Swenson concludes trip to Rwanda with trek to active stratovolcano Nyiragonga

(Editor’s Note: Sabrina Swenson, a 1986 graduate of Postville High School, is a world-traveler who has been gracious enough to share her adventures with Herald Readers. She is the daughter of Erma Swenson and the late, Marlin Swenson This is the second of a two part series of Sabrina’s trip to Rwanda.)

The following day I started early and was picked up by a vehicle for the drive to one of the highlights of my trip, trekking mountain gorillas.  My first encounter with these large and powerful, yet gentle creatures was in Uganda back in 2006.  It was an incredible experience and I wanted to once more be in their presence.  Since only about 720 mountain gorillas exist in the world today, it is an incredible experience to be in the presence of this endangered animal.  They are endangered due to habitat loss, poaching and war.  The only place in the world to see gorillas in their natural habitat is in Uganda, Rwanda or the DRC.  And so, my vehicle bounced down the road headed for Virunga National Park.  The only good news about the country being so unstable was that I was the only tourist that day for the gorillas.  As such, there was no jockeying for position when taking photos as I was the only one there besides my guide and the trackers.

Read the full article in the Wednesday, April 8, 2015 edition of the Postville Herald.