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Rwanda - Photo Gallery
 Lisl Riley at Volcanoes NP
by Adam Riley |
 Volcanoes NP
by Lisl Riley |
 Lisl Riley on the Gorilla trek
by Adam Riley |
 The Amahoro group's Silverback
by Adam Riley |
 Playful baby Gorilla
by Adam Riley |
 Baby Gorilla laughing
by Lisl Riley |
 Mother and baby playing
by Lisl Riley |
 Mother and young laughing
by Lisl Riley |
 Baby hitching a ride
by Adam Riley |
 Female Gorilla
by Adam Riley |
 Silverback and son playing
by Lisl Riley |
 Gorillas hugging
by Adam Riley |
 Gorilla eating
by Adam Riley |
 Silverback sparring a youngster
by Adam Riley |
 Thinking hard
by Adam Riley |
Visiting the Mountain Gorillas was for me one of the most amazing experiences of my life! Adam and I visited the Amahoro family group (meaning “peace”) in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. The park has seven habituated families of gorillas which the public are allowed to visit, another three habituated families are reserved for researchers. These ‘habituated’ groups are still wild animals but have become accustomed to their daily human visits.
The trek up to the spot where the gorillas were resting was easier than expected; apart from the mud and the occasional short climb, the trail was fairly gradual. We hired a porter to carry our backpacks as this is a great way to support the local community. The porters were very friendly and helpful, as they cleared a path way through the bamboo. When we eventually reached the gorillas, they were spread out in a bamboo clearing. We were allowed to sit with them for a full hour and observe them in their natural environment.
The family group consisted of 16 members of which the Silverback (dominant male) is the leader. There were a few adult females, a hand-full of ‘teenagers’ and one small baby. Gorillas are extremely gentle creatures and have very human-like expressions. They openly display affection as can be seen in the image of the youngster hugging its mother. They seem to play all day long; that is when they are not sleeping or eating! They laugh and smile, and the teenagers practice their wresting skills and even the Silverback joined in on the fun. I was surprised to see that even the Silverback interacted with the baby. We were able to enjoy the gorillas at leisure but understandably were not allowed to touch the gorillas as these are still wild animals and humans can easily transfer diseases to them.
Spending an hour in the company of Mountain Gorillas is in my opinion the ultimate wildlife experience on the planet! I hope my review inspires you to visit these amazing gentle giants some day!
This short review from Rwanda was written by Lisl Riley
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