By the time we made it to Kisoro, we had been on the road for about three weeks making it through Kenya and Uganda. To say I was exhausted was an understatement; however, I was filled with anticipation to make our trek up to see the mountain gorillas. As someone inspired by Conservationists such as Diane Fossey, I wanted a moment to go see the few families that are left and hopefully feel a fraction of the connection she felt when she decided to spend the rest of her life studying them. These endangered Mountain gorillas are only found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda with a population of about 900-1,000 left in the world. They’re threatened by habitat loss, human conflict, disease, and poaching. It’s a blessing to have seen these in my lifetime and while things look hopeful due to the increase of traffic of tourists which has brought in funds for conservation and developed a need to protect these forests, I can only hope it continues and future generations get to experience visiting these gorillas.

From Kisoro, we had a long, bumpy drive up along the mountainous slopes bordering the Virunga’s and the Albertine Rift to reach Bwindi Impenetrable forest. We were up before the sun with the opportunity to see the sunrise through the fog and mist blanketing the dense forest. We passed kids walking to school and parents cooking breakfast as we watched the smoke rise from their homes.

By the time we made it to the entrance of Bwindi, we split up into groups to begin our journey through the misty forest. We followed an armed guide who led us into dense vegetation along an extremely slippery, steep trail that eventually turned into just vegetation where a machete was needed to pass. A ranger trailed behind with a gun to deter any territorial elephants we come across on our trek.

After a few hours of following droppings and noticeable foraging, we spotted our first female gorilla perched high into the trees snacking on some leaves meaning the rest of the family was not too far away since they typically live in groups of 10-12.

It was only another few minutes before we found the rest of the family. They were almost sitting in a circle, all pushing down trees and bushes to reach the leaves they wanted. It was incredible to witness how strong these animals are. The silverback may have noticed us first, as he is generally the protector of the group. We had been warned in our briefing that false charges were a common response if people were getting too close or if he began feeling uncomfortable. It is just like the movies where he stands tall, beats his chest repeatedly, and runs straight toward you making loud calls.

Making eye contact with an endangered mountain gorilla is in its entirety a wordless experience. Those few seconds of stillness can feel like an ancient connection, that creates a bridge to the gap between apes and humans. This makes sense when you understand their intelligence, vulnerability, and gentleness. They cry when they’re hurt, laugh when tickled, and share many similar features with humans. It’s a scene, observing them as a family, that becomes so enthralling, that even a charging silverback could leave you completely motionless.