Kenya
As luck would have it, Swiss Air has a direct flight from Zurich to Nairobi leaving at 10AM and arriving at 7PM and we were on it. Further, a few days prior to our flight, they sent us an offer to bid on an upgrade to business class. We offered less than half of the business class fare and they accepted, so we were flying in style to Nairobi.
Finally, if you read the blog post on Germany, you will recall the discussion about the Schengen Area (26 euro-zone countries with a free cross-border treaty) and our need for a long-stay visa because we would definitely be spending more than 90 days within a 180-day window in this area. In fact, we have no long-stay visa and at the time of our departure today from Zurich, we have spent 106 days in the Schengen Area and are in violation of their visa requirements. Penalties for violation can be exclusion from returning to Schengen for two years and/or a financial fine. Accordingly, today is the first time that we can be caught for this violation and subject to penalties. So, as we approach the passport control officer at the airport, we are a bit nervous. However, our string of luck today continues and we pass through undetected.
We have two other opportunities to be caught for violation. The first is our return from Rwanda in two weeks when we land in Italy and the second is when we leave the Schengen area for the last time, a flight from Prague to London on October 27th when we will have reached our violation pinnacle of 148 days in the Schengen Area during a 180-day window. Our fingers are crossed and we hope for the best.
Upon our arrival in Nairobi, we are met at the airport by a transportation service who takes us to our hotel, the Tamarind Tree Hotel Carnivore in Nairobi, where we will spend one night before taking a flight from the local airport to a conservancy within the Maasai Mara. Our hotel is quite beautiful, we enjoy a light dinner in the restaurant and then head to bed anxious to begin our safari the next day.
Liz has been on a safari before in Botswana in 2012. She traveled there with three of her friends and her experience was outstanding and the game viewing was spectacular, including all of The Big 5, except a rhino. I have been on safari twice before, both times in Tanzania. The first was in 2014 following a business trip to Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. This safari was to the Selous Game Reserve, a protected area in southern Tanzania that is larger than Vermont and New Hampshire combined. It was the end of the safari season, all but one of the camps were closed, and for two days I was the only visitor in the entire reserve. The game viewing was amazing. My second safari was to the Serengeti in 2015. I was traveling to Rwanda with several other Water For People board members to witness their work and one of the other board members, Pat McCann and his wife, Linda, joined me on this safari prior to our scheduled arrival in Rwanda. Another amazing experience.
Last December, Liz and I traveled back to my hometown of Bryn Athyn, PA where I was invited to give a climate talk as part of the Bryn Athyn College Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series. After my talk, we held a small alumni reunion at my brother and sister-in law’s house, Garth & Bronwin Cooper. While there, Liz was talking with one of my old classmates, Kay Alden, about our upcoming European Adventure, including our desire to go on a safari. Kay became enthusiastic about a safari she and her husband, Mark (another classmate), were on in Kenya and said she would email Liz some information, which she did a few days later. That contact eventually led us to a travel agency in the US specializing in Kenya safaris called Natural Migrations who organized our itinerary. We would be spending five nights on safari – two at the Naboisho Camp and three at the Rekero Camp. Both camps are owned and operated by the same company – Asilia.
Asilia is a progressive camp operator with a goal to empower crucial wilderness areas in East Africa, benefiting people and nature alike. They currently operate over 20 camps in Kenya and Tanzania and are seeking to create a win-win between those of us who are anxious to be on safari and the indigenous people who live there. They do that by encouraging the conservation of large tracts of land with a particular focus on protecting the territories utilized by wildlife for migration. Further, they educate the local populations on the benefits of safari tourism v. big game hunting. Finally, they employ locals at each of their camps and provide access for their handiwork to be sold to safari visitors. We were extremely impressed with Asilia and the safari experience that they provided.
