A couple of weeks ago I fulfilled a dream of mine - to go trekking in Uganda with the mountain gorillas. And now Iâm going to try share the profundity of the experience. Safe to say, it was one of most magical trips of my life.Â
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We went with a company calledÂ
@abercrombiekent @aksanctuary , and honestly you cannot go wrong with these guys. The gorillas can only be found in two parts of the world, the Bwindi âImpenetrable Forestâ national park in Uganda and the Volcanos national park in Rwanda, and A&K operate in both. These gentle giants donât survive in captivity (there are none in any zoos in the world), so if youâre going to see them, you have to make the pilgrimage to their world. And whilst it is a long trip, I promise you it is worth it.Â
On the first day we opted for a long challenging hike, wanting to see as much of the jungle as possible. After a few hours of walking over vast hills, through dense vegetation, we met Muyambi, a family of 6 mountain gorillas named after their silverback, meaning âhelperâ. The next day we met the Katwe family, 10 gorillas - 2 silverbacks and some babies. We sat amongst them as they ate fruit from the trees, the whole time feeling like weâd been invited to their dinner table. Spending time with these majestic beasts is extremely humbling. Dian Fosse said, âwalking into the forest to be with the gorillas is like stepping back into another age, where humans are no longer dominantâ. And itâs true. When you look a gorilla in the eye, all the small crap of life disappears and you feel a strange sense of calm. Itâs incredibly humbling and moving. And rare. And exciting.
Abercrombie and Kent took care of everything. They are the only company to have a lodge within the park, so you wake up to the sounds of the rainforest (in your admittedly luxurious cabin). They will also show you the various community projects they run: the Bwindi community hospital, a Womenâs Bicycle Enterprise and beadmaking workshops to name a few. We roasted coffee with Eliza, drank fresh banana gin with Michael, and danced with the Batwa. All so special.
Sounds a bit grand, but this trip was life changing. I canât recommend it enough⌠x
#partner