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Rwanda & Uganda:Gorilla Trekking Pt. 1

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Rwanda & Uganda:Gorilla Trekking Pt.2

Day 3: From Ruhengeri to South Bwindi, Nkuringo area.

So if you’ve done your research, you must be wondering why we had to drive all the way to Uganda from Rwanda to see gorillas when we could actually see them in Rwanda. In Rwanda, the price was just raised from USD750 to USD 1,500, so a simple drive across Uganda, the price drops to USD 600.

The drive to South Bwindi, is on a rough road, but the views were breath taking, as you drive up the mountains it gets misty and cold and you can see the dew on the green lush mountains, on our way there we managed to view the sunset, words do not describe how spectacular the views are, so I’ll let the pictures below do the talking of the view on our way up.

This was around a 5 hour drive.

Day 4: Gorilla Trekking

So we arrived late In the evening at the Nkuringo Bwindi gorilla lodge,(Kisoro District, Uganda) good news arrived that we need not trek long hours tomorrow as the gorillas were spotted close by! Sighhh of reliefff 

As advised we woke up early to view the sunrise, and boy were in for a treat, as I sat there in the middle of nowhere (at least In my mind it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere), my mind felt so confused, four days ago I was running around In the Dubai’s concrete jungle and here I am today, in the jungles of Uganda. The view, the sound of nature and my cup of coffee, pure serenity, just what my spirit ordered!

So here we go, the day we were all eager for, we drove to the park, had a quick brief and were split into two groups not to overwhelm the gorillas. I chose the “less difficult route” little did I know this was a trek down and down we went. Our route involved hiking down a mountain into the jungle, it was a first for me, to go down at the start of a trek, but this gives you an indication of how high our lodge was.

See pictures below of out trek down and our experience with these gorgeous creatures!

Day 4 afternoon: Visit to the orphanage

After hiking to see the gorillas we went for a visit to drop our donations at the Bright futures orphanage. As they were expecting us, the children had some entertainment planned for us, and what a show the children put on, not only was it emotional for all of us but it was truly a remarkable memory for us all. 

The orphans here are considered either single or double orphans depending on whether they lost on or both parents. A lot of what the children dress wear or own is through donations, while some of the children depend on their sponsors to provide them the basics and education as well.

As part of the planned celebration, they asked us to plant a tree as a memory and as a way of giving back to the land.

Day 5 Last day:

Before heading back to Rwanda, we spent our morning canoeing around Lake Mutanda. My friends, if you somehow find yourself in the middle of the mountains in Uganda in Kisoro district (LOL), i would urge you to take this ride. The canoe, is a traditional African canoe which the guide will be canoeing you around, believe me after  a few tiring days, this was heaven. I must say this was one of the most calming and serene moments in this trip (or in all of 2017). this does not come as a surprise  as its known to be one of Africa’s most scenic lakes. I couldn't help but feel every picture I snapped did not justify the beauty of this land.

On the last day we drove back to Rwanda and we decided to go to the genocide memorial before heading back to the airport. Knowing well that I have experienced the beauty of the country, I knew I should be informed about the pain Rwanda went through in 1994. Pictures inside the memorial are not permitted, Although there are many memorials throughout Rwanda, all of them deeply moving, there are only two museum style memorials (of which this is one) that provide explanatory displays describing the long sequence of events that led up to the genocide and the events thereafter. Anyone seeking a better understanding of what actually happened should visit this museum. In the museum you can receive an audio guided tour but the written information throughout the museum suffices in giving you the information, there is also no entrance fee u they do rely on donation.

I must say this trip was the highlight of my 2017, i have always wanted to see the gorillas, but never thought id see them during such a spontaneous decision. There are only 900 mountain gorillas left in the world, and the realization of this makes me sad. These creatures,that carry 98% of our genetics, are so full of wisdom and gentleness i have never felt around any other animal before. Bucket list, done. 

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Rwanda & Uganda:Gorilla Trekking Pt. 1

Have you ever had a moment of disbelief? You’re in the middle of this life changing moment, but could not believe your eyes? Yep, that was me when I set my eyes on the alpha silver back in the jungles of Uganda at Bwindi impenetrable national park.

