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@pscrimshaw  Those Susa photos are wonderful.  I am curious how tall the Susa gorillas are.

The next day it was time to leave Rwanda, but I decided to do a quick golden monkey trek on my way out. This was more of a stroll than a hike, and we actually found the monkeys right on the border with the farm land. Golden Monkeys apparently love potatoes, and so we spent our entire time with them as they raided the local crops. Not the most "wild" wildlife photography, but at least I can say that I got to see them.     We found the gorilla monkeys right on the park border       Apparently they are major potato lovers       The look of a guilty monkey   After saying goodbye to the monkeys, it was off to the airport to catch my flight back to Nairobi. Then the real safari could begin.

What I didn't realize was that my first gorilla trek was going to be the easy one. You wouldn't call a 4 hour round trip hike "easy" usually, but compared to to my second one it was a piece of cake. Unfortunately the next day I was assigned the Igisha family, which lived even further than the Susa. We had to drive almost 2 hours right to the Congo border to even start the hike.   This time though, the hike was almost reversed. It was about 15 minutes to the border wall, and then began the single most brutal hike of my life. It was a 2 hour trek through thick, deep mud, stinging nettles, up and down through the thickest jungle I've ever seen. There was essentially no path, and we literally couldn't see anything in front of us until our guide sliced through with his machete. I felt like one of those old colonial explorers making my way through the Congo rainforest, and was starting to question why on earth I signed up for this.   But finally we found the gorillas, and those intrusive thoughts quickly disappeared. The Igisha are the biggest in the park with 36 members. That includes 6 silverbacks, and lots of babies! They were also in a much better position than the Susa, and seemed to be relaxing which made for some awesome photography.   A very lazy young gorilla. I wish I could be as relaxed as him after my hike!       The photographic opportunities with the Igisha were very different than with the Susa       I wonder what he's thinking about?       Mothers and babies are always a goal on a gorilla trek, and there were plenty in this family       Very fluffy, and very cute!       One of 6 silverbacks in the family, the largest number of any in the park   Finally my gorilla time was over, and I had to make the 2 hour trek back down the mountains, this time in the pouring rain. The gorillas were awesome, but the hike was absolute misery.

The following morning it was time for my first trek. I requested the Susa family, which was one of the original families that Dian Fossey researched during her time in the park. What I didn't realize was that the Susa live an hour away from the initial park check in point, so we had a long drive before we could even start hiking.   When we got there, we were provided walking sticks and began to make our way up towards the park border. The hike was mostly uphill through farmland, and it took us about an hour to reach the border wall that separates the local farmers from the jungle. After that, it was about 15 minutes macheting through dense jungle before we actually came across the gorillas.   The moment when you actually see them just leaves you dumbstruck. Watching a wild gorilla literally 10m right in front of you is absolutely exhilarating. They are so human like in their eyes and faces, which allows you to connect with them in a deeper way than say an elephant or a lion.   Photographing them was a huge challenge though, because they were on a slope and moving down hill, so we basically had to chase them and snap a few photos before they moved again. Very difficult, but still amazing to experience.   One of the newest members of the Susa family   This family had multiple silverbacks, which is apparently quite common       Following the gorillas downhill was difficult, but when they posed they posed perfectly         Looking into a gorilla's eyes you can see how we are so closely related

After spending a couple of nights in Nairobi, it was off to Rwanda to go gorilla trekking! I have tried doing a gorilla trip for a long while, but logistically just couldn't get it done until now. I briefly spent some time exploring the capital city of Kigali, where I got a chance to visit the Genocide Museum and the real Hotel Rwanda. It is an incredibly moving experience, and even if you only care about wildlife I genuinely believe it's worth taking the time to visit.   The drive from Kigali to the Volcanoes National Park was about 3 hours, but wow was it scenic. Seeing thousands of green hills and giant volcanoes in the background was probably the most beautiful drive I've ever been on.   The view from my room of Mt. Sabyinyo just outside of Volcanoes National Park  

Hi everyone! Last month I was fortunate to spend 3 weeks across East Africa, and I figured it would be best to recount my time in Rwanda where I came to see the endangered mountain gorillas. This is my first trip report on the site, and I hope you enjoy! But if reading isn't quite your style then I have also made a couple of YouTube Videos for those that are more interested in the vlogging, wildlife videography side of things.      I spent 4 days in Rwanda which wasn't a lot, but in my opinion that was the right amount of time since my interest was mostly on just the gorillas. I spent 3 nights at the Mountain Gorilla View Lodge just outside Volcanoes National Park, and it was by far the nicest experience I have ever had in all my years of going on safari. I really felt like I was in a mountain cabin like Dian Fossey. Stay tuned for the play by play and some of my favorite shots from my trip to Rwanda!

Really enjoying this report @gatoratlarge. It's nice to see what Reteti looks like, I just finalized a trip to Kenya for next year and it came up in our discussions with our TO. 

Working on next year. Ladakh and N India. Ladakh for me and North India for a friend who has yet to meet Shere Khan.

@Galanawhen do you plan to get back to India?  

To me too. I mean to return to Corbett next trip.   Fantastic tigers. Awful crowds, From the splendid to the mundan. Have you considered Black-eared Kite for your 'Black'?

Thanks for sharing your Corbett photos, what great memories these have brought back to me.   I'd forgotten about the low wooden bridge, and like you I enjoyed Dhikala. Really enjoying your TR.

It is interesting, it looks like they (Machaba Safaris) don't have the camps full. I even know your guide from Hwange. We met him a few times there and once even had a cup of coffee together. Once we were the first once who found the lions and shared the information and he shared the coffee and cookies   He had two guests (who were not against us to have a company during the coffee break) and he told us that there were not many guests in the camp, however it was a high season. In Mana Pools when I saw Machaba Safaris there were also not many guests in the car. It is good to know what camp to choose  when you want more privacy ;-) Your guide was extremely nice guy, by the way  

When you started this TR, I was just starting on my trip. Just as well, as I now can read three pages of it in one go. I'm going to steal your itinerary and recommendations if and when we decide to return to India. It was with horror I saw that photo lined up with dozens of cars, but with relief that JayP was steeled to drive through it. well done on his part and yes a guide we want too! absolutely no waiting or rushing around for the orange striped cat anymore.  

Thanks for sharing @kittykat23uk, this report has really moved Namibia up on my list of places to go! 

@xelaswe thought he was a really good guide and were pleased to have him for this and the remainder of the trip   @madaboutcheetaha good question and difficult to answer   We only did two drives in Jhirna so didn't see as much of it. In Dhikala we did four drives.   I think Dhikala has more variety in the environments you can visit, including grassland, riverside cliffs as well as woodland. This gave it more variety for birding. I think there were more open areas which made Tiger viewing a bit easier (but that might also be luck!). We enjoyed the visits to both areas, both were beautiful.   Dhikala was busier when we were there, but when we went over the river there were few other vehicles (as not a strong Tiger area)   We are glad we went to both areas (and of course there are other areas as well)   Dhikala is thought to be better for Tiger sightings, but it is hard for us to know how accurate that is (though we did see Tigers each day here)