With each safari, there are always highlights that stand out. During our time with Rwanda’s mountain gorillas, one trek in particular gave us several very special interactions with these enigmatic great apes. The Sabyinyo family of gorillas were scattered throughout a bamboo thicket as we approached. An adult female sat slightly apart from the group in a clearing, and we spent time watching her feed, until the canopy of bamboo shook and a huge silverback climbed high into the top of the foliage.

We moved closer just as he descended, standing within a few feet of him – and then he stood up, walked towards us, and reached up into the bamboo, pulling it down literally on top of us!

Satisfied that we weren’t a threat, he sat just a few feet from us, casually feeding on the bamboo shoots, before getting up and walking off. We followed, and for the next hour or so there were a couple of occasions where the young males snuck a cheeky pinch or two at the ladies in our group, and then in the remaining minutes of our time with them the silverback literally rubbed shoulders with us as we huddled in a crouched position to allow him to walk past in the confines of the thick bamboo stands.

Sometimes, the density of the vegetation doesn’t allow you to move completely out of the way when the gorillas approach you. When this happens, you need to crouch down, which tells the gorillas you are not a threat, and then let them pass. This silverback, however, decided to lean against our incredulous group, stopping to look around, before moving on. I guess he was just letting us know who was boss – not that we had any doubts about that!

We left this encounter with huge smiles, on a high after what has to be one of the most exhilarating wildlife encounters you could wish for. It’s a truly wonderful feeling to know that just by being there you are helping to preserve these special creatures. The most recent census figures show that their numbers are actually on the rise, and now hover around the 840 mark. Great news indeed.