See 2017, was a tough year for me and I think a tough year for many of us.  I lost a loved one, the one human being that was closest to my heart. Although I felt crippled mentally and still do so often due to grief, I don’t let this stop my journey, my journey of self-discovery, mostly when it comes down to travelling, I always have a yes can do attitude every time a holiday adventure creeps through (I’m not one of those people who’ve decided to quit their jobs and travel around the world, I try to do both, maybe one day I can but at the moment I prefer to juggle both, although many a times I stare at my computer for several minutes dreaming I’m on the beach in Zanzibar)

On 2nd December 2017, I spontaneously decided to join a group of solo adventurers to Rwanda and Uganda, (bear in mind they had already left and were waiting for my arrival). I was supposed to randomly meet a French guy called Gwendal at the airport and we would meet the rest the group in Rwanda…. things didn’t go as planned and Gwendal was stopped at the check in counter due to visa issues. I had to follow the plan and unfortunately took off without him.

So there I was alone, at 6am in Rwanda airport waiting for my driver, after a 30 minute wait, Patrick showed up and off we went to the lush mountains of Ruhengeri. Anyone who knows the history of Rwanda would be in utter disbelief of how safe and clean this country has become, as an African myself, I felt a sheer sense of pride for this country’s resilience in moving forward.

Day 1: Drive to Ruhengeri and canoeing down river musanze

With serene landscapes and Patrick’s Rwandan music playing in the background, what felt like a brief moment was actually a 3 hours drive to Ruhengeri, we stayed at Le bamboo gorilla lodge, unfortunately I arrived slightly late and the group had to take off and hike up mt. Bisoke without me. 

Not to let a day go to waste, I had my lunch and decided to canoe on River Musanze. The season in December in this part of the world is wet, wet and wet, so I was nervous to go canoeing on a river in such unpredictable weather, soon as we got to the river, lucky I was, the torrential rains stopped!!  My guide Sandrene (from King fisher journeys) told me the water is usually green, however due to the heavy rains, the water today would be muddy brown, a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t see the river in its natural color I still decided to go for the 3 hour canoe ride, bear in mind, I’ve never canoed before (kayak yes, canoe down a river in Africa? No :) I have to say, for a last minute plan, It was a great way to see the lush farm land in the mountains of Rwanda. In addition to the spectacular river wildlife, much of the journey ambles through fields of potato, sugar cane, and bean plants.

You might wonder why a person does this trip at the end of the rainy season... The up side is how green and lush the country side is. So very beautiful. Because of this the gorillas can be found at lower elevations as well. In the dry season they head up the volcano where the vegetation is greener and more plentiful. Thankfully we still have monkey tracking and gorilla tracking to look forward to. Tomorrow is another day!

Ruhengeri, is known as the land of a thousand mountains. There are five main volcanoes, and the views from the river were spectacular! Check out the pictures below! I paid 20Usd for this activity.

Tips: 20USd to Sandrene, she’ll drive you there and drive you back . Your clothes will get wet, so go prepared, you wont take your phone with you on the canoe, but sandrene will have hers and take pictures for you. She takes a week or two to send you these pictures.​

Day 2: Ruhengeri, Rwanda to Nkuringo, Uganda

We started with a very early morning, I’m not a fan of 6am wake ups, mostly when I feel like I’m supposed to be “vacationing” but we came for the nature right? So early risers we were!!Before we headed out to Uganda, we were off to see the golden monkeys, the golden monkeys are only found in the central African region and are unfortunately endangered! Once we arrived at the park, we were excited to meet “Francios” who turns out, is a local celebrity, mainly because he was Diana Fossey’s guide in the 70’s and 80’s. Once we were off, I understood why he was a “celebrity” and the man lives up to every word of it!

The monkeys, never fail to entertain you, they leap from tree to tree in search of their meal. We spent approximately an hour with the monkeys and headed back to our vehicles for lunch at Le bamboo and hit to the road! Excited for gorilla tracking tomorrow!!

Tips: Should you be wanting to do this trip, not to worry the hike to the monkeys was reasonably short, but quite muddy, so don’t forget your gaiters (you can rent them as well for USD10 from the lodge), we paid approx. 10usd tips to the porter (it might be high if you’re on a budget, you can share one porter with a friend though), I would recommend having a porter, mainly because you will need to leave your bags behind before heading in to see the golden monkeys, and they’re extremely good help if you’re not keen on constantly getting stuck in mud! Ps: the food at le bamboo is exceptional!!

Check out Pt. 2 of our trip to see the Gorillas!