and Trip Report for 2006
The Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda
Photo Safari
November 4-11, 2004
Limited to Five Participants
Price: *
Quite simply, this shoot may be the most exciting and exhilerating wildlife experience of your lifetime. Less than 400 mountain gorillas survive in the wild and our photo tour will visit all of Rwanda's habituated troops open to tourism. You'll be seeing silverbacks face-to-face and eye-to-eye, an incredible, humbling, yet up-lifting encounter you'll never forget.
There are several reasons! Perhaps most importantly, most groups only do one or two visits to the Gorillas. Very few do three. So, why do we do FIVE days of gorilla trekking? First, there are four different groups, ranging in size from around 9 individuals to one group of over thirty gorillas! Each group is different, in terms of group composition (the number of impressive silverbacks, the number of babies, the number of playful juveniles) and the physical conditions of the shoots may vary greatly -- from open clearings to bamboo forests (but more on that, below).
Tourist groups are limited to no more than 8 visitors, in addition to the trackers, gorilla guide, park rangers, and porters that accompany you up the mountain. Although there are 8 permits potentially issued each day, by only taking 5 participants, plus Mary and I for a total of 7, we have the chance of actually having a smaller group visiting the gorillas. If this happens, that's one less person to contend with when trying to photograph, and sometimes, in a jungle clearing, that's a real plus. Of course, there's always the chance that the 8th spot will be filled by a 'stranger' but on our scouting trip we only had 7 visiting the gorillas on 3 of the 5 days.
By having five days of trekking, we'll have the chance to visit our favorite group (which might be the biggest, or the closest, or the one with the best baby!) twice, as we'll be doing one group twice. Further, the weather can be quite varied, and having multiple chances to photograph gorillas gives you the best chance of shooting in great light. And what is 'great light?' Cloudy bright skies! Gorillas are dark gray or black, and when there is sunlight the contrast can be very taxing. Ideally, the best conditions are light clouds that create bright, soft light. Mist, or light rain is fine, too, and on our 2003 scouting trip we even did some excellent work during a downpour. At any rate, you don't want to spend two days with gorillas and have bright sunlight one day and heavy rains the next. Of course, you could have five days of either, but the chances are that the weather will be quite varied during our stay, insuring that you'll get great images during our expedition.
Gorillas
live in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park,
a forested region of the northwestern section of Rwanda. Unlike
most African game-viewing, Mountain Gorillas are visited on-foot
by trekking to their mid-morning resting and feeding locations.
We're led by a Rwandan guide and accompanied by Park staff --
guards employed to protect the gorillas, and your gear is carried
by a porter. That's right -- your gear is carried for you!
All that is required of you is to get to the gorillas, which may involve a half hour hike but more typically requires a 'trek' of one or two hours one-way. The trekking is not difficult if you are in-shape and relatively fit, but we would not recommend this trip for anyone who is truly over-weight and out-of-shape. Hiking to the gorillas generally requires at least one-half hour of uphill hiking, and it may involves one or two hours (or more) of steady uphill hiking. The pace is slow, and your porter and the guides and rangers will help you with steep steps or muddy spots but, bottom-line, you have to be able to do the hike. Most treks begin around 7,500 feet (I'm giving figures based upon our scouting trip, which are typical hikes and distances) and involved a vertical gain of 800 to 1,000 feet over a one or two hour period. Expect to be at 8,500 feet, or higher, while photographing the gorillas.
When we find the gorillas, they may be feeding or lounging or resting or playing in an open clearing, in a forest, or in a bamboo thicket. Incredibly, almost every opportunity is a good one for shooting, as the guides actually clear vegetation that separates you from the animals. Sure, sometimes a errant vine or leaf blocks a view, but it is almost unbelievable how the trackers and guide clear viewing windows to provide easy shooting access.
Can you do the trip? If you're in shape, or get into shape, there's no question anyone can do this trip. One of our scouting trip participants, who lives at sea-level and was bed-ridden with a serious illness for weeks a few months before the trip, made four of the five treks, taking one rest day on Day 3 just to 'not push it' after the illness. If you can climb five flights of steps without risking death, or if you could work out on a step-master or climb 5-10 flights of steps once a day for a few weeks to get your legs in shape, you can do this trip. But the fact is, you'll be hiking, uphill, at some elevation, and we don't want to mislead anyone who has health issues or fitness concerns -- it's too great a trip for that! Once a trek begins, the group will continue on to the gorillas. Anyone unable to complete a trek will be left behind, with their porter, until our return from the trek. The 'show will go on' even if you cannot, so please don't expect the group to be compromised if your fitness level precludes your completing a trek. Fair warning, and we're serious about this.
We do not advise this trip for anyone with heart problems or any other physical concern that might pose a health risk. Quite frankly, we are out in a fairly remote area and any health emergency could be life-threatening. If you have any concerns about your health, please consult your physician. We cannot accept any responsibility or assume any liability for any health risks or results.