September 2-3, 2019
Nabosiho Camp
Located in southwest Kenya within the Naboisho Conservancy, the Naboisho Camp is comprised of nine tents each with their own bedroom, bathroom, shower facilities, hot and cold water, etc. This is the high-end of Glamping. Following our one hour flight from the Wilson Airport in Niarobi, we are met at the landing strip by our guide for the next two days, Lucas, who grew up in the local area, has been trained to be a guide and has been working for Asilia for the last two years. He is an expert at his craft and is as friendly a person as you would want to meet.
On the way to camp, we experience our first taste of safari as we encounter all manner of wildlife from the ubiquitous antelope and impalas, to zebra and wildebeests, lions, elephants, jackals, giraffes, hyenas, warthogs, and birds of every size, shape and color. We haven’t even arrived at camp yet and it feels that the safari is already in full swing.
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| A lion on the Maasai Mara |
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| The ubiquitous antleope |
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| This giraffe posed for us |
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| One of thousands of wildebeests |
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| Topi |
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| Zebra |
Upon our arrival, we are greeted by the hosts for this camp and given a welcoming drink of fresh juice and a cold hand cloth to wipe our face and hands. We are escorted to our tent and then head to the main area for lunch which is served daily at 1PM.
The daily routine follows a set pattern-
630AM – Morning ride
9:00AM – Breakfast served while on safari
1:00PM – Return to camp and have lunch
4:00PM – Afternoon ride
7:00PM – Return to camp
8:00PM – Dinner is served
When it is dark outside, we must be accompanied by a one of the several Maasai warriors whose principle duties are to escort guests from one point to another. If you need an escort, all you have to do is shine your flashlight on and off several times and they will be there within a couple of minutes. As there are often animal noises to be heard at night, it is comforting to have these escorts, even if they are only carrying a spear.
Speaking of animal noises, we heard lions roaring both nights as well as the trampling of elephants that passed through our camp.
The service is exceptional and the food is delicious and healthy. The entire experience is mesmerizing. You feel like pinching yourself to see if this is really happening.
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| Malcolm and Lucas at Naboisho Camp |
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| Our safari transportation |
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| Glamping |
But the rides. Oh, the rides. Absolutely amazing to see the variety and numbers of animals living within their natural environments. Among the cooler things we saw during these two days occurred on the 2nd day and involved two lions mating. Lucas described the mating routine to us and then we watched it play out exactly as he described it, twice. The male lion lies still on the ground. The female lion approaches and slowly circles the male once or twice and then she lies on the ground. The male then mounts the female and, for 30 seconds, has his way with her. He then promptly gets up and walks away, spraying the occasional bush on the way to mark his territory. When he gets about a 100m away, he lies down again. Within 5-10 minutes, the female gets up, approaches the male, circles him, etc. Lucas tells us that this mating ritual can go on all day long and for several days in a row. We saw it twice. That was amazing and that was enough.
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| The female awaiting her mate |
On the afternoon of the second day, it rained and, for a while, it rained hard. It was during this time that we saw a lion up in a tree who was then joined by a second lion in the same tree. Note to self, if you are ever confronted by a lion in the wild, don’t try to escape by climbing a tree. They are faster and better climbers than you will ever be.
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| A lion in a tree |
We also spotted two cheetahs. These are beautiful animals. And when I say “spotted”, I don’t mean through binoculars far off on the horizon – I mean like 5 to 10 meters away from our jeep. And that was true of most everything we saw. It was up close and personal.
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| Cheetah |
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| Cheetah |
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| Cheetah |
On the morning of day 3 at Naboisha Camp, Liz and I were served breakfast at the pool – an absolutely stunning location and a terrific breakfast of fresh fruits, homemade granola and scrambled eggs with toast. We said good-bye to our hosts and then loaded up in the jeep with Lucas for one more safari ride which would end with him delivering us to our next camp – Rekero.
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| Hippos |
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| Hippos |
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| Alligators |
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| An alligator |
On the way to Rekero, we continued to see lots of everything including hippos, alligators and more of everything else. Lucas delvers us to our next camp precisely at 1PM where it is time for lunch. We say goodbye to Lucas who we have come to know and love quite well even though we have spent only a few days together. Sharing an extraordinary experience with someone else will do that to you.
