An Epic Road Trip Concludes

After 21 days on the road and approximately 3000 km/1865 miles travelled, our epic journey through Uganda and Rwanda has concluded.  We have seen a vast amount which has created long lasting memories.  As with any journey, naturally there are highlights, here are a few.

	Tracking Mountain Gorillas The opportunity to come face to face with a group of mountain gorillas in their natural habitat is simply magical.  It is difficult to describe what a special experience it is and we will never forget the time that we spent with the Susa group in the Virunga Mountain Range of Rwanda.
	Tree Climbing Lions of Ishasha It has long been a dream to see the tree climbing lions of Ishasha.  We had plans to visit 4 years ago but had to cancel due to instability in the nearby Democratic Republic of Congo resulting in the area being considered unsafe to visit.  We were excited to visit the area on this trip and on our second day in the Ishasha sector of QENP we rounded a corner to see 2 lionesses draped in a large fig tree, we were so happy to realize a dream!
	Lake Kivu A previously unknown part of the world to us, Lake Kivu is an impressive place.  The lake lies in the East Albertine Rift Valley and is surrounded by mountains.  The area is very peaceful, relaxing and is a perfect place to chill out and unwind while gazing across to the Democratic Republic of Congo while wondering what mysteries it holds.
	Ugandan Back-Roads We used to spend our weekends in Canada discovering back-roads and 4x4 tracks.  We prefer the road less travelled and getting off the highways so winding through the mountains of Uganda from Buhoma to Lake Bunyonyi was an experience to remember.
	Lake Bunyonyi Crayfish Lake Bunyonyi is the deepest crater lake in Uganda and is known for it's freshwater crayfish.  We bought a bucket full of live crayfish from a local fisherman and cooked them up at our camp.  We feasted on the local delicacy, peeling and eating every morsel of their delicious meat.

An Epic Road Trip Begins!

A little over 18 months ago I sat down in front of my computer with my steaming cup of freshly brewed Ugandan coffee in my kung fu grip and began to read through my Facebook news feed.  I came across something interesting posted by The Far Horizons.  A census of mountain gorilla's was taking place in the Virunga range and they were offering 2 permits to trek the mountain gorilla's in Rwanda to the person who could estimate the census results to the nearest number.  As a result, my morning became all about finding out the breeding habits, gestation period and life expectancy of mountain gorillas.  The previous census to the one conducted in 2010 was in 2003, so there were a lot of factors to consider to estimate the population.  After extensive reading, I submitted the estimate of 454.  After this several months passed and I completely forgot that I had ever even entered a competition.

On the morning of December 8, 2010 I sat down at my computer with the ritual cup of morning coffee.  I opened up my emails and began reading, ugh, more spam, more software updates to do, and then my eyes fell on the subject line:

The Far Horizons Competition for 2 Gorilla Permits in Rwanda - Winner!

I couldn't open the mail fast enough.  I proceeded to read the following:

Dear Michelle

I am delighted to inform you, that you are the winner of our competition to win 2 gorilla tracking permits for Rwanda worth $1,000 - congratulations!

The results of the census are now in and revealed a total population of 480 mountain gorillas in the Virunga chain. This brings the total world population to 786 individuals - an encouraging increase indeed. Your estimate of 454 was the closest we received to this result.


I nearly spat the delicious dark roast from my mouth.  I screamed with excitement, could it be true?!  It was, and what has entailed is months of planning a road trip centred around mountain gorilla tracking in Rwanda.


So today, with great excitement, the journey to explore another country in Africa and come face to face with gorilla's begins.  The most exciting part is the anticipation of travelling to new places, not knowing what to expect and experiencing it all unfold.