Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Lorraine Kelly gets up close and personal with gorillas on trip to Uganda

Lorraine in Uganda
Lorraine in Uganda

I was at the head of our group trekking through the wonderfully named “Bwindi Impenetrable Forest” in Uganda and we had stopped for a breather when a young male gorilla just sauntered along the rough track in front of me.

It was so astonishing I was rooted to the spot, couldn’t speak and was too busy actually enjoying the moment to take a photograph.

He swept past me and casually sat down and began eating leaves while ignoring our enchanted group of eight hot, sweaty and deliriously-happy trekkers.

This was really a trip of a lifetime.

Like most people I have always admired these majestic creatures and was enthralled by the story of wildlife pioneer Diane Fossey whose story was told in the movie Gorillas In The Mist.

Half of all the 880 mountain gorillas left in the world are found in Uganda.

The others are in neighbouring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Civil wars and poaching devastated their number, but in Bwindi the incredible Rangers, guides and conservationists are doing a remarkable job of keeping them safe.

Local people realise that tourists like us bring much-needed revenue to the country and are right behind their efforts.

There are now around 400 mountain gorillas in Bwindi Forest, made up of 12 families and the number has been increasing every year.

Lorraine on a trek (Steve Smith)
Lorraine on a trek (pics: Steve Smith)

There are strict limitations on visitors and no more than eight people are allowed in each group, which means it’s all very civilised and there’s no jostling for the best photo.

These mountain gorillas do not survive in captivity.

The gorillas you see in zoos are from the lowlands but none of these creatures should be behind bars and seeing them in the wild is humbling and magical.

You can’t go too close, and if they come to you then you need to slowly back away – not because of any danger from these vegetarian gentle giants but human beings are full of bugs, germs and diseases that could prove fatal to them.

No one with a cough or a cold is allowed on the trek as the wellbeing of the animals is of the utmost importance.

You need to be reasonably fit to go trekking and be happy roughing it a bit.

One of the gorillas
One of the gorillas (pics: Steve Smith)

You might very lucky and encounter a family after less than an hour’s walking, but you have to be prepared to hike in tough terrain for a lot longer. Mountain gorilla families make “nests” every night and then move to a fresh part of the forest every day.

Make sure you hire a “porter”. Not just to carry water and your packed lunch, but to take your hand and expertly help you though the rainforest when it gets steep and slippery.

It’s the best 15 quid you will ever spend, and as all the porters are local you are helping them to make a living and feed their families.

Gorillas have a distinctive smell – a bit like spicy, musky, balsamic vinegar and as long as you are quiet, respectful and don’t make any sudden movements they will tolerate your presence.

They do, understandably, have limited reserves of patience and get a bit fed up with us staring at them and taking endless photos and selfies, so after an hour you need to leave them in peace. Our accommodation “Mahogany Springs” on the edge of the forest was luxurious enough to be extremely comfortable, but retain enough rough edges to ensure you have that wilderness spirit of adventure experience.

Lorraine relaxes at the resort
Lorraine relaxes at Mahogany Springs (pics: Steve Smith)

That’s not an easy thing to achieve but British owner Barrie Gotch, who came to this part of the world on holiday and fell in love with it, has managed with aplomb.

The staff couldn’t be more helpful and after a tough day’s trekking I can heartily recommend a massage on your private balcony.

After two amazing days we headed back to Entebbe airport in a tiny plane which gave us a chance to see some of the wonderful scenery. You can understand why Winston Churchill called Uganda the “Pearl of Africa”.

We had a fascinating three hour jeep journey to “Wildwaters Lodge” on an island near the town of Jinja at the source of the Nile.

Our own private tented accommodation looked over the thunderous rapids and was the height of luxury.

There was even a bath on the terrace where I wallowed while sipping cold fizz and drinking in the views and the incredible bird life, feeling like a spoiled princess.

Details:

Fly with KLM from £500.

Cost of this trip (gorillasafaricompany.com, tel 01327 437 050)
Travelling in high season 2016 from £2,555

Uganda Wildlife Authority website: http://www.ugandawildlife.org/

Gorilla permits should be purchased through a tour operator.
They cost: $450 in low season (April, May & November)
$600 in high season (all other months)