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| The Maasai Mara |
September 4-7, 2019
Rekero Camp
We are greeted at Rekero in precisely the same manner in which we were greeted at Naboisho, a glass of fresh juice with a cool towel to wipe our face and hands.
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| Rekero Camp |
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| Rekero Camp |
After this we are ushered to lunch which is another fantastic array of fresh vegetables, salads, breads, fruits, juices, etc. We are eating well. Rekero Camp sits on the Talek River which flows down river another 10 km to join the Mara River which is where the massive migrations that the Serengeti is famous for occur. With that said, 100m or so from our deck where we are enjoying lunch is another known crossing area and a large herd of wildebeest have gathered on the north side of the Talek along with a smaller herd of zebras. As lunch is drawing to a close, the first of the wildebeest begin to cross and soon thereafter, they are jumping from the banks into the Talek, making their way across and climbing the steep bank on the south side. It doesn’t take long before a few hundred wildebeest have completed their crossing and then walk single file away from the river.
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| The wildebeest begin their crossing |
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| More wildebeest enter the river |
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| Exiting on the south side of the Talek |
As the wildebeest complete their crossing, the zebras follow. However, after only about a quarter of the zebras cross, several of the zebras decide mid-crossing to turnaround and head back to the north shore. This causes great confusion among the zebras and some of those that have completed their crossing, turnaround and jump back into the river to return to the north side along with their compatriots. Eventually, everything settles down. The wildebeest are moving on to the south while a small group of zebras sit stranded on the south bank while the larger part of the herd grazes on the north bank.
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| The zebra begin to follow |
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| But then turnaround and head back to the north bank |
What an incredible show. We have just arrived at camp and they have arranged a crossing for us while we enjoy our lunch. Amazing!
The routine at Rekero is precisely the same as Naiboisho – a morning ride with breakfast in the field, back for lunch and a nap before heading out on the late afternoon ride and then back for dinner.
After lunch, Liz and I scope out Rekero Camp. The main structure is comprised of a kitchen, dining room, extensive deck, and sitting area, all of which sits on the edge of the Talek River. The nine tents for guests are stretched along the river as well and spaced in a manner that provides complete privacy. Each has its own bathroom, showers, hot water, king-size bed, electricity, etc. Our glamping experience continues. We unpack our suitcase and take a quick nap before the 4PM afternoon ride.
Our guide at Rekero is Lenkoko and he is assisted by an intern, Simba. We are joined by a German couple, Walter and Katerina, who are our age. This would be our team for the next three days – four guests, a guide and an intern.
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| Lenkoko, Liz, Malcolm and Simba |
There is a visible difference between the conservancy in which the Naboisho Camp was located and Maasai Mara National Reserve where Rekero Camp can be found. First, the Maasai Mara is far more open with broad expanses of open land. You can see for miles and miles in almost every direction. By contrast, the conservancy felt like it had more trees and variety of landscape. But there was also a difference in the amount of wildlife we saw. In the conservancy, you can barely drive 100m without seeing some animals. They were everywhere. In the reserve, we went long stretches without seeing anything. Apparently, the conservancies, which tend to be privately operated, do a better job of conserving than what you find in the government-run reserves. With that said, we loved them both.
On our first ride this afternoon, we saw a couple of leopards including one that had a newly killed wildebeest that it was dragging across the riverbed to safe keeping and away from other predators. It takes incredible strength to drag another animal several 100 meters, particularly one that weighs more than you do.
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| A leopard |
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| A leopard |
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| A leopard with its wildebeest kill |
And while this was truly amazing to watch, what wasn’t so amazing was the number of other vehicles watching along with us, all jockeying for the best view. There were at least 20 vehicles all crowded along the banks of the river and each with four to six occupants. A wilderness traffic jam! Apparently, this is another difference between conservancies and reserves. Conservancies limit the number of vehicles in the park on any given day while reserves don’t, as long as you have paid for a permit. Honestly, it takes a bit of the awe out of the experience.
