Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

This photo was taken on a Gorilla Trek in Virunga National Park, Rwanda. There are few things that compare to seeing gorillas in their natural habitat. You hike for an hour or more through lush primal forest, excitement builds with every step as you imagine a gorilla will jump out at any moment. By the time we reached them, my fellow trekkers and I were near giddy with excitement. During the hour that we spent with them I must have muttered "oh my god" two hundred times. The baby gorillas were curious about us humans, the adults found us incredibly boring, so virtually ignored us while allowing us to get surprisingly close. The exception was this lone female who watched from a distance with this slim tree providing a barrier between us. The look on her face is haunting.