Rwanda - Mountain Gorillas

"Uuuuummmm, there's a gorilla on my leg." That is the precise reaction I had when a young female decided to push through the group, find my leg, grab onto it, then sit down on my foot. A more rare interaction and certainly not encouraged, I must admit it was very exciting to have a gorilla snuggling my leg! The silverbacks have been know to throw onlookers into trees, but fortunately I just had a very curious and friendly female. This was another highlight of the trip, as we saw the largest known silverback amongst the mountain gorillas! -Heather



I admit, at first I was sceptical about spending an exhorbitant amount of money for an hour with mountain gorillas, but by the time I was up there, every penny was worth it to be with these amazing creatures. The trek in the Volcanoes National Park (and a little bit in the Congo when our guide got a little lost on the way home) was stunning, and once we were with these gorillas time stood still. It was as if they were checking us out as much as we were them. They were a bit drunk due to eating bamboo shoots (of course I tried some, and of course it was disgusting) which may have something to do with the silverback's attitude toward us. Maybe he was just jealous of the attention Heather was getting from one of his females. I heard this a lot before we went, and now I know why, but...if you ever get the chance, you HAVE to go see them! -Mike.