An early morning departure from Kampala or Entebbe, heading southwest through Uganda's green countryside. The journey to Bwindi is itself part of the experience — rolling hills, tea estates, the highlands of southwestern Uganda rising around you.

Stop at Mbarara for a relaxed midday brunch before continuing the final stretch to Ichumbi Lodge on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Arrive in the late afternoon, check in and breathe in the cool forest air. The ancient canopy of Bwindi surrounds the lodge — one of the oldest forests on earth, unchanged for 25,000 years. Tonight, rest well. Tomorrow is the day.

Breakfast is served at 6:30am. Your guide transfers you to the Uganda Wildlife Authority trailhead for the 8:00am briefing — where rangers assign your gorilla family and explain the rules of engagement. No flash photography. Stay seven metres away. If a silverback charges, crouch and look down.

Then you enter the forest. The trek can take one to six hours depending on where the gorillas are resting that morning. When you find them, you have one full precious hour with the family. A silverback at arm's length. A mother with an infant clinging to her chest. Juveniles wrestling in the undergrowth. There is nothing else like this on earth. Your gorilla permit — valued at $800 — is fully included in your tour price.

A final breakfast at Ichumbi Lodge before packing up and beginning the drive north. The return journey retraces the beautiful southwestern highlands — now seen with fresh eyes, carrying memories of the gorillas.

Stop at the Equator monument on the main Kampala–Mbarara highway for photos and the famous water demonstration — where water drains in opposite directions on either side of the line. Lunch en route, then onward to Entebbe or Kampala for your departure. End of our adventurous tour.