By Trudy and Stella

From far away the huge cones of the Virunga volcanoes dominate the landscape and beckon you as you approach. The surrounding landscape is of astonishing beauty, one can not even imagine. There, in the extreme southwestern corner of Uganda, on the borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, the Travellers Rest Hotel lies under the towering volcanoes. These mountains offer spectacular views on the Rift Valley and the emerald-green lake Mutanda in the distance.

In the sixties the famous American ‘gorilla-woman’ Dian Fossey visited Travellers Rest many, many times to do paperwork, to relax or to meet people. Fossey said about the hotel: "It was my second home".

Travellers Rest, just outside Kisoro, offers a cozy stay for tourists, who come to see the endangered mountain gorilla. The hotel, built in a somewhat colonial style, and entirely renovated in 1999, has a comfortable ambiance. The twelve rooms are reasonably priced. When you enter, the ibis welcomes you with its typical sound. The beautiful surrounding garden is the home of many birds. Sitting on the terrace you can smell the sweetish perfume of the honeysuckle. In the evenings, when it gets cooler, visitors can warm themselves at the fireplace, outside or in the lounge.

From the hotel there are a lot of activities for visitors to undertake. Travellers Rest provides bikes to discover the nearby surroundings, You may visit the lake Mutanda, you can walk to the local market in Kisoro on Mondays and Thursdays, or you can climb one of the volcanoes. And of course you can go and track the mountain gorilla. To see these animals, visit the Mgahinga National Park in Uganda or the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda.

African people have long known that gorillas lived in the forests. To the rest of the world, however, gorillas have been mysterious and largely unknown for centuries. All that changed in the early fifties of the previous century. In 1955 the hotel was bought by Walter Baumgartel. From then on Travellers Rest became a meeting-place for people who were interested in the mountain gorilla. Dian Fossey says: "Walters hotel was an oasis to many scientists who came here before me".

Baumgartel realized that the survival of the mountain gorilla was closely related to the preservation of the tropical forest. Nowadays, park managers and local communities are aware that they can benefit more from preserving the parks than they would from clearing them as farmland.

In 1951, the American zoologist George Schaller was the first to study gorillas in the Virunga volcanoes. His pioneering work for the first time revealed the true nature of the gorilla to the world; a shy, gentle, peace-loving vegetarian. Schaller is the author of the book ‘The mountain gorilla: ecology and behavior’, published in 1963. In 1988 he wrote ‘The year of the gorilla’.

Dr. Dian Fossey and her assistants achieved some amazing results. Fossey lived among the gorillas from 1963 until her death in 1985. She followed Schaller’s methods of research. Her book ‘Gorillas in the mist’ was eventually turned into a movie. After she spent some time in Congo she moved to Rwanda, where she started the Karisoke Research Center. She lived there for almost 18 years among the gorillas. She was the first person ever to have voluntary contact with a gorilla, one of them even touching her hand.

She was killed in 1985 and was buried on the Rwanda side of the Virungas among the 17 gorillas that had been killed by poachers during her studies. Today, her Gorilla Fund continues to prevent the ongoing threats. Fossey’s work has raised the world’s awareness to the dangers that the mountain gorillas face. These animals are now protected by the governments of Rwanda and Uganda and by other international organizations.

Another way of preserving them is spreading the word about what you saw in the parks. It is a great service to the preservation of the endangered mountain gorilla. Come and visit Travellers Rest in the deepest southwest of Uganda. From there you can help support the gorillas in the Mgahinga National Park in Uganda or the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda by visiting them, paying entry and gorilla fees. It will be an unforgettable experience.

Trudy and Stella. Email: vrouwen28@hetnet.nl