Rwanda's countryside is stunning. Rolling hills into mountains, lush greenery (even in the dry season!), clean paved streets. Chris probably snapped 100 pictures just along the roads as we were driving.
The only downside to the beauty is that every square inch of the country is cultivated. As soon as a protected forest ends, the fields begin. If I didn't understand before, I definitely fully appreciate the need for preserved spaces.
I don't know how people worked these fields. They were so high up!
When we took a break from the twisty roads, this little guy came out to greet us.
Tea plantations spread out all over the countryside. The color is just spectacular.
Because we were so close to the boarder of the DRC, there were several refugee camps plopped right into the middle of this mountain beauty. A sad reminder of the conflicts nearby.
Our first outdoor adventure was chimp trekking in Nyungwe Forest in the south of the country. It was a steep climb into the jungle and then, using trackers, we followed the chimps to where they were eating breakfast. It was tough to follow them because they move fast and hide in the trees and on the ground. But we got some good views of them, still.
Big thanks go to the trackers who spend their whole days out in the forest following the movement of the apes.
Monkeys seemed to be watching us as much as we were watching them.
Tucking your socks into your pants is important if you don't want to get ants in the pants! Ultimate dorkiness transformation complete!
Relatives of the chimps.
We spotted this guy on the trail.
He didn't much like being followed, so he kept his back to us and ran away if we tried to get any closer.
Eventually he said, "Forget this!" and climbed away in the trees.
This little baby was making a lot of noise!
Later in the week we took our next hiking adventure to see the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in the north-west of the country. We'd heard from many people that the hike is very difficult and it can take hours just to find the apes. Just like the chimps, you use trackers to find their location and once you find them you follow them through the forest. Because they don't stick to scenic trails, you could have to whack your way through the forest, which can be steep and slippery. Imagine our surprise, then, when the gorillas actually walked out of the forest into the surrounding fields to meet us! It all happened within the first 15 minutes of our hike. We didn't even make it into the woods!
This silverback walked out into the clearing and slapped the ground so hard right next to me, I could feel the ground shake. It about scared me half to death!
After the silverback announced his presence, the rest of the crew came out. There were 14 in this family, 2 silverbacks (1 dominant), several adolescents not yet of age, some mamas and 2 babies.
They were just out looking for some food.
The silverback leader.
One of the mamas.
So close!
Everybody wanted to take our picture with the gorillas behind us. I wasn't that thrilled to have my back to these huge creatures! You just hear them moving and breaking things behind you. Kinda nerve wracking!
Apparently, the inside of the tree is sweet.
This guy weighs about 260 kilos (almost 600 pounds)!
This little guy actually hit my foot, which scared me and I almost tripped on him!
Our guide, in the middle, was talking to and playing with the gorillas. He's the oldest guide and was once the porter for Dian Fossey. All he said about her was that she liked animals more than people, which was probably quite true.
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