the background. The site is used for the Gorilla Naming Ceremony which occurs every time a new baby gorilla is born.

 

Reaching the park office, we went straight to the coffee center, which is a service provided free of charge to all visitors. This is by a brand-named Question Coffee which provides preparation of your liking be it cappuccino or espresso which you can enjoy till your Gorilla Family is allocated.

 

The friendly Rasta barista was a pleasure to chat with, but I’m sure he as well as Fabrice noticed how nervous I was. My hands were shaking, and I wasn’t my usual chatty self.

 

I sat in the briefing center and waited for all the other tourists to arrive by 7.00 AM

 

By 7 AM the other tourists started to arrive. I quietly observed, most were American, as well as a few from Europe, and some seemed to have trekked the previous day from what I overheard. I was so nervous, I quietly sat and waited.

 

Fabrice said by 7.20 AM he and the other driver guides will have a meeting with the park authorities to allocate their respective clients to the Gorilla Families for the day. There are 12 habituated Gorilla families in this park, and they allow only 8 people per family.

I was waiting in hope that I would get an easier trek, given that I had lost over 90kg I was far from being fit as a fiddle, and wanted to have enough energy to photograph the gorillas once I trek up to them as well.

 

After anxiously waiting for Fabrice to conclude the meeting he called me and introduced me to Edward the park guide who will be taking me to see the Gorillas. In my group of 8 there were 5 Americans 2 South Africans and myself. Edward introduced himself and had a short briefing with us.

 

I was assigned to the Muhoza group. Edward briefed us that Muhoza was a very large good-looking Silverback who moved out from the Kwitonda Group and started his own family. He had around 8 females, and many young ones, including a 1-month-old baby.

 

Excited and nervous, we set off from the park office to the base of the mountain where we are going to commence our hike.

 

Edward joined me in our Landcruiser, so had a short chat with him. He said the day before Muhoza the silverback didn’t come out into the open that much, so this made me worried, but now that we are on the journey I just moved on.

 

Reaching the base of the mountain we are to climb, we prepared our gear, our trekking poles, and our bags, and were thereafter introduced to our porters.

 

Porters are men from the village who are sometimes former poachers who have been reformed and help to carry your bags and help you along the hard trek.

 

This is an extra cost, and I chose to book 3 porters for my journey, as I was worried and needed all the help I can get.

 

My three porters who helped me with the trek

I don’t remember all their names but one of them was named Fidel, so when I met him, I joked and asked if he’s related to Fidel Castro which broke the ice with most of my porters.

 

We began our journey, I decided to take it slow and steady, with full concentration on the walk. The initial 1km or so took us through local farmland and crops. It was an uphill climb but in the open.

 

The porters held my arms in any difficult terrain, and with steady breathing and concentration, I made it to the start of the forest in about 45 min.

 

The climb was not as tough as I had expected, but I wanted to remain focused till I reached the Gorillas.

 

The start of Volcanoes National Park begins with a large stone wall. This is constructed to prevent wild buffaloes and elephants from entering the village.

 

Here we were met with a ranger with an AK 47 who would escort us to the Gorillas, as there are many wild buffaloes and forest elephants along the way.

As soon as we crossed the small ladder to enter the forest my porters said, “welcome to the Jungle”.

 

Edward teaching us about Gorilla etiquette once we entered the forest

The start of the forest was mainly bamboo forest, and our guide Edward explained that during this time of the year, the Gorillas feed on the bamboo shoots which they love. He also explained that they get somewhat intoxicated after eating the bamboo so they can either be sleepy or boisterous depending on their mood.

 

He also explained Gorilla etiquette, how to greet them and how to behave when we are among them.

 

He also advised that the trail ahead in the forest is going to be very muddy and to fully utilize the porters to steady yourself and not to slip and fall.

 

With this in mind, we made our way through the thick bamboo forest for another 45 min or so.

