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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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!
