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grow from infants to adults. where staff removed our boots and gaiters
When approached by humans, the goril‐ to clean them properly and provided clean
las don’t pay much attention and likely slippers to wear into our suite. We relaxed
continue their normal activities like eating, and caught up on our emails, enjoyed
playing, grooming, or resting. The guides showers, and went for dinner. We met other
and trackers provide hand signals to the couples in the beautiful, well-stocked bar
trekkers to halt forward progress or wave area. One duo, several decades younger,
us in new directions. Once you feel safe be‐ were avid trekkers and had spent the entire
ing close to the gorillas, there is a calm‐ previous day climbing to the top of the vol‐
ness. The setting in the middle of the jungle cano in the park to see gorillas. They spent
is peaceful and contemplative, with few an hour in the spa afterward, including en‐
noises except the gorilla activity. joying massages.
One couple talked about an experience
Gorilla Family Fun we sadly didn’t have time for – a visit to the
Kigali Genocide Memorial. The memorial
pays respects to the victims of the 1994
The groups move! We found our family genocide. The Bisate manager told us most
after about an hour. The big Silverback was visitors spend two to three hours learning
sitting stoically in the bushes, watching his about the history and the country’s journey
family. One female was nursing. Some to reconciliation. The exhibits can be mov‐
teens were climbing short trees, swinging ing and emotional, he said. They include a
on vines, and batting each other playfully, burial ground, a flame of resistance, an ex‐
just like humans. Two different babies hibit hall covering Rwanda’s history before
tested their mobility, wrestling one another colonization, the path to the genocide, and
and then hopping among the bushes. They the 100 days of killing, including testi‐
were so close we could see tiny bugs cir‐ monies for families of victims, photographs,
cling their faces and leaves being ground in and artifacts. He recommended getting an
their teeth. One youngster dropped off a audio guide to appreciate the depth and
vine and used my wife’s shoulder as a breadth of the tragedy properly.
jumping-off point to the ground!
The guides alerted us to get ready for
“movies!” The Silverback stood up, thumped Kenya and the Masai Mara
his chest, growled, and thundered and
crashed through the bushes, leading his The Masai Mara, located in southwest‐
family toward another area with better ern Kenya across the border from Tanzania
plants for eating. Our guide and Porter on the migration route, is one of Africa's
helped us follow along. We watched quietly. most spectacular and renowned wildlife re‐
Then, our one hour was up, and the guides serves.
and porters led us back through the jungle We flew from Kigali to NBO, the interna‐
to the trailhead. tional airport in Nairobi. We were trans‐
“Just ten more minutes,” my porter said, ferred to Wilson Airport, where we hopped
encouraging me as I lagged. He helped me on a Governors’ Aviation plane, a single-
over a log and through a few last thickets. engine Cessna Grand Caravan. The Caravan
We were tired, sweaty, and muddy when we is popular for bush and any operations fly‐
emerged from the jungle. Our Wilderness ing into remote, small airstrips anywhere.
guide took us back to the Bisate Lodge, The plane has a high wing and big windows,
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