That night we went to sleep with the sound of hippos groaning and lions roaring.
Next day, we are back in the jeeps by 6:30AM and out for our next ride. Today, we see several lions including a group enjoying their early morning kill of wildebeest. While enjoying our breakfast out on the plains near the bank of a river, we saw another small crossing of wildebeest, perhaps 100-150 of them. Later we came across four cheetahs enjoying their lunch of fresh gazelle. As we headed back to camp, we came across another group of lions finishing off a zebra while the jackals hung in the background hoping for a few scraps. And just before we got back to camp, we came across three large alligators. What an incredible ride!
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| Lions with their zebra, jackal in the background |
During our late afternoon ride, we saw hippos, elephants and giraffes and then enjoyed a glass of South African Cabernet while we watched the sunset against the mountains far in the distance. The entire day was breathtaking.
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| The sunsets are amazing |
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| This one too |
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| And this one |
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| Oh, and this one |
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| How about this one |
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| Yeah, and this one |
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| Not bad either |
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| Even the wildebeests like this one |
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| OK, one last one |
On our final full day at Rekero, Liz skipped the morning ride as she was fighting a nasty cold. That left the German couple and myself with our guides and our goal this early morning (we left at 6AM) was to find this lion pride with four cubs and three one-year olds. After an hour’s drive, we came across them and it was a spectacular sight. The cubs were so playful, the juveniles were mischievous and the mothers played along with all of them. They were having so much fun and it was hard to resist jumping in along side them.
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| Lion pride with cubs |
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| Two of the cubs get a drink |
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| Mom keeps them safely guarded |
After breakfast, we headed down to the river with the hopes of catching another crossing. A large herd of wildebeests had gathered and as they started to head towards the river. Our guide decided to cross to the other side of the river so that we could watch them exit. As we came around the bend, it was clear that the crossing had already begun as a few wildebeest had already made it across and the stream of new ones exiting began to grow.
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| The wildebeests gathering before the crossing |
Suddenly, everything accelerated and the wildebeest began to race at top speed. As it turns out, a lion had entered from the opposite side from where the wildebeests had begun their crossing, charged down into the river and had killed one of the wildebeests. By the time, the dust had settled, there was the lion on the river’s edge with the young wildebeest firmly in its jaws. In short order, another lion joined and, together, they applied the tactics necessary to kill the wildebeest and only then did they begin to eat. Before long, there were five male lions all gathered together making a meal out of this one wildebeest. What a sight to see.
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| The lions with their breakfast of fresh wildebeest |
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| The cheetahs |
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| The cheetahs |
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| Such a beautiful cat |
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| All four resting after their failed attempt on the waterbuck |
On the morning of our last day before we would head to the landing strip and catch a flight back to Nairobi, we had time for one more early morning ride and this time Liz would join us to see if we could find that pride of lion’s again. And, thankfully, we did. They were just as cute and playful as they had been the day before and I was thrilled that Liz got a chance to see them. After watching them for about an hour, we made our way towards the river and came across another pack of lions finishing off their latest kill. Next, we saw a herd of elephants, a pack of hyenas with babies, and a clan of baboons.
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| The lion cubs again |
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| And again |
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| Hyenas with babies |
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| Baboons |
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| A mother baboon with her baby |
We then enjoyed our last breakfast on the Maasai Mara before another vehicle met us to transport Liz and I to the airstrip.
Kenya was flat out amazing! It was such a privilege to see these magnificent animals in their natural habitat living exactly as they have for centuries. The cycle of life is on full display on the Maasai Mara and, while at times it seems gruesome, one can’t help but be mesmerized by the beauty and simplicity of it all. This is nature’s way. There are predators and prey. Each has evolved over thousands and thousands of years to co-exist, to survive or not, and to call the Maasai Mara home. We are so grateful to have served witness to this snapshot of life’s cycle. We hope you are able to do the same some day.
