MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
MOUNTAIN GORILLA TREKKING.
Gorillas generally live in family groups of varying sizes, usually including one or two older silverback males, younger black back males, females and infants. Most groups contain between 10 and 15 gorillas but in Rwanda there are groups of more than 30. There are strong bonds between family individuals and status is usually linked to age. Silverbacks are at the top of the hierarchy, then females with infants or ties to the silverbacks, then black-backs and other females.
A silverback (mature male) weighs nearly three times as much as the average man (up to 200 kg). The Mountain Gorilla is distinct species from its cousin the western lowland gorilla and was unknown to western science until 1902. Gorillas share 97% of their genes with mankind. They are highly sociable, moving in troops of 5-50 animals typically comprising a silverback, three or four wives and several young.
Females reach sexual maturity in their eighth year, males when they are around 13. Gorillas have few natural enemies and can live for up to 50 years in the wild. A female gorilla has similar gestation period to humans, and may raise up to six offspring if she lives to old age. Gorillas spend most of their waking hours on the ground, but sleep in trees, each building itself a temporary nest.
PARC NATIONAL DES VOLCANS.
This was the place to view mountain gorillas during the 1980s, but the security situation kept it off the travel map for much of the 1990s. However, the park reopened to visitors in July 1999 and has regained its reputation as the best place to see the gorillas.
This park is where Dian Fossey was based and where the film about her work was made. If you want the most authentic gorilla experience, this may be the place to come, as the towering volcanoes from breathtaking backdrop.
There are 30 gorilla permits available each day and it is likely to remain pretty easy to get one at short notice outside of peak season. The cost is US $ 250, including entry to the park. Security at the park is very tight, as a foreign-trained elite military unit guards the park. However, given events during the 1990s, it is always advisable to check the latest with contacts in Kigali. Access is quite straightforward from Kigali or southwestern Uganda.
GORILLA WATCHING ETIQUETTE.
Gorillas are very susceptible to human illness, so always wash your hands before you visit them. If you feel unwell or carry a contagious disease, stay behind. Turn your head away if you need to sneeze, never spit in the forest. Stay in a tight group when near the gorillas, speaking only on whispers. Don’t eat or drink near them, nor leave any rubbish. For your safety and their health keep seven meters away from the gorillas, but stay still if they approach you. Never touch a gorilla.
Although non-aggressive, they are wild animals and can sometimes charge. If this happens, crouch down, don’t look them in the eye and wait for them to pass. Rash photography is forbidden. Point-and-shoot cameras are inadvisable as picture quality will be poor in these conditions and flash can go off inadvertently. My visit is unpredictable – be prepared to be patient.
Parc devocanoes gorilla tracking park, Nyungwe national Park, Lake Kivu and Akagera National Parks. 
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