 

Getting closer to the site, Edward radioed the trackers who are with the Gorillas and as we got closer, I heard the signature chest-pounding sound nearby.

 

My heart began racing as I knew my quarry was very close, and my lifelong dream was about to become a reality.

 

Reaching a certain open space, Edward advised us to put our bags down, drink water and prepare our cameras, and wear our face masks as the Gorillas were around the corner.

 

We left our bags with the porters, and with Edward leading the way, we walked through.

 

One corner of the forest and I spotted my first gorilla, and then we came to an open space where the massive silverback Muhoza was feeding on some vines and a few females and young ones were with him.

 

My breathing became heavy, one due to the massive excitement and secondly as I was wearing a face mask which is mandatory as gorillas share 98 percent of our DNA and can contract any illnesses we have.

 

Muhoza was magnificent, a prime Silverback with massive structure and full beard (the full beard look was what I wanted, and the reason I traveled to Rwanda for, the Silverbacks of Uganda Bwindi Impenetrable Forest are leaner and don’t have that furry full beard look that I wanted, much to the offense of some who went to Uganda and didn’t like my post on Facebook about why I chose Rwanda). He looked at us with a piercing yet calm gaze for over 30 min, as we photographed to our heart's content.

 

While he was watching over us, the young babies were at play, frolicking around and playing with each other like human children would.

 

The females were very calm and patiently rested while the young ones played under the watchful gaze of Muhoza the mighty Silverback.

 

It was a surreal moment as I watched these amazing primates interact with each other. The watchful protector Muhoza, the caring mothers, the playful youngsters.

 

After around 30 minutes, Muhoza decided to move, and we followed, as he slowly walked towards a bamboo bush, and began to climb.

As he made his ascent we noticed the massive bulging muscles of his back, which made us realize he’s 250kg of pure muscle. The sheer power he wields is immeasurable.

 

While Muhoza was preoccupied with some bamboo on the top, we focused on the family and observed a mother with a 1-month-old baby. Being so young, the mother had to carry the baby everywhere, which is very tough given the baby needs to be carried, and she needs both her front hands to walk.

 

We also observed a playful youngster about 6 months old on its mother's back and doing many antics.

 

Suddenly Edward exclaimed Muhoza is coming down, and when we looked the massive silverback was slowly coming down from his perch.

 

I managed to get my camera ready to photograph his descent, his back muscles rippling as he came down, and walked right past us on all fours.

 

It was a majestic sight, King Kong reincarnated right in front of us, as he regally struts right past us.

 

Just then Edward told us that he can see a large herd of Virunga Buffalo up ahead. It was a rare sight, as I have never seen this species before, and observed a herd of around 20 animals with a large male.

 

But as they are very dangerous and close to us our porters took the initiative to drive them away for our safety.

 

Time was flying by as we had one 1 hour with the gorillas, and I was in a serious adrenaline rush. Edward signaled that we have to leave now, and with an elated heart we bid goodbye to these gentle creatures as well walked away.

 

We needed rest before our descent, and I was feeling dehydrated, but thankfully our porters had brought our bags to the meet-up point and after much-needed rehydration and an energy boost, we began our decent.

 

Holding the hands of two of my porters, the descent was much faster and much more slippery as the mud was thick.

 

It felt as if I was skiing downhill, as in some places I lost my balance but thanks to the steady hands of my porters I managed to get back in one piece.

 

As we exited the forest while walking along the farmland one of my porters observed a baby chameleon on a fence, but sadly due to the rush, I was unable to capture a photograph.

 

As we reached our cars, it began to rain heavily, and we ran for shelter.

 

Fabrice was very happy to see that I made it, and that I got exactly what I wanted.

 

We dropped Edward halfway and continued towards Musanze.

 

During the trek, I didn’t feel the cold, but afterward, a suddenly chill came about me, and I felt extremely cold. I pulled up the car windows as we drove speedily towards Musanze. I felt some hunger as well, and it reminded me that I haven’t eaten much since the trek and went straight to a café for lunch. The warm soup truly helped to get me back up, and after a good lunch, I went back to my hotel elated from my experience for some much-needed rest.