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| A giraffe |
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| Another giraffe |
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| Female lion |
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| Female lion |
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| And she has teeth |
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| A lot of teeth |
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| Are you looking at me? |
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| An ostrich |
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| You must be looking at me |
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| There goes the family |
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| African buffalo |
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| The jackal |
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| Mama with her baby |
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| A lioness |
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| Antelope |
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| Giraffes on the lookout |
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| Pumbas |
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| And this elephant is a big one |
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| But I'm still,king of the jungle |
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| African buffalo on the Maasai Mara |
September 7, 2019
Rwanda & Water For People
We catch a flight from a landing strip back to Wilson Airport in Nairobi where we are met and transported to the main Nairobi Airport for our flight to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Liz and I will be participating in a Water For People Impact Tour of Rwanda, one of nine countries in which Water For People operates. We will be joining eight other supporters of Water For People along with three Water For People staff from their Denver headquarters for four days of witnessing their work in Rwanda. I had traveled to Rwanda with Water For People as a board member in 2015. It was one of the most memorable trips of my life and I was anxious to be able to share this experience with Liz.
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| The Impact Tour group along with in country Water For People staff |
One of the three Water For People personnel is Julia Correia. Julia has recently joined Water For People as a Business Development Specialist. While my daughter, Kristin, was at the University of Texas, she started a non-profit called FeelGood. FeelGood engages university students to become changemakers and raise money and awareness for organizations that address the issues of poverty in the developing world, organizations like Water For People. While at Boston University, Julia became involved in FeelGood and today, she is FeelGood’s Board President. Julia is a fantastic ambassador for everything FeelGood stands for and a changemaker extraordinaire. I was really looking forward to spending more time with Julia on this trip.
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| Liz, Julia Correia and Malcolm having lunch at the Hotel Rwanda (yes, that Hotel Rwanda) |
I was first introduced to Water For People by my good friend, Alan Farkas (who I wrote about extensively in a blog post dated July 21st). I spent 30 minutes with the CEO at that time and I quickly concluded that, when it comes to international aid, she didn’t know what she was talking about. So, I disengaged. A couple of years later, Alan comes back to me saying that Water For People has a new CEO and this guy is for real. I agreed to meet with him. After spending 15 minutes with Ned Breslin, I was convinced he was the real deal and I was anxious to support him, Water For People and to help in any way that I could.
Ned told me the story of Major Justus, the mayor of the Rulindo province in Rwanda. The mayor had called together several NGOs, along with members of his staff, for an all-day meeting to discuss water and sanitation solutions. He noted that they had tried many different things and nothing had worked. Good meaning NGOs had installed water pumps that eventually would break, there were no spare parts, no money to buy replacement parts and no one who knew how to fix the pumps, so they turned to dust. He noted that Africa is littered with broken water pumps. He believes that water is a fundamental human right and wants to fix the problem, but he knew this would require a different approach.
After a long day and then a long break, Ned said, “we hear you mayor. You don’t want to simply bring water to those in the city center here.
“You don’t want to only get to the main health care clinic.
“You don’t want to meet the requirements of ½ of the schools.
“You want to get to every household, every clinic and every school.
“And you don’t want to solve these problems for a year or two until something breaks.
“You don’t want to have to rely on some NGO to come back year after year to keep your systems in place.
“You want a partner who is going to stay with you until the job is done and then leave a sustainable system so that no NGO ever has to come back again. Is that right?
And Mayor Justus said, “Yes, that’s exactly right”.
And “everyone, forever” was born.
And from that moment, I was a Water For People convert. Everyone Forever isn’t only a great solution for bringing water to developing countries, I think it should be the underlying goal in everything people do to advance our human condition. Of course, we need to include everyone and equally, of course, it should be forever.
A few months later, I had joined the board of Water For People and was on my way to my first board meeting in Bolivia. Two years later, I was in Rwanda.
After serving for six years on the board, I completed my last term in December 2018 and rotated off the board. But the opportunity to return to Rwanda with Liz was too great to pass up, so here we were.
