Globally Mike
- Dec 16, 2019
- 6 min read

The King Kong Encounters in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 🇷🇼

Updated: Sep 23, 2020

An Epic Adventure looking for the mountain gorillas in the wild that you MUST put on your Lifetime Bucket List. Don't just dream about it. Make it happen & start now before its too late and i will show you how from start-to-finish under 45 pictures in review...

- BUCKET LIST ✅ Me, "Up Close & Personal" with the gorillas behind...

- A closer look of the King Kong.

REVIEW 📝

Everybody knows about ‘Rwanda Genocide’ that killed more than million people. It’s pretty sad to know that someone in power had gone crazy to murder million of human being. I have visited the Genocide Memorials in Rwanda which was very moving and so tragically sad as i saw million of dead bodies, bones and skulls. And i wish the history won’t repeat it again in the future or in anywhere in the world.

Now back to the best thing i have done in this tiny nation - “The Gorilla/King Kong Encounters”. Apparently, there are ONLY 1,004 endangered mountain gorillas remaining on earth according to WWF (as of May 2018). The majority live in the deep mountains that straddle Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and the numbers keep going down everyday. So to have this rare unique opportunity was truly once in a lifetime experience that money can’t buy. Uncounted from the zoos worldwide, most of the 1,004 gorillas live a wild existence, far from human reach. However, can be tracked & observed by small numbers of 80 visitors per day under the watchful eyes of armed park scouts.

I wanted to do something memorable for a lifetime and uniquely different from other people…Plus i had 2 days off from work, so i flew down to Rwanda! I travelled 2-3 hours drive on a tarmac, then muddy road from Rwanda ‘s capital, Kigali to Volcanoes National Park (the home of over 300 mountain gorillas & 10 habituated gorilla families). I then joined the security group & briefed before heading to the deep forest jungle. We went through the muddy slopes & steep dense forest up and down. Some people take 6-8 hours to see mountain gorillas, but i was super lucky that i spent only 30 minutes trekking to see gorillas in front of me after trekked up a steep mountain, crossing small farming villages with our armed guide & porters. It was a true privilege to be able to trek these soon extinct/ rare animals in the wild.

But it wasn’t cheap!! Rwanda permit will cost you $1,500 USD (sadly jumped from $750) for just 1-hour with the gorillas. So be aware of that as you’re not 100% guaranteed to see it & you must go with a pure luck!

THE EXPERIENCE:

Back to Story! First, i saw baby gorillas playing and eating, then i met Silverback Gorilla, a presence of strength and authority for family. He relaxed at first, but then he saw another 8 people in my group, he startled us with huffing and puffing grunts which meant he wasn’t happy. I secured a pose in my best spot with the gorilla’s family backdrop, not just that he was with his family and the female gorilla holding her baby born (have a closer look on my pictures). And he looks at my camera posing! I guess, i can use my picture to promote Rwanda Tourism for now hahaha! I was blown away by that! And i told the security guide to take a snapshot for me whenever she’s ready. I was waiting and waiting and i got very very “UP CLOSE & PERSONAL” with a Silverback Gorilla as he walked toward me from behind, like 10 incest away! He looked at me and its way too close! Well, looks like the gorilla wanted to do a selfie with me or something hahaha! I was told not to move, lowering to the ground and avoiding eye contact with him. Of course, i was scared to death (the security guide got thrown 2 meters away by 1 gorilla during her tour and she passed out for 2 days). However, after the gorilla checked up on my hair style. He walked away to sit in the same spot and posed himself again for my camera. Maybe, i should have asked this gorilla for his Facebook before i left, so i can tag him hahaha! Well, he’s such a poser. But what to do hahaha!

This was 1 of the best thing i had ever done in my life – an experience so overwhelming with fear count every moment! That close-encounter still brings an excited rush everytime i think about it. This is a MUST-DO experience in your lifetime before it’s all gone or too late. Now enjoy the best time of your life in Africa 😛

WHAT-WHEN-WHERE & HOW:

You can visit the gorillas in Rwanda all year-round but avoid April-May as the rainiest months.

Allow 14 days to get a Gorilla Permit, as only 8 are granted per gorilla group or around 80 people each day in total and they are extremely limited. The Rwanda permit currently costs $1,500 USD per person, which entitles you to 1 hour with mountain gorillas. The money goes toward conservation of the habitat, anti-poaching efforts and education of the local communities. Consult with the local tour companies to organize the ‘Gorilla Permit’ and the tour for you.

For a small fee, porters can be hired to carry your belongings and help you up the steeper slopes during the gorilla trekking.

The famous Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Organization also established here, so you can support her work by helping the local people and saving gorillas.

Please wear a long sleeve & long pants for a forest trekking. You never know whats ahead of you. Well, i bumped into the unknown poison tree and got rashes all over me for like a week. So better be safe than sorry.

Gorilla Permit costs vary depending on the country you do the tour with. For example: Rwanda costs for $1,500 USD (jumped from $750), Uganda for $600 USD (from $450) & Congo for $400 USD (from $250) + $105 for DRC Visa (cheapest but very unstable country at the moment due to an ongoing civil war, terrorist militia rebel group attack & kidnap tourists and now facing Ebola Outbreak Crisis with 2,207 deaths as of Dec 15, 2019). Depend on your budget & your time. Now you choose where to go!!!

SO LET’S THE JOURNEY BEGINS...

- A Beautiful Morning in Rwanda 🇷🇼

- A Welcome with Rwanda's Sacola Traditional Dances.

- The happy kids come out to say hello 😛

- The Beginning of King Kong Adventure starts right here...

- The view on the way to the forest.

- The happy kids come out to say hello 😛

- The Curious Local Farmers.

- The Armed Ranger Guard to keep us safe (in case of emergency).

- En route to the King Kong Adventure.

- Even King Kong having his own moment too...

- Into the wild

- Eat Eat Everyday.

- I love eating & i eat everyday.

- I miss you, mom!

- I love you, mom!

- Let see who is #GloballyMike ? & He's running right at me!!!

- Whats up #GloballyMike ?

Now i know you!!!

Way too close to me, I could feel his breath very heavily & He walked circling around me...very scary indeed (at this point, my head & my eyes were down to avoid confrontation).