A visit to the Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda, then climbing into the mountains of NW Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas in their native environment
Kigali, Rwanda
Kigali, Rwanda street scene
My son Mark and I flew into Kigali, Rwanda on a small plane, 35 passengers, operated by Rwandair that delivered good service. Our plan was to visit the Genocide Memorial in Kigali, then travel to the northwest corner of the country and hike into Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park that is part of a large forest where mountain gorillas live. This bamboo forest is in parts of Rwanda, the Congo and Uganda and the gorillas move freely throughout all three countries, without any passport, our guide told us.
Kigali reminds you of San Francisco or Amman, Jordan; it is very hilly. The streets have more pedestrians walking in them than vehicles, as the photo shows. We were met at the airport by our driver/guide from Good Earth Tours and Safari, luggage arrived without difficulty, customs clearing was easy for tourists and we were off. In Rwanda, if the locals speak any European language, it is probably French, not English. This presented some communication difficulties when our driver/guide was not around and you have no grasp of the local language and limited French.
Kigali reminds you of San Francisco or Amman, Jordan; it is very hilly. The streets have more pedestrians walking in them than vehicles, as the photo shows. We were met at the airport by our driver/guide from Good Earth Tours and Safari, luggage arrived without difficulty, customs clearing was easy for tourists and we were off. In Rwanda, if the locals speak any European language, it is probably French, not English. This presented some communication difficulties when our driver/guide was not around and you have no grasp of the local language and limited French.
The Genocide Memorial
entrance to the Genocide Memorial, Kigali, Rwanda
The hate and killing frenzy that gripped Rwanda for a few short terror filled months in 1994 has been the subject of numerous books and at least two very good movies, Hotel Rwanda and Beyond The Gate. The latter was made with the help of survivors of those killing months. The movie Hotel Rwanda made a hero out of the hotel manager, Paul Rusesagabina. Another view of Mr. Rusesagabina is that of a bully and profiteer from the suffering of the Tutsi people and a friend of the killers. That version is told by a lawyer/survivor of the killing who stayed in the Hotel Rwanda during Mr. Rusesagabina's management, Inside the Hotel Rwanda by Edouard Kayihura (survivor) and Kerry Zukus. I had seen the movies and read some of the books before out arriving in Kigali, so visiting the Genocide Memorial was a necessary stop on any visit to Rwanda, at least for me. But nothing really prepares you for the deluge of photos, stories and emotions found in this small building. Photographs inside the Memorial were not allowed and words cannot describe the experience. It is hard to imagine that human beings can be so deliberately cruel to people whom they knew well: they worked with, attended school with, worshiped with, played with and saw as neighbors and friends. But the evidence is there for anyone to see. There are graves at the Memorial, unmarked simply because people were killed and bodies buried in mass graves with no record of who was killed, man, woman or child, or where anyone was buried (or body dumped, to be more accurate). Our visit to Kigali also included an overnight stay at the Mille de Colonies Hotel, better known as the Hotel Rwanda. The bar area and swimming pool on the first floor were alive with young people enjoying the live music, food and drinks. The open air dining room on the top floor was nice, the food and service were excellent. Looking out over Kigali from that top floor, sitting on the top of one of the many Kigali hills, one cannot imagine what it must have been like to be there during the 1994 terror, listening to the screams and killing, being helpless to stop it and wondering if the killers would invade the hotel.
Mountain Gorilla Nest Lodge
Mark filming the entertainers
We rode from Kigali to the northwest corner of the country of Rwanda on mostly paved roads, through very hilly farming country. Many of the hillsides were terraced to create flat farm land. On the way, we passed trees with what looked like a four foot long round basket high in them, maybe 30 or 40 feet above the ground. Our driver/guide told us that those baskets are placed there by the natives, the bees are attracted to build hives inside, then after some time has passed and the locals are confident that honey has been produced, one young man (the short straw guy?) climbs up the tree with a torch afire, inserts that torch into the hive and the smoke drives out the bees. This brave young man then reaches in, pulls out the honey and comb and climbs down the tree and the locals enjoy honey. The bees return later, build another hive and the process repeats itself.