That first night, Saturday, was an optional group dinner that Liz opted out of as her cold was still an ongoing issue.
The next morning, our group went to the Kigali Genocide Memorial where we spent several hours. Rwanda and the genocide are inextricably linked in the minds of most westerners. I know it was in mine when I first visited Rwanda back in 2015.
When our plane touched down in Kigali, I really didn’t know what to expect, but what I didn’t expect to find is a beautiful capital city with cranes in the sky, new buildings, new roads and a bustling citizenry. There is an unmistakable feeling of optimism and hope.
It wasn’t always this way.
The Berlin Conference of 1884 in which Europe divided Africa among themselves, assigned Rwanda to Germany. Upon arrival, the Germans found three tribes: the Hutus or farmers, the Tutsi or cattle raisers and the Twa, the original pygmy hunter-gathers.
Believing the Tutsi to be more Caucasian than the majority Hutu’s, the Germans saw them as racially superior. It was no longer about farming and cattle raising, it was about skin pigmentation and the length and width of one’s nose.
And when the Germans were replaced by the Belgians following World War I, the Belgians found it convenient to continue to define these people racially including the requirement for personal identity cards labeling each person as Hutu or Tutsi.
The Belgians used these differences to control the population and when they eventually left in 1962 as one African nation after another achieved its independence, the seeds had been sown for a series of civil wars that would lead to full on genocide 32 years later.
The genocide began on April 6th, 1994. When the genocide was over 100 days later, 1 million people were dead – 20% of the country’s population, overwhelmingly the minority Tutsi, most of them hacked to death by machete. And during the time leading up to April 1994 and after the genocide began, the entire civilized world, including the US, did nothing.
How does one recover from such unspeakable horror? How does a nation pull itself together? How do neighbors ever get beyond the hatred? I don’t know, but what I learned at the Genocide Memorial and what I saw in the faces of these courageous survivors, was an amazing story of peace and reconciliation.
It begins with a leader, Paul Kagame, who believed in the oft repeated phrase, “we are no longer Hutus or Tutsis, we are all Rwandans”. But then it takes thousands of acts of courage where perpetrators and survivors come together and confess their crimes and forgiveness is given.
And then there is the story of Percasie, a Tutsi woman, who found reconciliation through weaving. She organized groups of Hutu and Tutsi women to come together and weave what is now known as “nesting peace baskets”. Five nested baskets, representing the past, present and future of Rwanda women who are committed to rebuilding their beloved country.
And speaking of women, 68% of the legislature for Rwanda today are women. This is the highest percentage in the world. They are almost 15 percentage points ahead of the next closest country (which happens to be Bolivia), well ahead of the 24% average in the world and better than the 23% we have in the US after a huge boost in the 2018 midterms.
If you want to make this world a better place, start with women, then mobilize everyone.
If you ever get a chance to go to Rwanda, then you must also go to the Genocide Memorial. It will change you.
In the following days, we visited Kicukiro, Rulindo and Gicumbi. In Kicukiro, we saw water treatment plants, water tap points and a sewage treatment facility.
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| Water tap point in Kicukiro |
Liz and I were not able to go to Rulindo as her cold had now grown into full-blown bronchitis. Instead, we went to the hospital in Rulindo where we spent about an hour in the emergency ward and came away with prescriptions for a steroid inhaler and codeine-based cough syrup – exactly what we would have received from any hospital/doctor at home. The cost for the emergency visit - $5. The cost for the two prescriptions - $21.
In Gicumbi, we again saw a water treatment plant and a couple of water points. We also met with the mayor of Gicumbi which is a new district for Water For People in Rwanda. He had high praise for our staff and stated that the expects to reach everyone in his district by 2023.
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| Water treatment plant |
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| Sewage treatment plant |
We also met several people whose lives had been transformed by the work of Water For People. Rwanda is a known as “the land of a thousand hills” due to its many mountains. Most of the population lives on the top of the hills while most of the water is in the valleys. It is not uncommon for people, almost always women and girls, to spend four or five hours every day fetching water from sources of dubious quality and transporting it on their head back up to their homes in the hills.
