Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees

Thick morning mist shrouds the impenetrable forests of Bwindi National Park. It's 7:30 a.m. and ranger guide Kintu is beaming at you at the Rushaga game ranger post. A detailed briefing, borrowing rubber boots and then it's off into the jungle to find the Bweza gorilla family. The dripping wet vegetation, the tall bamboo thickets and the slippery ground are certainly not easy terrain, but tracker Dembe has an idea where the mighty silverback Kakono and his relatives might be. Dembe knows where the gorilla family built their sleeping nests yesterday, reads footprints and snapped stems and after an hour and a half it's just heart palpitations. Just a few meters next to you, it smacks in the bushes and dark, gentle eyes look out at you from the green sea of leaves.At the Murchison Falls, in Queen Elizabeth National Park, with chimpanzees and gorillasYou travel by boat through the Mabamba Swamp, where majestic fish eagles, iridescent kingfishers and the peculiar shoebill live. At Murchison Falls, the waters of the world's longest river roar through a narrow gorge. Bright green tea plantations line the way to chimpanzee tracking in the Kibale Forest. Elephants, lions and buffalo await you in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The crowning highlights are the gorilla treks in Bwindi National Park and Volcanoes National Park. The encounter with the imposing mountain gorillas is so moving and magnificent that for a moment you will wonder whether this is really happening.