There were not a lot of lodging options in this corner of Rwanda. We stayed in the Mountain Gorilla Nest Lodge that came with good recommendations. It was similar to the other places we stayed on our trip: nice accommodations, good dinner and good breakfast the next morning. The main building housed the check in area, a restaurant and a bar. The rooms were in separate buildings, and there were many rooms. While waiting in the bar, we struck up a conversation with a couple who had been on a gorilla trek that morning. They found the gorilla family in less than 30 minutes, spent an hour observing and photographing, then returned to the hotel. While talking with them, we heard the rhythmic beat of drums, chants and hands clapping and were surprised to see a group of young dancers and drummers walk up to the yard of the lodge to entertain us. We enjoyed the pre-dinner entertainment, added our tip to the basket they set out and when they were finished, it was time for dinner.
There were not a lot of lodging options in this corner of Rwanda. We stayed in the Mountain Gorilla Nest Lodge that came with good recommendations. It was similar to the other places we stayed on our trip: nice accommodations, good dinner and good breakfast the next morning. The main building housed the check in area, a restaurant and a bar. The rooms were in separate buildings, and there were many rooms. While waiting in the bar, we struck up a conversation with a couple who had been on a gorilla trek that morning. They found the gorilla family in less than 30 minutes, spent an hour observing and photographing, then returned to the hotel. While talking with them, we heard the rhythmic beat of drums, chants and hands clapping and were surprised to see a group of young dancers and drummers walk up to the yard of the lodge to entertain us. We enjoyed the pre-dinner entertainment, added our tip to the basket they set out and when they were finished, it was time for dinner.
Our hike to see the mountain gorillas
tourists waiting to start hiking
We were up early on an overcast and chilly day, before 6 am, had breakfast, then our driver/guide drove us the few miles to the check in building where all of the daily hikers assembled. There were 200 or so tourists assembled today who were planning on making a trek into the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas. Everyone signed in, then the Rwandan park rangers somehow divided all of us up into groups of 8 to 10 tourists who would be led into the park by a guide and assigned to find a particular gorilla family. While waiting to learn what group we would be with, I read the park information: tourists who come to see these mountain gorillas are an important source of revenue for Rwanda. More come from the US than any other country.
Mark and I were assigned to a group of 8 hikers, including some from the University of Maryland, who are active in its mountain gorilla veterinarian project, www.mgvp.com. We had an experienced guide, Francois, and a young woman who seemed to be learning the process and accompany us for the day. We were told that Rwanda has trackers following each gorilla family, along with armed soldiers. This was to prevent poaching of gorillas and, because a gorilla family makes a nest in a new location each night, one of the trackers radioed Francois to tell him where the family was, and Francois knew where to lead his group. Each group was assigned to locate a different gorilla family in the park.
Our group set out, hiking first through farmland, then up into the national park. Over the years, the local farmers cleared more forest land to expand the size of their farms, which also decreased the animals habitat and impacted tourism. The farmers also complained to the authorities about the buffalo and other animals that came out of the park and ate the crops. So the government solved two problems with one stone fence about six feet high: it kept the farmers from taking any more park land and it kept most of the animals out of the fields and crops. The couple we met the prior night were in a group that found their gorilla family in less than one hour. We were not so fortunate today. Instead, we hiked for almost two hours, uphill all the way, before we located our assigned gorilla family.
Mark and I were assigned to a group of 8 hikers, including some from the University of Maryland, who are active in its mountain gorilla veterinarian project, www.mgvp.com. We had an experienced guide, Francois, and a young woman who seemed to be learning the process and accompany us for the day. We were told that Rwanda has trackers following each gorilla family, along with armed soldiers. This was to prevent poaching of gorillas and, because a gorilla family makes a nest in a new location each night, one of the trackers radioed Francois to tell him where the family was, and Francois knew where to lead his group. Each group was assigned to locate a different gorilla family in the park.