After Water For People comes to your village, every home, every school and every health clinic has safe, reliable water within 300 meters of their home. This is life changing increasing the amount of time women have for farming, girls to stay in school and reducing water born disease – the #1 killer in developing countries.
I fell in love with Water For People all over again.
On Wednesday night, we had our farewell dinner and celebrated the incredible work of Water For People’s in country staff including the amazing Perpetue Kamuyumbu, the Country Director. We said our goodbyes to each other, grateful for the opportunity to share this unforgettable experience with such fine people and re-committed to this important work.
September 12-13, 2019
The Mountain Gorillas
The next morning, Liz and I had arranged for a guide to pick us up at our hotel and take us north to Volcanoes National Park and the Virunga mountains to visit the mountain gorillas. At 9am, we were met at the hotel by our guide, Norbert, and driver, Wallis. We loaded our abundant bags into the jeep and began the 2+ hour drive to Virunga.
As Norbert began to introduce himself, it became increasingly apparent to me that he was the same guide I used four years earlier to visit the gorillas. No surprise here, as I was using the same travel company, Treks 2 Rwanda, that I had used then. I remembered him then as a fantastic guide and was thrilled to have his services again for this trip. Norbert had spent a received a degree at Ohio State in the US and then an internship at the Columbus Zoo before returning to Rwanda where he first worked for the National Park before becoming a fulltime guide. Since I had last seen him, he had been recently married (ceremony in Texas). It was great to re-connect.
On the way to the park, we stopped at the Karisoke Exhibit in Musanze which is run by the Dian Fosse Gorilla Fund Intl. First opened in 2016, the museum seeks to tell the story of Rwanda’s mountain gorilla conservation success story. Dian Fossey was an American primatologist and conservationist known for undertaking an extensive study of mountain gorilla groups from 1966 until her 1985 murder. She studied them daily in the mountain forests of Rwanda, initially encouraged to work there by paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey. Gorillas in the Mist, a book published two years before her death, is Fossey's account of her scientific study of the gorillas. It has been theorized that her murder was linked to her conservation efforts, probably by a poacher.
We were then dropped off at our hotel, the Five Volcanoes Hotel, a lovely spot not far from the park. After a quick nap, we enjoyed massages and had a lovely dinner at the hotel.
Norbert and Wallis picked us up at the hotel at 6:30am and we drove to the park headquarters where they begin the process of establishing various groups to go visit the several gorilla families. It’s actually quite a process. The park admits 12 different groups, comprised of eight visitors each, to enter the park each day. These groups then hike into the park to visit the gorillas. Each group is allowed to spend only one hour visiting before they must then hike out. Now here’s the key point. The park has armed guards protecting every gorilla family from poachers on a 24x7 basis. Accordingly, they known the precise whereabouts of every family. So, there is never of question of “will you see the gorillas”, the only question is, how far will you have to walk.
Every morning, 72 visitors show up at the park headquarters and must be organized into their 12 groups (while there are 24 gorilla families, they only visit 12 on any given day). Each of us has suggested our preference for a short, medium or long hike. The guides work with park personnel to finalize the groups. It takes about 1½ hours, and then Norbert emerges to tell us that we would be visiting the Igisha Group and we would have a medium hike of 1½ hours.
With that, we load back into the jeep and begin our drive to the trailhead which is a 1½ hour drive to just get there. Once we arrive at the trailhead, we are introduced to the guiding team that will take us into the jungle. There are two guides in our team plus each couple hires a porter to carry our things and help us along the way. At this point, we say goodbye to Norbert and begin our hike into the park.
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| We hit the trail |
The weather is good, but the trail is wet, muddy and slippery due to heavy rains the day before. Our porters are earning their pay as several in our group require constant help. After about 1½ hours of persistent slogging, we meet up with the trackers. These are the armed guards protecting the gorillas. They let us know that we are now very close and soon will be meeting the Igisha family.
