Melissa’s Slideshow: Gorilla Trekking

A blacback, or juvenile male, in the Agashya Group of gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills but its lakes are breathtaking as well.

Trekking to see the gorillas, golden monkeys or chimps in Virunga National Park, which falls in Rwanda, Uganda and Congo, can be a one-hour easy walk, a six-hour hike up hill in dense forest or anything in between.

The Mount Gahinga Lodge in Uganda sits on the edge of the national park and near a collapsed volcano or caldera, where there is scenic hiking.

Many of the children in the villages near the parks in Uganda and Rwanda do not have mirrors in their homes so will ask to have their photo taken and then be shown the image.

At Virunga Lodge, the local villagers perform traditional dances daily.

Agashya, which means "news" or "special", is the name given to this silverback male who took over another male's family and has expanded it from 13 to 27, in part by robbing the females from other families.

Another endangered primate, the rare golden monkey, can also be viewed in Virunga National Park on either the Rwanda or Uganda side.

The view of Volcanoes National Park from Virunga Lodge.

The Twa, or pygmy, people are conservation refugees as they have been moved out of their ancestral home in the forests that are now national park to protect the primate's ecosystem. At Mount Gahinga Lodge it is possible to spend time learning about their traditions and transition to a different way of life.

Golden Monkeys live in a group of about 40 members and can travel great distances each day.

The Twa people lead tours in the forest to explain their traditions and medicinal plant knowledge, which includes remedies that prevent miscarriage, cause immediate vomiting in the event of poison ingestion and alleviate allergies and respiratory ailments.

Courtesy Marina Purcell

Courtesy Marina Purcell

Courtesy Marina Purcell

Courtesy Marina Purcell

Courtesy Marina Purcell