So much of the modern world treats nature as a resource, something we are separate from. Spending time with gorillas gives you a clear sense of the continuity between us and them, and the larger natural world. I found it strange looking into the eyes of a creature that shares 98.4 per cent of our DNA but is this unpredictable and wild beast. Yet there I was, the gorilla looking at me and me looking at him. Something didn’t quite marry in my head.
My father grew up in Tanzania and I went on my first safari to Kenya last year. But going on a pilgrimage to see one animal is a different commitment.
I remember having a big gorilla soft toy as a child. In my head I’d built up this mystique and expectation. When I asked my friend, the actor Mark Quartley, to come with me on a trekking holiday to see gorillas in Uganda, he burst into tears. It’s been top of his bucket list for his whole life.
Key momentsWhere is it? Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is in southwest Uganda, near the border of the Democratic Republic of CongoWhat does it cost? Abercrombie & Kent can create a bespoke five-day trip from £5,295pp (abercrombiekent.com)Who will love it? Anyone who wants to see mountain gorillas in their natural habitat
There is an aura around the mountain gorilla that is so specific and magical, largely because there are so few of them — they only recently moved from “critically endangered” status to “endangered”. There are just a thousand individuals left in the world and only a few places where tourists can easily see them. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda is one of them.
Norton in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
A forest sanctuary built by hand
I was staying at Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, the only hotel inside the national park. No machinery could be taken into the forest so everything used for the building was carried by hand. All the textures and tones match the surroundings. While you are shifting from the jungle into something very, very luxurious, you also feel a sense of continuity — one informs the other beautifully.
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Every morning I’d step onto my balcony as the sun was rising above a canopy covered in mist. It felt like the jungle was encroaching on the lodge rather than the other way round. I was there as its guest.
The staff at Gorilla Forest Lodge were extremely generous and brilliant at their jobs. I’ve never experienced a level of service quite like it. After breakfast we were given water bottles, gaiters and everything we’d need for the gorilla trek. It was like being packed off to school by the best parents ever.
Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, lies deep within the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
We booked two gorilla treks, which I’d highly recommend as both experiences were very different. For the first hike we wanted to do something ambitious and ended up walking for nine hours. This was our pilgrimage, after all.
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With its huge mahogany trees and squealing monkeys the forest felt otherworldly. It was like a dive into the deepest ocean or a climb to the most remote jungle. The love, pride and enthusiasm the guides and trackers had for the forest was infectious. They couldn’t wait to share information about different trees, the imprint of an elephant track and nests that gorillas had made the night before. Gorilla poo was obviously a big feature.
Meeting the gorillas
When we finally found the Muyambi gorilla family, we walked with them for a bit. There were a couple of moments when a silverback came towards us, grabbed a tree and started to pull it down on top of us. But I never once felt scared. Abercrombie & Kent did an amazing job in preparing us properly, from all the necessary protocols right down to what we should be wearing. If you act in a respectful way, nothing should go wrong.
The tones of the lodge echo its surroundings
On our second trek the following day, we chose a medium hike to see the Katwe troop and only walked for about an hour. It made me realise how easy it would be to do a trip like this with my parents, who are in their early seventies.
When we found the gorillas, they settled and started eating. I realised I was surrounded by ten individuals — two silverbacks, lots of juveniles and babies. It felt like they had invited us to their dinner table and were saying: “We’re going to break bread. You’re welcome to stay if you want.”
Some of the most profound moments for me were when I caught the eye of a gorilla. On one occasion I played a little bit by doing a very deliberate blink and one of the mums did a very deliberate blink back. We sat there blinking together.
But the most memorable encounter occurred when a blackback gently grabbed my forearm. It’s important to keep a 7m distance from the gorillas, but sometimes they have other ideas. This enormous leather-gloved hand carefully pulled me. It was such a light touch and incredibly benign, full of openness and curiosity. I was quite disappointed when he let go.
Norton said interacting with silverbacks was a humbling experience
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There is something so extraordinarily humbling about being allowed to sit with a wild animal. You’re in a vulnerable position. All the small stuff that you worry about in life suddenly gets distilled down to the basic evolutionary rules of strength, respect and coexistence. I found it calming and meditative.
Visiting local communities
In fact the whole trip felt like much more than a holiday. Tourism has played an important role in funding gorilla conservation and supporting the community. I visited several projects in the main settlement of Buhoma, including a hospital supported by A&K. I’m a type one diabetic, so I spent quite a bit of time talking to the doctors and nurses about their diabetes care and showing them all my tech. It inspired me to go away and think how I might be able to help.
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We also met the Batwa community who once lived in the forest. They performed these tiny vignettes to demonstrate the medicines they used, the way they would trap their animals, the way they would sleep. My friend and I were both like, “These guys are really good, they should be applying to Rada.” We all danced and they asked me to teach them some moves. All I could think of was rock’n’roll, so we were spinning each other around. It was mad, celebratory and fun.
Several weeks later I’m still trying to process my experience in Uganda. Being with the gorillas was a strong reminder of what’s important in life: connection, family, community. Holding on to the same tree as the gorillas, I’ve never felt anything like it. In that moment, all the crap that we obsess over in our screen-based, cerebral world just disappears. It’s a sensation we should never forget — to safeguard our own future and the future of every other species.
James Norton spoke to Sarah Marshall
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James Norton was a guest of Abercrombie & Kent, which has four nights’ full board, with three nights at Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, from £5,295, including flights, transfers and gorilla trekking