Our group set out, hiking first through farmland, then up into the national park. Over the years, the local farmers cleared more forest land to expand the size of their farms, which also decreased the animals habitat and impacted tourism. The farmers also complained to the authorities about the buffalo and other animals that came out of the park and ate the crops. So the government solved two problems with one stone fence about six feet high: it kept the farmers from taking any more park land and it kept most of the animals out of the fields and crops. The couple we met the prior night were in a group that found their gorilla family in less than one hour. We were not so fortunate today. Instead, we hiked for almost two hours, uphill all the way, before we located our assigned gorilla family.
the mountain gorillas
the silverback in the Sabyinyo family
Most of the time, we walked single file on a path through the forest. The bamboo forest in this national park can be so dense in places that you cannot see someone on the path 10 feet away if there is the slightest curve in that path. In that environment, I wondered if we might stumble onto the gorilla family and what might happen if there was a sudden encounter. Francois had been leading these treks for almost 20 years and seem very comfortable in the park, no matter how dense the cover was, so I took my cue from him. Francois gave us a few directions on how to conduct ourselves when we got to the gorilla family. No flash photography was one rule, and that made sense. He also told us that if a gorilla comes out and grabs your arm, just go along with him because if you try to pull away, the gorilla will think you are fighting and become more aggressive. I thought to myself, "yeah, right, if a gorilla grabs me, I may or may not remember what to do, but walking along with a gorilla holding onto me is probably not what will come to mind."
While walking along, all of a sudden we encountered the gorilla family. We first saw the large silverback (there is only one in each family) eating. The foliage was so dense that it was hard to get a good photograph. Then the silverback moved off with a display of power and grace. We followed him and then found the trackers and soldiers who were with the rest of the family. Our time in the area of the family was limited to one hour, so during that hour, we watched, moved with the family, watched some more, took photographs from both sides of a thick section of bamboo where the family members were resting and we listened as Francois made sounds that, at least to me, could have come from a gorilla. I wondered how the gorillas interpreted those sounds. All I know for sure is that none were so offensive as to inspire a reaction by the gorillas. After our hour was up, we trekked back down the mountain, in a light but steady rain, through the national park, across the farmland we covered earlier and reached a parking lot where our driver/guide was waiting for Mark and I. Those in our group who had hired someone to carry their backpack for the day tipped the porter and we separated.
The group from the University of Maryland was making a film during this trek and Mark, with his new and sophisticated camera, shared notes and ideas with the UM film makers. When it ended, they invited Mark to see their gorilla rescue operation, which was inside a tall brick fenced area located next to the ranger station where we began the day. Inside this area are small gorillas that have been rescued from poachers. We learned that poaching is a profitable business, that poachers will kill all of the adults in a gorilla family in order to steal the babies, and these babies are then sold on the black market. One baby was found in a box in an apartment, ready to be shipped out of the country. It is now in the UM rescue program.
After our stop at the UM rescue operation, our driver/guide took us to a nearby town and we had a wonderful, freshly prepared meal at a local restaurant. The men from the UM group were there too, although we did not see them until we were leaving. We ate inside, while they sat on the porch and enjoyed their meal. They told us that the porch where they were sitting was where Diane Fossey came after her days studying mountain gorillas and drank a beer or two while making notes of her observations. I am sorry that I missed taking a photograph of that unimpressive looking restaurant whose rich history was unknown to me.
Following our late afternoon meal, we drove back to Kigali, arriving just before dinner time. Our flight out of the country (we flew back to Tanzania, then to Amsterdam, then to the US) left early the next morning, so we wanted to be near the airport. The hotel that was the setting for the movie Hotel Rwanda is the Mille de Collines in Kigali, Rwanda. I thought it would add to our experience if we could spend a night in this hotel, and we did. The hotel was fine, our room was nice, the gift shop was good and service was excellent. Before dinner, we visited the bar, on the lower level. It was a popular place with the young crowd, live music, an extensive selection of cold beer and good snacks. For dinner, we tried the open air restaurant on the top floor of the hotel, overlooking the city. The food and service were great, but as we tried to enjoy our meal, I wondered how frightened, angry and conflicted the people were who were inside the hotel must have felt while the killing was going on all around the city and country. But you cannot imagine the unimaginable.
