28 December, 2011
The Great Rift Valley in the morning haze
Susa Gorilla resting before lunchtime
Today we checked off another item on the Once-in-a-Lifetime Things to do in Africa list. We saw firsthand the species with which our DNA most resembles, the great (and lazy) mountain gorilla. That gorilla trek was pretty incredible. We started out with the intention of fitting ourselves into a group that had a challenging hike before encountering the furry guys. That was easy. Our group assignment was the Susa group, the largest family. The same family Diane Fossy studied in what became the well known flick, with a title that shares that of this post. This family also happens to have three silverbacks, about 400 pounds of black furry brawn testosterone, and a set of two month old twins. Needless to say, at the start of the day, we were excited.
After an hour drive to some area near where they like to roam, we embarked on a fast-paced uphill climb through farmland and many waving kids screaming, or just learning to say, Bonjour! (Oh yes, one of the three Rwandan national languages is French, it is a little odd skipping around Africa and hearing a variety of Western languages.) The steep, and sometimes rocky climb, came to a pause at the entrance to the actual Parc de Volcanoes. It got dark and vine-y real fast. We didn’t have to go as far as we anticipated before we ran into the trackers—the guys who set out at some ridiculous hour in the morning to find the gorilla family, who also stick around and protect the gorillas after we view them for the rest of the day until they nest for slumber. It’s reassuring to know that our money is going to protect the species as well as for our enamorment and enjoyment.
Sitting in the trampled fauna of the forest the Susa family were seemingly waiting for us, or at least that’s what we like to believe. They were resting, napping perhaps, before their big lunch of bamboo and leaves—they’re vegetarians, save for the ants they eat for protein.
The first 20 minutes we were watching them laze around, and sometimes pick at each other. We saw a mama carry one of the newborns on her back, and were fortunate enough to have them both look our way.
The second silverback (not the clan leader) bounded away and the rest of them seemed to disappear as well. We followed the silverback to our right and watched him commence lunch.
Bon apetit, Mr. Silverback
Our guide led us back up the way, through the now empty area where we first saw about sixteen Susa, and around a tree. There was one juvenile up in a tree, another few eating right in front of us, the silverback, clan leader, scratching himself and picking ants out of his toes, and a few more soon joined the party.
I once had the seven year itch….I scratched real hard and got rid of it in three and a half years.
Quicker than a late season episode of The Wire, our time was up and it we had to say goodbyes. It was incredible to see these mountain beasts in their element, so indifferent to us visitors whispering and snapping hundreds of photos. As Nicole said, he looks like a man in a gorilla suit. They are formed just like us: their mouths, fingers, and movements all so similar to ours. Not much else to say. You should go try it when you have a chance.
And like that, our adventures are nearing an end. We are heading out to Lake Kivu in the western part of the country for the next three nights, then we start our journey to the Promised Land.
