Uganda & Rwanda: Gorilla in the mist
The giant mountain gorilla
Few experiences match that of an encounter with a giant mountain gorilla. A protected species, at great risk of extinction, they still survive hidden in the dense virgin forest of the Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.
Dawn
You set off at dawn when the slopes of the volcanoes are still cloaked in thick morning fog, crossing large fields dotted with tiny white daisies, you come to a first expanse of tall bamboo with green stalks. With the help of machetes the rangers work to open paths through the dense vegetation.
The forest
Vines, giant ferns, coloured mushrooms and flowers. The forest, which from afar looked like a dark green carpet, is in reality a table of bright colours, perfumes and birdsong. You slowly proceed toward the summit, protected by a roof of leaves that start to let the first rays of sunlight filter through. Suddenly, you hear their distant dialogues and you see the places where they spent the night: large nests of crushed vegetation, broken branches and fallen leaves. It’s not far now.
Majestic creatures
You continue to climb, until you can almost hear them breathing… then suddenly, the hoped for encounter. Majestic dark-coated creatures with almost human behaviour. In their presence one cannot but ask oneself about the meaning of life. They straddle the barrier between man and animal, because gorillas occupy that mysterious region that separates us from nature: exchanging glances we suddenly find ourselves catapulted over to the other side, entranced, trying to find the answer to the enigma of existence.
