Rwanda

There are only about a thousand Mountain Gorillas left on earth – all of them spread between the Virunga Mountains and the nearby Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where the central African countries of Rwanda, Congo and Uganda meet. A visit to see these last remaining Mountain Gorillas is a life changing experience. There is always an atmosphere of anticipation and mounting excitement as one prepares to trek into the forest. The rangers follow the habituated gorilla families every day leaving them only when they bed down for the night and therefore we have a pretty good idea of where to locate them in the morning. Even so, it can make for a fairly strenuous walk of up to two hours. However, on finding the gorilla troop, the admiration and appreciation of their calm and close-knit way of life overwhelms any feelings of fatigue. Every minute with them is truly magical and one is filled with a sense of awe – the babies gambol under watchful mothers eyes and the silverback is a majestic and usually benevolent lord above all.  The whole experience only enhanced by the fact that you do it all on foot. The other great plus should you do this in Rwanda is the availability of world class lodges – so in every respect this is a place for a fantastic and truly comfortable experience. And there’s more to do besides gorillas – the country boasts the best drummers and dancers in all of Central Africa, making cultural walks fun and exuberant affairs.