Our flight home was a long day, very long. Wake up call at 4:10 am, off to the airport by 5 am, check in and security clearance went smoothly and we left Kigali and arrived in Tanzania around 10 am. We then spent the rest of that morning and all afternoon and into the evening at the Kilimanjaro airport, waiting for the same KLM flight that brought us into the country. That plane from Amsterdam arrived, unloaded about half of its passengers, then Mark and I along with another 200+ passengers got on and we flew to Dar es Salaam where the rest of the European passengers deplaned and a few more boarded. We were then off to Amsterdam and the US. It was a great trip, and seeing the mountain gorillas in their natural state was more good fortune on this trip to Africa.
While walking along, all of a sudden we encountered the gorilla family. We first saw the large silverback (there is only one in each family) eating. The foliage was so dense that it was hard to get a good photograph. Then the silverback moved off with a display of power and grace. We followed him and then found the trackers and soldiers who were with the rest of the family. Our time in the area of the family was limited to one hour, so during that hour, we watched, moved with the family, watched some more, took photographs from both sides of a thick section of bamboo where the family members were resting and we listened as Francois made sounds that, at least to me, could have come from a gorilla. I wondered how the gorillas interpreted those sounds. All I know for sure is that none were so offensive as to inspire a reaction by the gorillas. After our hour was up, we trekked back down the mountain, in a light but steady rain, through the national park, across the farmland we covered earlier and reached a parking lot where our driver/guide was waiting for Mark and I. Those in our group who had hired someone to carry their backpack for the day tipped the porter and we separated.
The group from the University of Maryland was making a film during this trek and Mark, with his new and sophisticated camera, shared notes and ideas with the UM film makers. When it ended, they invited Mark to see their gorilla rescue operation, which was inside a tall brick fenced area located next to the ranger station where we began the day. Inside this area are small gorillas that have been rescued from poachers. We learned that poaching is a profitable business, that poachers will kill all of the adults in a gorilla family in order to steal the babies, and these babies are then sold on the black market. One baby was found in a box in an apartment, ready to be shipped out of the country. It is now in the UM rescue program.
After our stop at the UM rescue operation, our driver/guide took us to a nearby town and we had a wonderful, freshly prepared meal at a local restaurant. The men from the UM group were there too, although we did not see them until we were leaving. We ate inside, while they sat on the porch and enjoyed their meal. They told us that the porch where they were sitting was where Diane Fossey came after her days studying mountain gorillas and drank a beer or two while making notes of her observations. I am sorry that I missed taking a photograph of that unimpressive looking restaurant whose rich history was unknown to me.
Following our late afternoon meal, we drove back to Kigali, arriving just before dinner time. Our flight out of the country (we flew back to Tanzania, then to Amsterdam, then to the US) left early the next morning, so we wanted to be near the airport. The hotel that was the setting for the movie Hotel Rwanda is the Mille de Collines in Kigali, Rwanda. I thought it would add to our experience if we could spend a night in this hotel, and we did. The hotel was fine, our room was nice, the gift shop was good and service was excellent. Before dinner, we visited the bar, on the lower level. It was a popular place with the young crowd, live music, an extensive selection of cold beer and good snacks. For dinner, we tried the open air restaurant on the top floor of the hotel, overlooking the city. The food and service were great, but as we tried to enjoy our meal, I wondered how frightened, angry and conflicted the people were who were inside the hotel must have felt while the killing was going on all around the city and country. But you cannot imagine the unimaginable.
Our flight home was a long day, very long. Wake up call at 4:10 am, off to the airport by 5 am, check in and security clearance went smoothly and we left Kigali and arrived in Tanzania around 10 am. We then spent the rest of that morning and all afternoon and into the evening at the Kilimanjaro airport, waiting for the same KLM flight that brought us into the country. That plane from Amsterdam arrived, unloaded about half of its passengers, then Mark and I along with another 200+ passengers got on and we flew to Dar es Salaam where the rest of the European passengers deplaned and a few more boarded. We were then off to Amsterdam and the US. It was a great trip, and seeing the mountain gorillas in their natural state was more good fortune on this trip to Africa.