As a wildlife photographer, I have always felt like the best encounters are those where you are fully in the animal's environment, face to face, and on their terms. I have been very fortunate to have had several of these experiences over the years. Standing in the river with Alaskan coastal brown bears, snorkeling with humpback whales in French Polynesia, and hiking with pumas in Chilean Patagonia. These are the experiences that always come up first when someone asks me what my favorite photography trip has been. The mountain gorillas of Rwanda had long been on my bucket list of wildlife encounters. To be able to hike into their home and sit with them on the jungle floor just seemed like an unreal experience. So it was with great excitement that I was given the opportunity to lead the mountain gorilla trip for Backcountry Journeys. 

The weeks prior to this trip, I was leading our Ultimate Botswana trip where we did unforgettable safaris across the Okavango Delta, Chobe River, and Mashatu Game Reserve. A few of the guests were continuing on with me up to Rwanda, and even though we left Johannesburg on a red-eye flight, spirits were high knowing what was to come. 

When we landed in Kigali we were met by our local guide Egide. Our trip would begin with a tour around Kigali and a visit to the Genocide Memorial. He explained a lot about the country and its people as we worked our way across the city. Rwanda is a truly beautiful country with kind people who have lived through some inconceivable evil. This small country is only thirty years removed from a genocide that tore communities apart. In only one hundred days, nearly a million people were killed. It is really sobering and hard to wrap your head around the facts of what happened. As tough as it was to see, the Rwandans want to share and talk about it so that people never go down that road again. Today the country is filled with remembrance, forgiveness, and hope. It is really quite amazing to see. 

Understanding the Genocide and the ongoing recovery helps to inform a lot about the people and culture of Rwanda. This would be evident in the coming days as we experienced a country that is clean, kind, and safe. We left Kigali and soon the bustling metropolis gave way to quiet rural mountains. We climbed up through the long valleys and soon on the horizon we could see the outlines of the Virunga Massif. The Virunga Mountains are a chain of volcanoes in the area where Rwanda, Uganda, and the Congo meet. It is also home to Volcanoes National Park and the critically endangered mountain gorillas. 

The mountain gorilla is a unique species of gorilla living only in the Virunga Massif and the Bwindi Impenetrable forest of Uganda. Due to habitat loss and poaching, their population reached an estimated low of 250 individuals in the early 1980s. After heavy conservation efforts pioneered by Dian Fossey, the population has been steadily increasing though the species is still listed as endangered. Currently, there are over 1,000 individuals in the two populations.  

Today, the Rwandan government has found a balance in sustainable tourism and conservation. Trekking permits are only issued to eight people per gorilla family a day. Once you hike up to your assigned family, you are only given one hour of time with the gorillas before hiking back down the mountain. This gives a lot of people the opportunity to see them, without the gorillas having to constantly be around humans. Gorilla trekking brings in a lot of money that is poured back into the surrounding communities and conservation efforts for the gorillas. NGOs are currently working to buy a kilometer of private farmland surrounding the park to extend the habitats for the ever-growing population of gorillas.  

On our first day of trekking, the excitement was through the roof. We met at the park headquarters and were assigned the family that we would visit that day. After a short drive to the trailhead, we met with our porters and guides and began our hike. We wandered through the farms as kids came running from all directions just to give us a wave and a “hello”.We had barely made it past the dividing wall between the national park and farmland when we came upon the trackers who had been keeping an eye on this particular family. We got our cameras out and put on some masks (since gorillas share 98% of our DNA, we are careful not to transmit Covid or other illnesses to them). I had barely put my camera around my neck when I heard a branch break just around the corner. They were close! We moved through the bushes and sure enough, a family of 16 individuals were scattered around, eating, sleeping, and playing. We quickly got to work photographing them. The silverback strolled right by us. There was a mother and baby playing together. An adult female just lounged chewing on a plant inspecting all the hairless visitors. It was truly an amazing wildlife encounter. 

As we hiked back, we shared stories and experiences. We couldn’t believe we would have two more opportunities to trek with the gorillas. The next two days followed the same pattern: get assigned a family at the park headquarters, meet our guide and porters, and then hit the trail. Our hikes were not too hard, mostly climbing gently through the farms to the edge of the forest. Once inside, we usually didn’t have to go far to meet the gorillas. On the second day, we had exceptionally close encounters with a silverback as he walked through our group mere inches away. The third day brought us higher up the mountain to a smaller family we encountered in an open meadow. We watched as they sat patiently posing for photos and eating all the plants they could. Each day was a different experience but all were memorable and photographically productive. 

On our final morning in the park, we switched gears to track the golden monkeys. These monkeys are the other primates in the park and beautiful subjects with their golden-orange fur and puffy cheeks. The activity is similar to the gorillas, but the monkeys generally don’trequire as much hiking as they tend to stay on the fringes of the forest. The monkeys are smart and like to come out of the trees and down to the farms where they can enjoy their favorite treat: Irish potatoes. The farmers along the edge of the park don’t mind the destruction of their crops because the government pays them back (often at a premium) for the lost food. 

This also means we have chances to get really close to these amazing creatures out in the open. When we did the trek, we had a group of 50-plus monkeys running all around us. It was almost a little overwhelming trying to figure out which one to photograph. We left with full memory cards that morning!  

As we made the long drive back to Kigali, we finally had time to let the experience set in. Spending time with these gentle, intelligent, and powerful animals in their home was really special. I am sure none of us will soon forget the baby swinging on the bamboo, or silverback who sat eating mere feet away. It was one of those wildlife encounters that will surely come to mind next time someone asks me what my favorite trip has been.