#gorillahike

[worldwidexplorer]

Happy #WorldGorillaDay!

Today is World Gorilla Day, and that means something special to us at WorldwideXplorer. We began offering gorilla hiking safari tours to Uganda and Rwanda, where you can hike to see groups of habituated gorillas, in 2014. I went on our first ever safari to this region and had the most delightful time observing and admiring these gentle giants of the misty mountains in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the Virunga Mountains to name a couple of places.. They were so much more calm than I would have ever pictured. Though the hike to get to them can be daunting, it’s definitely worthwhile.

Calm Silverback Gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

We also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the wonderful organizations that are working to preserve and help these creatures. When we were in Rwanda, we visited the Gorilla Doctors, wildlife veterinarians who do an amazing job monitoring and caring for the gorillas with as little human intervention as necessary (but they will intervene when required). They’re one of the main reasons why gorilla numbers are increasing! Hats off as well to the relatively new Ellen Degeneres Wildlife Fund which is also helping gorilla conservation efforts.

With a little bit of effort comes a lot of hope!

Young gorilla descending quickly from tree

Marisa with crazy hair after a massively difficult hike in Rwanda. Worth it!

[worldwidexplorer]

Listen to your instinct while traveling

Have you ever had a a feeling or sudden thought that catches you off guard? Something that tells you to “pay attention” because you may be in a dangerous situation? This thought / feeling is your intuition or “gut instinct”, and it's something we often ignore, but we shouldn't! It could save your life, while at home or while traveling. I've had these “gut instincts” while traveling several times, and I believe that listening to them has kept me out of danger. I'll give you a few examples. One time that my instinct may have saved me from a bad situation was on Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands. I had paid a local company to take a tour to a volcano. However, the company failed to tell me that it would be an 8 mile walk through terrible mud. It was so slippery that I nearly fell several times within the first half mile. I knew this had a lot of potential to end badly - with a trip to the hospital and broken bones. Though disappointed, I cut the trip short, went back to my hotel, and spent more time on the beach that day, observing other wildlife like ghost crabs!

Ghost crab on the beach in the Galapagos Islands

On another occasion, I had the opportunity to swim with a pod of wild dolphins off of Zanzibar Island during a dolphin watching excursion. “No big deal, sounds like fun,” I thought. But, as we got further from the calm waves at the beach shore, the waves started getting very big and rough. These weren't tiny swells, and they were fast and erratic. Though swimming with the dolphins would have been fun,  my gut told me that bad things were more likely to happen (such as swallowing a huge amount of sea water and maybe needing to see a doctor, or worse). I know nature is much stronger than me, so I opted to stay safe on the boat and take pictures from there. A couple of people attempted to swim, but not for long.  I have no regrets that I did not. There will be other opportunities!

Dolphin off the shores of Zanzibar Island

On a third occasion, I started to doubt myself. I was in Rwanda, hiking in the Virunga Mountains to see the gorillas. The hike was getting difficult; I'm not used to high altitudes, and we were getting very high and the air was becoming more thin. I was gasping and stopping a lot to catch my breath. There were several times when I thought about quitting the hike and turning back. However, I kept hearing my friend's voice in my head saying, “You are exactly where you are meant to be at this moment in time.” I had a good guide with me and an excellent porter helping me with the hike. I decided to persevere and was eventually rewarded when we reached our gorilla group at the top of the mountain range!

An exhausting hike made worthwhile when we got to the gorillas

Remember: That inner voice is there to help you out. Be sure to listen to it as it will seldom if ever steer you the wrong way.

Until next week,

Marisa