Rwanda - Mountain Gorillas

[Denali]

I was involved in a serious car crash 3 months ago.

Bugger. I was hoping I could get them to carry me!

Hope you're OK.

 

[ALH]

What flight routes can you take from Sydney?

I flew QF64 to Johannesburg for Xmas, then SAA to Nairobi. Drove through Kenya & Tanzania on Safari & then flew Kenya Airways from Kilimanjaro to Kigali. All flights in J for very reasonable prices. There are any numbers of airlines flying into Kigali from all over

 

[ALH]

Bugger. I was hoping I could get them to carry me!

Hope you're OK.

Thank you. I am getting better faster than expected, and everything should be back to normal in around 12 months.

You can get carried if you want. I paid $ 200 USD for the stretcher and gave the porters and guides another $ 300 USD in tips. They worked really hard to carry me in relays and everyone made sure I stayed safe and had the best possible experience.

 

[ALH]

... Not sure how the Rwandan experience would be better?.

They said you might be unlucky and not see any Gorillas in Uganda, and group sizes were larger. While in Rwanda there’s a maximum of 8 people per group.

We were fortunate to visit the largest family (17 members) which had 3 Silverbacks. The largest weighed 220 kilos.

 

[casanovawa]

They said you might be unlucky and not see any Gorillas in Uganda, and group sizes were larger. While in Rwanda there’s a maximum of 8 people per group.

We were fortunate to visit the largest family (17 members) which had 3 Silverbacks. The largest weighed 220 kilos.

Again not wanting to take away from this trip report but just if anyone is reading and tossing up where to go, in Uganda we left the place we were staying (I was part of an overland safari with about 20 others back in 2014) and we eventually met up with other people at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest...

I think there was about 40 people all up and we were split up into 5 groups of 8 plus a guide, a couple of security people and we later met two trackers who they have out following each of the different gorilla family groups that help guide the tourist group in to where the gorillas are eating/sleeping/moving etc...

Our group was reasonably fit and so they selected a family of gorillas that they thought might take couple of hours to come upon (as oppose to what they thought might be closer, easier families of gorillas for groups with people that might find the going a bit tougher), but we actually found our gorillas pretty quickly and spent our allowed 1 hour with them then headed back... We were back at the accommodation showered and relaxing when some of the other members of our safari group straggled back in...

Ok back to the TR...

 

[JohnM]

Again not wanting to take away from this trip report but just if anyone is reading and tossing up where to go, in Uganda we left the place we were staying (I was part of an overland safari with about 20 others back in 2014) and we eventually met up with other people at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest...

I think there was about 40 people all up and we were split up into 5 groups of 8 plus a guide, a couple of security people and we later met two trackers who they have out following each of the different gorilla family groups that help guide the tourist group in to where the gorillas are eating/sleeping/moving etc...

Our group was reasonably fit and so they selected a family of gorillas that they thought might take couple of hours to come upon (as oppose to what they thought might be closer, easier families of gorillas for groups with people that might find the going a bit tougher), but we actually found our gorillas pretty quickly and spent our allowed 1 hour with them then headed back... We were back at the accommodation showered and relaxing when some of the other members of our safari group straggled back in...

Ok back to the TR...

It works exactly the same way in Rwanda.

 

[zig]

Subscribing as this is on my bucket list. I'm interested in the discussion of differences between Uganda and Rwanda.

 

[craven morehead]

Can't go past a good looking Silverback

 

[love_the_life]

View attachment 114978


Thank you. I am getting better faster than expected, and everything should be back to normal in around 12 months.

You can get carried if you want. I paid $ 200 USD for the stretcher and gave the porters and guides another $ 300 USD in tips. They worked really hard to carry me in relays and everyone made sure I stayed safe and had the best possible experience.

I think mrs.dr.ron had a sedan chair from memory (bad ankles or knees I think).

 

[Major]

An interesting trip

 

[drron]

Yes mrsdrron had a sedan chair in Bwindi.More an aircraft seat on poles.
Interesting in how you picked Rwanda as I picked Uganda because it was less corrupt than Rwanda.Reporters without Borders and Amnest International are both scathing in their reports on the President of Rwanda.The press and Opposition leaders have a quite high sudden death rate.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Yes mrsdrron had a sedan chair in Bwindi.More an aircraft seat on poles.
Interesting in how you picked Rwanda as I picked Uganda because it was less corrupt than Rwanda.Reporters without Borders and Amnest International are both scathing in their reports on the President of Rwanda.The press and Opposition leaders have a quite high sudden death rate.

This is Africa - it is all corrupt (apart from Botswana). In any period you can pick one country as less corrupt than another, but by the time you visit it can have all swung around. However the people are really lovely and can’t help their governments (not really), so I don’t see that as a criteria.

 

[drron]

I agree .Uganda is very corrupt but opponents are less likely to be given a funeral these days as compared to Rwanda

 

[Flying mermaid]

I agree .Uganda is very corrupt but opponents are less likely to be given a funeral these days as compared to Rwanda

totally agree, but the people who wait on you act as porters etc aren’t responsible.

Africa is just a mess - a friend of my brother’s has just become President of the ANC in South Africa. My brother has total faith in his integrity, but doesn’t feel he will be enough to stem the tide of corruption

 

[love_the_life]

I hear love_the_life doing the budget right now. Hey @love_the_life - tune in to this one.

Yeah but no but yeah but. I like gorillas but they aren’t on my must see list. I’m more a cat person

Regardless I will be reading along eagerly.

 

[ALH]

There are some interesting side effects from a concussion and brain injury. I’ve managed to delete all the videos from my camera and not successfully upload them to my iPhone! However, I have a week of R & R in Lombok next week so will attempt a proper trip report with some of my iPhone photos

 

[Flying mermaid]

Have a lovely break and don’t worry too much about the trip report. Sad for you that you lost them, but you still have the memories.

 

[JohnM]

There are some interesting side effects from a concussion and brain injury. I’ve managed to delete all the videos from my camera and not successfully upload them to my iPhone! However, I have a week of R & R in Lombok next week so will attempt a proper trip report with some of my iPhone photos

Before despairing, make sure that you don't use the card that was in the camera. If the video files are like computer files, 'deleting' them may only remove some information that points to the file and frees up the space allocated to the file, allowing it to be addressed. So they may be able to be restored in the same way as is easily done with computer files if the disk hasn't been written to a lot since the 'deletion'. You don't want to risk overwriting them until you've spoken with an expert.

 

[ALH]

Before despairing, make sure that you don't use the card that was in the camera. If the video files are like computer files, 'deleting' them may only remove some information that points to the file and frees up the space allocated to the file, allowing it to be addressed. So they may be able to be restored in the same way as is easily done with computer files if the disk hasn't been written to a lot since the 'deletion'. You don't want to risk overwriting them until you've spoken with an expert.

Thank you. Yes.....I’ve removed the card from the camera and downloaded to a PC, but can’t open the files. I have a Computer guru coming in when I get back from Lombok to see what he can do.

In any case, I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff these days.

 

[GlobalT]

I would also highly reccomend the Genocide Memorial in Kigali, that was an experience I will remember for a very long time and is a place I am taking my children to see. One of the most emotional, sobering and moving experiences you can imagine.