Our Time Frame: Upon our arrival in Rwanda (some of the participants will probably be coming from Kenya, completing our Kenya Photo Safari) we'll be heading directly to the Mountain Gorilla's Nest Lodge, right outside Volcanoes National Park, literally a few minutes drive from headquarters and some of the departure points for our treks. On the following day, Day 2, and continuing through Day 6, we'll be doing a morning trek for the mountain gorillas. On the afternoon of our last gorilla trek, Day 6, we'll head back to Kilgali where we'll overnight. On Day 7 participants will either fly home or return to Kenya for connecting flights or to join us on our second Kenya safari.
As you may know, gorilla-trekking involves a one-hour visit with the gorillas. That may seem like an extremely short period of time for a visit to Rwanda, but I can assure you that your days, and your time with the gorillas, will be extremely well spent. Here's the facts:
After
a breakfast at approximately 6:15-6:30AM, we'll drive to the Park
Headquarters where we'll register for our day's trek. Usually
we're driving to our point of departure and beginning our trek
by about 8AM or so. Trekking may involve a hike of an hour or
more, so generally we're with the gorillas by 9:30-10AM or so,
although that varies according to where the gorillas are. The
HOUR with the gorillas is unbelieveably intense, and is timed
by when the group actually starts working with the gorillas. I
can tell you that after 30 minutes of great shooting you'll be
wondering if there's any time left -- the hour goes slowly, not
because you're bored but because you just can't imagine the activity
and action continuing any longer. Everyone, after their hour's
visit, felt drained, happy, and satisfied. But the day's not done
...
After the gorilla visit we'll return to our vehicle, generally arriving no earlier than 11AM but perhaps as late as 1 or 2PM or later -- depending upon the length of the trek. We'll have lunch, and then head out for an excursion into the Rwandan countryside. Rwanda is incredibly beautiful and offers some wonderful shooting opportunities -- with landscapes, farmscapes, and mountain scenes, and with the people, who are friendly and accommodating. While some treks simply return to the lodge and rest until the next day's trek, we won't be doing that as a group. Of course, if you'd like to stay behind and rest, or relax, or catch up on sleep or reading, you're welcome to do so, but we'll be offering a full day's worth of activity.
The Physical Conditions: We'll be hiking through jungle in an environment that's often damp or wet. The Volcanoes mountains receive a good amount of rain, so it's possible you'll be hiking in a mist or light rain, and perhaps even shooting in these conditions. Most of the hiking is on established trails that lead to the general gorilla area, but once we're near the gorillas we will be traveling over or under brush and trees -- not especially strenuous but not a stroll in the park, either. Trails can be muddy and slippery. Raingear is highly advised to keep dry, and we'll provide all participants with a complete gear list with our recommendations.
Unlike any other trip we've done, this trek is exceptional in that you don't have to carry your gear! Porters are available to carry your pack, tripod, extra clothes, etc. for a modest tip per day, and this is a real luxury that should not be passed up! Trekking suddenly becomes nothing more than a hike as you are not burdened by your gear.
Once we're near the gorillas you'll be asked to get the gear you'll need, and you won't need much. You won't need to carry more than two cameras -- perhaps with one mounted with a 70-200 2.8, 120-300 2.8, or 100-400, and another with a wideangle lens or wide-angle zoom. A tripod is especially handy for the lighting conditions, but faster ISOs and fast lens may eliminate that need. Again, we'll be offering full support regarding what equipment you'll need to all our registered participants. For the hour with the gorillas you'll be carrying the equipment you'll be using -- so going light makes sense, but again, you simply won't need 'big glass' or a lot of accessories.
Day 1, November 4. Arrive in Nairobi, overnight at Boulevard. Next
morning, Nov. 5, fly to Rwanda.
Day 2, November 5. Arrive in Kilgalil in the AM, drive
to the Genocide Memorial, continue to the Mountain Gorilla's Nest
Lodge near Volcanoes National Park.
Day 3, November 6. Our first trek to one of the four tourist-accessible
groups. Afternoon, time-permitting, road-touring and photography
in the surrounding countryside. Overnight, Mountain Gorilla's
Nest Lodge.
Day 4, November 7. Our second trek, followed by afternoon
touring. Overnight, Mountain Gorilla's Nest Lodge.
Day 5, November 8. Our third trek, followed by afternoon
touring. Overnight, Mountain Gorilla's Nest Lodge.
Day 6, November 9. Our fourth trek, followed by afternoon
touring. Overnight, Mountain Gorilla's Nest Lodge.
Day 7, November 10. Our fifth trek. Following our trek
we'll return to the Gorilla's Nest Lodge for lunch and to change
into 'travel clothes' for our drive back to Kilgali. We'll be
staying in a 5-star hotel in Kilgali overnight.
Day 8, November 11. Departure day, return to Nairobi. Day
room in Nairobi, departure that evening on flights to return home.
Some participants may be joining us on our second Kenya Photo
Safari.
