When I flew into Uganda after leaving Kenya last August, I really didn’t know what to expect.
The country is such a hotpot of colour, smells and sights and sounds that it’s hard to know where to look first. The multitudes of people, the roadside stalls and markets, the bumpy dirt roads and the relentless traffic all combine to create a sensory overload. We drove from the Uganda International airport at Entebbe, to the nation’s capital of Kampala. Through crowded streets for what seemed like hours in the traffic, we finally arrived at our hotel, high up on a hill overlooking Lake Victoria. But such a spectacular view and lavish surroundings weren’t quite enough to override the many scenes of poverty and hardship we encountered on the journey. The next day we set off early for the 13 hour drive to Buhoma, at the base of the Bwindi impenetrable forest, from where we would set out on our Gorilla trek.
We had two days of trekking through dense rainforest on steep mountain terrain, with just one hour each day to spend with the Gorillas, but every aching muscle was so worth it. Such wonderful creatures, so like us but so very unique. I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to see the gorillas in their home environment, to learn a little about their ways and to know that now, with protection from poachers and support from the Ugandan and Rwandan governments, the gorillas are slowly increasing in number and may one day be no longer endangered.

The View over lake Victoria from our Hotel

What you looking at?

A scene from the main road in Kampala on the way to our hotel.