The trail leading to the original Karisoke Research Center--the path Fossey herself followed to get in and out of the site--is no walk in the park, but a challenging hour and 45 minute hike up steep slopes and through tangles of nettles and swampy vegetation. However, if you pace yourself over the terrain and take time to observe
the nature around you, it’s a beautiful journey.

My companions and I chose to make the trip in mid June, two weeks after the end of the rainy season, so the trail was reasonably dry (well, as dry as can be in a rainforest) and the footing was decent. We started hiking up steeply terraced potato fields outside the park and crossed the border wall after 20 minutes. Once inside the forest of massive, mossdraped trees, we saw and heard signs of wildlife right away. There were large hoof-prints belonging to the 350-kilo forest buffalo everywhere, and also slim prints left by the petite duiker antelope.

Further up the trail, fresh droppings tipped our guide off to the presence of nearby mountain gorillas. A few minutes later a crashing sound came from the vine-covered slope to our right. We stopped to look and there he was in the distance, a mountain gorilla stripping leaves off a tree. He disappeared into the foliage once he noticed us, perhaps miffed that we had not purchased gorilla viewing permits.

The trail leveled out after we passed the junction for the Bisoke Crater Lake Trail and we walked east towards
Mt. Karisimbi. Located between Mt. Bisoke and Mt. Karisimbi, Dian Fossey’s research center bears a title that’s a combination of two volcanoes’ names: Karisoke. With the going easier, we took more time to observe the vegetation. Pale, delicate orchids grew towards shafts of light coming through the canopy. Parasitic plants bloomed on tree branches with vines dripping down to the undergrowth like tentacles. Wispy green tree moss fluttered lazily in the breeze like sea grass.

At last we spotted a weathered sign marking the site of Karisoke Research Center. The center was destroyed in 1994 during the genocide, but you can still see its remains as well as the foundations and frames of the different cabins Fossey lived in over the course of her 19 years in Rwanda. A buffalo skull marks the location of her original cabin while two cement pillars are all that’s left of the building where she was murdered in 1985. On the overcast, misty day we decided to visit, the place certainly felt eerie.

The sun emerged from behind the clouds as we came upon the grave yard. The light, passing through the leaves of the giant tree standing guard over the deceased, illuminated the names on the two dozen or so wooden signs marking the graves of mountain gorillas. I bent down to read the names on the markers, and quickly recognized several belonging to gorillas Fossey studied and wrote about in her book Gorillas in the Mist.

There was Macho, who was killed by poachers in 1978 while trying to protect her baby Kweli, and many others
who died in similar attacks during Fossey’s tenure in the park. In the far corner of the grave yard I found
Digit, Fossey’s favorite gorilla, who was also killed by poachers. After his death Fossey established the Digit
Foundation to raise money for gorilla protection and the organization later became Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Not all the gorilla graves belonged to poached gorillas, however. One of the newer markers in the cemetery belonged to Puck, a gorilla who was born one year after Fossey began her studies in the park and lived until 2007, making Puck one of the longest living gorillas ever studied by researchers.

Fossey herself is laid to rest next to Digit, her grave marked by a simple plaque bearing the epitaph:
NO ONE LOVED THE GORILLAS MORE
REST IN PEACE, DEAR FRIEND
ETERNALLY PROTECTED
IN THIS SACRED GROUND
FOR YOU ARE HOME

Seeing Fossey’s grave, set among her many slain gorilla friends, drove home for me the great sacrifice she and others have made in protecting Rwanda’s mountain gorillas. One tough lady indeed.

Bisoke Crater Lake Of the five Virunga volcanoes straddling the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, two can be climbed from trails within Volcanoes National Park, Bisoke and Karisimbi. Climbing Karisimbi, the tallest peak at 4,507 meters, requires an arduous two-day trek, while the roundtrip hike to the crater lake on top of the 3,711-meter Bisoke can be completed in five to seven hours. The Bisoke hike is not easy--it’s steep and in the rainy season a bit like climbing through vertical quick sand, but the views along the way and at the crater lake makes the trip well worth the effort. I made the trip in May with friends and, despite the muddy

conditions, we were able to complete the hike in five hours. The hike up provided us with a good look at the park’s four main vegetation zones. Upon entering the park, we passed through the bamboo zone, where the forest buffalo and elephant can sometimes be spotted, and later into the hagenia and hypericum forest, the true rain forest. As we climbed higher into the scrubby sub-alpine zone, the temperature and oxygen level dropped and as did the size of the plants. Finally, near the summit, in Afro-alpine zone, there were only grasses, small flowering plants, and lichens.

Our day had been cloudy, but just as we reached the crater, there was a brief opening in the clouds, and the crater lake--the biggest in the Virungas-- was revealed to us for a few minutes. As we headed down the weather continued to clear and we were treated to expansive views of Rwandan countryside.

Trip Planning
Both trips cost $75 per person for foreign visitors ($25 for the park entrance fee plus $50 for the activity permit). Permits are sold through ORPTN and it is often possible to purchase permits on the same day of your trip. As with gorilla treks, trips to Dian Fossey tomb and Mt. Bisoke depart from the park headquarters shortly after 7am each morning. You must provide your own transportation to from the park headquarters to the trailhead. It’s easiest to book an inclusive trip through a local tour operator who can secure your permits and provide transportation. I used Kigali-based Gerry Tours (www.gerrytours-safaris.com) for the Dian Fossey trip and Musanze-based Amahoro Tours (www.amahoro-tours.com) for the Bisoke climb. The hikes pass through areas of mud and bog land, so it’s best to wear boots that go up to at least your ankles. Wear pants and long sleeved shirts to avoid nettle stings and carry a rain jacket or poncho in case of rain. Porters can be hired for $10 per person to carry your belongings and help you over difficult portions of the trail.