The quiet hour at Bwindi

The savannah is loud in a way you only notice once you've stood in a rainforest. At Bwindi the silence has weight to it, and when you finally sit down a few metres from a silverback, the loudest thing in the world is your own heartbeat.

We had trekked for a little under three hours — a gentle one, by Bwindi standards — when the trackers raised a hand. The undergrowth ahead shifted, and a young female crossed the path two metres in front of us, entirely uninterested in our existence.

You are given exactly one hour with the gorillas. It is, somehow, both far too short and completely sufficient.

What the hour is actually like

There is no chasing, no jostling. You sit. The family goes about its afternoon — grooming, dozing, the youngsters tumbling down a slope and climbing back to do it again. The silverback regards you once, decides you are furniture, and ignores you. It is the least performative wildlife encounter I know.

Practical notes

• Permits are limited and must be secured months ahead — we hold them for our travellers.
• Treks range from one to six-plus hours. Reasonable fitness helps; porters are available and worth every shilling.
• Pair Bwindi with Queen Elizabeth National Park for a complete five-day Uganda trip.

Our 5-day Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife safari includes the permit, the trek and the rest of the Pearl. See the Uganda trips →