 

Fabrice managed to get my muddy boots cleaned, and I remained in my room all afternoon resting and thinking and dreaming about my unbelievable experience.

 

Once I showered and lay on my bed, I kept thinking about my encounter. It truly felt like a dream, and I couldn’t believe I saw what I saw.

 

That evening, after a brief dinner, I went back to rest in preparation for my trek the next day. This evening though I was much more at ease given I knew what the conditions were and knew very well that I can make it in the trek.

 

Little did I know initially that I was fitter than I expected and managed to make the trek without much trouble.

 

Up early morning the next day, I had a spring in my step and a bounce of confidence from the previous day.

 

I was a completely different person today, with much more energy, enthusiasm, and vibe compared to day 1.

 

Reaching the park office, I was bright and bubbly and enjoyed chatting with the other tourists who came there while the family allocation occurred.

 

Fabrice finally called me and introduced me to Felician who was to be our park guide for the day.

 

I met a group of other tourists from UK, Switzerland, USA and South Africa as we were briefed that we will be visiting a very large Gorilla family today the Kwitonda Family.

 

This family was said to have around 18 members including two Silverback males.

 

I was excited, had no pressure, and was happy with anything I would see today.

 

Driving along the remote roads, we passed a few villages and drove on a muddy trail till we reached our trekking point. This time it was closer to the base of the volcano we were about to climb.

 

Meeting our porters, we made our way up. This time it took less time to reach the park/forest start. But from there onwards, the trail was very muddy and tough.

 

After around an hour’s trek, we reached the gorilla family.

 

When we reached there the sun was bright and shining. The family was scattered across the forest and a small open patch. The lead Silverback was fast asleep as one of his wives was grooming him.

 

There were two young ones around three to five years of age play fighting around him, as well as a few young ones feeding and scattered along the area, as well as a few females also resting.

 

We observed the playful antics of the young ones, which was quite entertaining to watch.

 

Changing our position, we sought a higher ground where we could observe all of them.

 

While we were watching the two young boisterous young ones were playfighting and getting closer and closer to us. They ran past us several times, and on one of these occasions, one of them walked past me while tapping my leg a few times.

 

Suddenly the second young Gorilla ran towards me and gave me a big shove before running towards his playmate.

 

I lost my balance and fell down but was not seriously hurt. It was thrilling to have that experience of a wild Mountain Gorilla touch me.

 

As these young ones were tumbling around, they woke up the big male Silverback.

 

As the big man woke up, we walked around him to face him, and he was very calm and yet annoyed that the young ones woke him. After a few minutes of contemplation and scratching and yawning he charged into the forest to discipline the boisterous young ones.

 

We followed slowly after and observed him quietly feeding on bamboo, as well as a few young ones feeding on the new bamboo shoots.

 

Felician our guide thereafter informed the trackers have found the second Silverback and we walked through the forest to find him.

 

He was not out in the clear open like the first Silverback, but I managed to photograph him, while there was a female next to us making some strange noises. She was with a young one and she was busy feeding on the bamboo shoots. Felician explained that she was making happy noises exclaiming she was enjoying the meal, and that the bamboo is “tasty”.

 

By this time, Felician was notified us that our time was up, and it was time for us to leave the Gorillas and head back down.

 

The descent was tricky as the mud was very slippery, and I and my porters lost our balance a few times but managed to make it out of the forest safely.

 

It was the end of my life-changing Gorilla experience, the memories of these two treks will last with me forever and I left the Volcanoes with a sense of immense achievement, joy, and elation which words can hardly describe.

 

I hope to return next year with a few tour groups and hope to see these majestic animals again. They have touched my heart in ways words cannot describe, and this experience was all and more than what I truly expected!

 

Until next time!

 

If you work towards it Dreams Do Come True!