I need to go and see the mountain gorilla in East Africa.  I don’t have much money, time or patience but I have to do it this year.  I start phoning travel agents.  Some offer feeble excuses and refer me to other agencies, some promise to investigate and get back to me but mostly no one delivers anything worthwhile.  I become despondent.  Then a friend suggests I phone Tessa Hattingh at Etnique Travel - she’s had so much joy over the years from this remarkable woman that she wouldn’t even consider using any other agent.  So off I go and yes, I must have been Tessa’s best ambassador ever since - her professional, efficient, thoughtful manner makes one feel so relaxed and safe that the period before the trip becomes totally hassle free.  Tessa takes over and all you need to do is pack your clothes - and even here she directs you as to what is needed.  

Airport personnel are on strike, delays are a dime a dozen, but with a huge full moon hanging golden yellow and low over the horizon, the De Havalland pulls in its wheels and the holiday of a lifetime is about to start.  I am on my way to East Africa and very soon Mount Kenya, the slender Masaai in berry red shukas, Kericho’s tea plantations, the gigantic Lake Victoria, thousands of pink flamingoes at Nakuru, wild rapids on the mighty Nile and the soulful faces of the gorilla gorilla beringei will be like old time friends.

Always amazing how much one can pack into a fortnight and how long it takes to file all the memories neatly into various drawers afterwards.

Tourists are warned beforehand - travelling in Africa is unpredictable.  Expect the unexpected.  So, with a pair of brand new walking boots, enough tabard to kill an army of mosquitoes and as fit as I can possibly be at 45, I open my eyes wide and leave all known territory behind.

Roads in East Africa are absolutely appalling - much worse than you can possibly imagine.  Although our Overlander proudly boasts a Mercedes emblem on its front grill, we struggle to reach a top speed of 40km per hour.  For long stretches we actually get out and by walking, make better progress than our vehicle, bumping and struggling through potholes and broken tar.  

Kenya is even more beautiful and green than pictures indicate, but I lost my heart to Uganda - the Pearl of Africa. Over a thousand different bird species fly over the most picturesque valleys and mountains. Tourism is still in its baby shoes - so you feel a little bit like a discoverer of days gone by - you can even imagine any moment hearing Henry Morton Stanley’s famous words - Dr Livingstone I presume…

Through Kampala, where at least one marabou stork sits like a sentry on each lamp post and rusty roof.  These eerie scavengers are the silent testimony of the lack of hygiene in the country which is incidentally much more densely populated than neighboring Kenya.  But, this is Africa and this is what I came to see.  It’s here that nutty dictator Idi Amin reigned in the 1970’s. 

A few kilometers further lies Jinja, the little town at the source of the White Nile and this is where we stop to indulge in white river rafting.

The grade5 rapids are going to blow your mind, says Sadulu Khadiri (an Ugandan Olympic kajak competitor), but after a 30 minute mini course in the art of rafting/surviving rapids we get into the rubber boats while the current of the mighty Nile starts pulling with a vengeance.  The first rapid, Donald Duck, is but a baby at grade three.  But don’t worry, says Sadulu, the giants aren’t far away.  And he was to be proven absolutely correct.  You paddle with supernatural power previously unknown to you, you dive down when ordered to do so, but somehow in the wild white water of Big Brother you’re shot out of your little haven and say a thank you prayer for a helmet and life jacket!  But fun was had by everyone - lots and lots of mega fun. My favorite moments were when we dived overboard, on calm stretches, to float down the Nile - gently bobbing up and down - somehow taking me back to my children’s bible and Moses in his papyrus basket.

To get to the gorillas we have to cross yet another notorious African border post - this time into the DRC.  And how cool is it to boast this official stamp in my passport!
 

These majestic, highly endangered animals let you work very hard to see them in their natural habitat.  The family that we set off to find lives in the Virunga Mountains - a dormant volcano.  Prior to today you have only heard of rain forests, perpendicular slopes posing a challenge for scrambling up and down, nettles stinging right through your denims, four Congolese guides with pangas and rifles (the latter for dramatic effect?), more than two hours of trekking under these circumstances.  And then out of nowhere they appear.  The gigantic silver back, two females and five little ones.  The dad gives us one glaring look and disappears into the thicket.  The females are calm and collected and pretend not even to see us.  The five babies however are quite excited about the visitors - they entertain us with cart wheels, hanging from trees, summersaulting, pulling each other’s ears, and even mock attacking us where we are ordered to sit as quietly as mice behind a shrub.  The little faces are too cute for words.  After 30 minutes of playing and showing off they collapse, totally exhausted, onto their mothers’ torsos.

I will never as long as I live forget the piercing eyes of these magnificent animals and can only now fully understand why people like Diane Fossey gave their lives for the protection of these gentle giants. 

The 14 Days Nairobi to Nairobi (Africa Travel Co NN14) is a trip completely unforgettable - I only wish I had 14 WEEKS  instead…

- Karien Jordaan, OFM