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| We meet up with the trackers |
Ten minutes later, we meet our first gorilla. He is sitting by the trail and he is huge. We then move up the hill a little further and take a right and there we find the rest of the family. Mothers with babies (one only three weeks old), one-year olds, juveniles, young adults and four silverbacks – the mature adult males. They are everywhere. Playing on the ground, climbing trees, tussling with each other, lying on their backs, grooming one another. Occasionally, one or more will walk right past us, within 3-4 feet. Our presence is of no importance to them. It seems as though we don’t even exist. We count 18 gorillas.
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| Our first gorilla sighting |
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| Meet the family |
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| Were all having fun |
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| Mom, dad and my older brother |
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| Hey, look at me |
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| I don;t think anynoe saw that |
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| I'm the biggest silverback in the family and I still don't understand algebra |
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| This baby is only three weeks old |
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| Hey mom, does this tickle? |
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| What are you looking at? |
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| Here's that newborn again |
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| One big happy family |
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| So you think we look a lot alike? |
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| Well, maybe you're right, but don't tell anyone |
Our one hour passes much too quickly and it is time for us to say goodbye. As we leave, a light rain begins to fall making our hike back even more slippery than the hike in. But with then help of our porters, we all make it back to the trailhead where we re-connect with Norbert, hop in the jeep and begin the 1½ hour drive back to the Five Volcanoes Hotel.
What a spectacular day! This may sound like a broken record, but, if you ever have the chance…go.
Back at the hotel, Liz and I take much needed showers, enjoy another wonderful meal and head to bed early.
At 10:30am the next morning, Norbert picks us up at the hotel and drives us back to Kigali. We enjoy lunch together at Heaven Restaurant (and it is almost heaven) before Norbert drives us to the airport for our flight out.
Next stop is the Amalfi coast in Italy. This trip to Kenya and Rwanda, from start to finish, was fantastic!
Musings….
I can sum up Africa in one word…GO! Go before our world destroys any more of their lands. Go and see these beautiful creatures in their native habitat. It is an experience you will cherish forever. As Malcolm shared, I had been to Botswana before and Kenya is just as amazing, perhaps even a bit more so because of the wildebeest/zebra crossings that we saw and the outstanding sightings of all the big cats - unbelievable to see these creatures. Both of the lion families we saw, especially the last one, was incredible. You want to lean out of the jeep and pick up one of the cubs - they are so darn cute (of course that wouldn’t be a good idea, but the thought does cross your mind and they are literally that close to the jeep!). You’ll get an idea of how cool it is when you check out the pictures.
Rwanda and the Water For People part of the trip was a unique learning experience for me. I had never understood the issues surrounding water, or the lack of it, before I met Malcolm. Seeing these villagers have their entire lives changed with access to clean water is mind blowing. I cannot even begin to tell you how poor these people are - it is such a sorry statement for our planet that people live like this - they live on less than $1.00 per day - can you imagine? So for them to now have access in their small village to clean water and not have to spend 4 or 5 hours per day going to the river to get unclean water is life changing. Their huts are made from mud (and sometimes dung) bricks, dirt floors, little to no furniture, and nothing close to what you’d call cooking instruments. It’s so sad and yet they are so happy to share how much better their lives are with the work Water For People has accomplished. Truly amazing. If you are looking for a new charity to adopt or get involved with one please consider Water For People - they do incredible work - for people who need it the most.
And another reason to GO - the gorillas! Oh my God, it was over the top. Our small group of 8 spent an hour and we were literally within five feet of the family. They are so loving with the babies and so playful - it was truly like watching little kids roll around in the dirt. Absolutely adorable. Words really can’t describe how cool both of these visits were and what great care all of the guides showed us throughout all three safaris.
GO - I mean it:) you must see it.
We’re off to drink red wine, eat pasta, and continue to carb load through Italy. Ciao…
PS: We’ve now completed 6 months and are looking forward to getting home (early December we think). Great trips still to come and fun visits to look forward to with different friends and family before we head back.
