An hour in the company of a mountain gorilla family — silverback dozing, infants performing for an audience they entirely command — reorganises your sense of kinship on the spot. Treks in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest earn the name: steep, muddy and anywhere from two to six hours each way, so honest hill fitness matters. Permits are capped at eight visitors per family per day and sell out months ahead, so book early through a licensed operator. Hire a porter; it funds the forest.
Featured in Ten wildlife encounters that will humble you · Adventure