Africa-Press – Rwanda. American comedian Kevin Hart has shared a vivid and humorous account of his family’s visit to Rwanda, highlighting a dramatic encounter with mountain gorillas in his newly released Netflix special, “Acting My Age.”
Hart, his wife Eniko Hart, and their children visited Rwanda in July 2023, exploring several of the country’s top attractions, including Volcanoes National Park—home to the endangered mountain gorilla—and Akagera National Park.
Explaining why he chose Rwanda for the family vacation, Hart said he was looking for a destination rich in cultural value.
“We wanted to take a vacation,” he said. “We went to Rwanda. I wanted a new experience, something that could give us a little bit of culture… When we go on vacation, the word ‘no’ never exists. We embrace it all.”
One of the first activities recommended to them was gorilla trekking, a suggestion Hart accepted under one important assumption.
“The reason I agreed to go is because, in my mind, I was like—there has to be glass. I’ve never been around gorillas and there hasn’t been glass…”
Due to age restrictions, only Hart, his wife, and their two teenage children joined the trek, which included 12 participants divided into small groups.
“To get to the jungle, you have to hike through the park. The park turns into the jungle,” he recounted.
Their guide, Antoine, played a key role throughout the experience. Hart described him as a man who had “dedicated his life to understanding gorillas,” with deep knowledge of their behavior.
Before the encounter, Antoine briefed the group on essential rules—no eye contact, maintaining calm, and showing submission when necessary. He even demonstrated gestures such as ground-slapping and rubbing eucalyptus leaves.
Fifteen to 20 minutes into the trek, the group came face-to-face with several female gorillas emerging from the vegetation—much closer than Hart had expected, and with no barriers in sight.
The intensity increased when a massive silverback appeared, prompting the trekkers to adopt the submission behaviors they had been taught. Hart humorously admitted that he accidentally broke the no-eye-contact rule until his son reminded him.
By sharing this adventure, Hart spotlighted Rwanda’s globally acclaimed gorilla tourism program, which enables visitors to see mountain gorillas in the wild while supporting conservation and community initiatives.
He previously participated as a gorilla namer during the 2023 Kwita Izina naming ceremony.
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