RWANDA
|
|---|
| Map of Rwanda |
- Eight day wildlife safari organized through Travel Connections Ltd (safariafrika.com) by Felix Koskei.
- Accompanied by my wife.
|
|---|
Adventure L1. Rwanda Volcanic National Park
From Kigali International Airport we drove northwest to Ruhengeri, a 2.5 hr drive from Kigali. The drive is on a good paved road through the countryside with beautiful terraced hills that characterize the rural lifestyle of Rwanda. From there we continued further by road, climbing up to Kinigi (the volcano area and habitat for the gorillas) and checked in to Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, a bush lodge on the periphery of Volcanoes National Park at (1.42784oS 29.55515oE) at the base of Sabyinyo volcano. The Lodge offers good quality accommodation and panoramic views of the Virunga mountains. It is an oasis of serenity built in contemporary African design using local materials and barely 1 km away from the headquarters of Virunga Mountain National Park (Pare National des Volcans). The grounds of the Lodge are beautifully landscaped with natural foliage and a variety of wild flowers. In the evenings, local Rwandan cultural dancers perform memorable Rwandan dances.
On the following day, after an early breakfast at the Lodge, we were driven 2 km to the Gorillas office for registration at 07:30 hr. Then, accompanied by a park guide, we drove to the edge of the park. After a briefing by the guides on how to behave in the forest in the presence of gorillas, we began our hike into the forest for our gorilla trek.
.JPG) | .JPG)
| |
|---|---|---|
| Group just outside the park | Silverback |
Upon sighting the gorillas, we stayed with them for a magical hour as they went about their daily life, feeding, playing, resting; raising their young. Coming face to face with a giant silverback is be one of the greatest wildlife experiences on earth! The trek can vary in length and depends on the location of the gorilla group to which you are assigned. It will take between 3 and 6 hours. At the end of the one contact hour we walked out of the park to the parking lot and drove back to to the lodge for lunch.
Last updated 3/18/13.
Christopher E. Brennen