A magnificent verdant swathe across the steep ridges of the Albertine Rift Valley, this ancient rainforest – one of the few in Africa to have flourished in the last Ice Age – is refuge & home to roughly half of the world’s remaining population of majestic mountain gorillas. To gaze deep into the soft, brown eyes of these passive giants is surely as exciting & poignant wildlife encounter that the world – let alone Africa - has to offer. After some hours of trekking through dense rainforest habitat seeking them out, you are quite likely to come within touching distance of these wonderful primate,. Sitting quietly with your head slightly inclined downward to avoid initial eye contact, which could be construed to be ‘aggressive’, there are countless times when the gorilla will move toward you, fascinated & curious to determine what it is you are thinking & why you are there.

But we don’t wish to taint or spoil the amazing experience by delving into a treasure trove of superlatives as needless to say, being here is the ultimate litmus test . Words alone fall so far short & cannot possibly describe what it is to experience a face on face encounter.

Bwindi, quite aside from being home to the mountain gorillas that make it famous, has a much wider biodiversity than meets the eye. It comes as result of its immense antiquity & altitude span, ranging from 1620m to 2607m above sea level. Ninety mammal species live within the Park’s boundaries, including 11 distinctively different primates of which the black & white colobus monkey with its flowing white tail is prominent. Birding too is a drawcard with 23 highly localised endemic species present.