Mountain Gorillas, Chimps, 'The Big Five': Awesome Animal Quests In Rwanda And Uganda

Places I Remember with Lea Lane

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One of the world's greatest travel experiences is to visit the mountain gorillas of Central Africa. Lea just returned from this once-in-a-lifetime quest, including other animal safaris, and talks with Africa travel expert Chris Johnston about the how-tos, what-to -expects, and special memories of this aspirational adventure.
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Chris Johnston of Steppes Travel in England, wrote this great bio: "I first visited Africa over 26 years ago and the trip took on a life of its own. I planned for three months, but stayed for two years. Since then, I have been very fortunate to have explored much of east, south, west and Central Africa. From three-eyed lizards in Madagascar, mermaids in Cameroon to volcanoes in the Congo, every trip is different.

My heart however lies with the great apes and I have explored Rwanda, Uganda and both Congo’s many times over the years, to look for the wonderful primates found here. I’ve led groups for CNN, BBC wildlife film makers and Nat Geo photographers as well as countless adventurous travellers who are looking for what is surely the most human of all wildlife encounters. I have also worked closely with the Ugandan, Rwandese and Congolese governments to look at ways of providing sustainable gorilla trekking in new regions for tourism.
In that time I have been charged by a silverback, stepped on (and worse) by juvenile gorillas, been attacked by a chimpanzee, been shot at by poachers, almost fallen into a lava lake, enjoyed high tea with UN peacekeepers and arrested. I have however been won over by the beauty of the landscapes and the grace of the people who live here, often in the most challenging of circumstances. They remain among some of the most welcoming and optimistic people I have had the privilege to meet. I am forever grateful for their hospitality and kindness in helping me with these trips."
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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, and written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and 'one of the top 100 Indie books' of the year. ) She has contributed to many guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles.
Contact Lea- she loves hearing from you! @lealane on Twitter; PlacesIRememberLeaLane on Insta; Places I Remember with Lea Lane on Facebook; Website: placesirememberlealane.com.
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1. Intro (00:00:06)

2. Background info on the gorillas of Central Africa (00:00:26)

3. About our guest, Chris Johnston (00:01:38)

4. How gorillas live, and what they're like in the wild. (00:02:27)

5. What a typical trip to see mountain gorillas entails. (00:03:50)

6. Challenges (00:07:26)

7. Ways to achieve your dream if you're not fit (00:08:38)

8. Best time to see the gorillas (00:10:44)

9. Combining gorilla trekking with animal safaris (00:11:31)

10. Comparing Uganda and Rwanda for gorillas, wildlife (00:12:34)

11. Seeing other types of primates (00:14:32)

12. Dian Fossey Research Center in Rwanda (00:15:40)

13. Other outstanding things in Rwanda, including the Genocide Museum and Akagere National Park (00:16:20)

14. Chris's personal memory (00:19:49)