The launch schedule is available from The Far Horizons – just email  one of our Tour Consultants at info@thefarhorizons.com.

The award was given to operators who scored highly against a set of sustainable tourism criteria drawn up by UCOTA and judged by an independent advisory board made up of representatives from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Uganda Tourism Board, the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage, the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, the Uganda Tourism Association, the Uganda Safari Guides Association, Uganda Hotel Owners Association and Makerere University’s Department of Biodiversity and Tourism.

Seeing Mountain Gorillas is a dream for many and only a few of us get to see that dream realized. There is a lot of build up to seeing them, having to make bookings in advance, and depending where you are starting from, travelling a fair distance. The night before I trekked in Rwanda I had a lot of anticipation and did not sleep well for fear of not waking to the sound of my alarm. I attributed a lot of this to excitement, however in retrospect, I think it was also about hoping the experience would be everything that I had hoped and dreamed of. Often when something is so built up the result can disappointing, I certainly did not want this to be one of those experiences.

The hike up Mount Karasimbi to see the Susa group of Gorillas was more beautiful than I could have imagined. The sun was shining and the views were amazing.  As our group passed through farmers fields we were greeted by the local residents and entertained by excited children waving, jumping and singing greetings hoping for a smile and a wave in return. Once through the fields we reached the edge of the Volcanoes National Park marked by a metre high volcanic stone wall. Do not let it fool you, it does not keep the Gorillas in but rather is intended to mark the park boundary and keep unauthorized people out. We entered the park and hiked through the cool bamboo forest and eventually emerged to open skies and were surrounded by thick vegetation dotted with large Lobelias.  With the increasing elevation, the hiking became slower and the stops more frequent, but I didn’t care, I would have gone twice as long if I needed to. Our guide stopped the group and said that we were near the Gorillas; we would have to leave our packs and personal belongings behind before proceeding with only our cameras. My stomach did flips. We were near? How near? The moment I had waited months for was upon me and after all the anticipation of seeing Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat, I really had no idea was I was about to encounter.

We continued our uphill hike through the dense vegetation for a couple of minutes before the two girls in front of me turned around wide eyed and pointed into the bushes to our right, mouthing the words “There’s one right there”. As I got to the clearing and laid my eyes on an adult female Gorilla, I was speechless. She was bigger than I expected and her body hair was much longer than I thought it would be, but most of all she was so placid. I got chills as I stood there staring at her just metres away and this was only the beginning. She was one of 33 Gorillas in the Susa group of which I estimate we saw just over half; the rest of them could be heard all around us.

After that initial encounter we travelled deeper into the forest and found the Silverback lying on the ground. Now I thought the female was big, but she had nothing on him. Nearby, two other females were chasing each other around a tree, beating on their chests, making lots of noise and baring their teeth at each other. It was as if I was watching a documentary on TV, but this was no show, this was real life, a Gorilla’s real life, and I was getting the opportunity to share it with them for a very precious hour.

On the trek back down the hill I was on a high – I bounced down the track as if I never had to climb up it, my body forgetting the tiredness that it experienced on the way up. I couldn’t stop talking to the others about the amazing experience I had just shared with them, all my hopes and expectations exceeded. When I got back to the lodge, I called my Mom to share with her my experience, there was only one problem, I could not explain how moving and special it really was – it was beyond words.

It was more about a feeling inside that I got having a close encounter with Mountain Gorillas and the opportunity of sharing a little bit of our lives together. I can think of only one word that succinctly sums the experience up:

 “UNFORGETTABLE”!

To enjoy a similar experience with The Far Horizons, check out one of our gorilla safaris to Rwanda here.

Top Tip: Want to see the image title and description? Just click on the image as it scrolls and this will appear for you.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

1. Gorilla permits for tracking in Rwanda before the end of 2012 can be bought at the current rate of $500 per permit if booked and paid for in full by the end of May 2012.

2. All Rwanda gorilla tracking permits purchased after 1st June 2012 will be priced at $750.

3. Permits for tracking gorillas from 1st January 2013 onwards will be priced at $750 regardless of when they have been deposited.

The Far Horizons will be increasing the price of all tours that track gorillas in Rwanda after 1st June 2012 accordingly, but we do plan to release details of an Early Bird promotion for safaris booked and deposited with us by 15th May. Stay tuned for more information.

The piece goes on to make the normal travel recommendations, and who should they name as their recommended tour operator for Uganda but The Far Horizons? A big thank you from everyone at TFH to British Airways and Steve Cunliffe!

• All new gorilla tracking permits for Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, will be priced at $750 for tracking from 1st June 2012
• For any permits already booked and deposited for tracking after this date, tour operators can ‘top up’ and clear the balance by 15th March 2012 in order to benefit from the old $500 rate
• After the 15th March, any permits already booked and deposited must be topped up in full to the new $750 rate
• Until deposit details and top up deadlines for the new permit rate have been agreed, no new permits are being currently booked for tracking after 1st June
• These final details are due to be announced on Monday 30th January

According to the RDB, the increased revenue from the permits will help sustain a growing need to protect these endangered primates and their natural habitat. Today, Volcanoes National Park has 10 habituated gorilla families used for tracking by up to eight visitors per group per day – almost double what it was 5 years ago.

Any clients with prior bookings in Rwanda from 1st June 2012 will be contacted directly by our Tour Consultants in due course. In the meantime, we would like to reassure clients that as long they have paid deposits for their booking as per our standard terms & conditions The Far Horizons will settle any permit balance payments in time to avoid any incremental charges.

The new service will be known as Aero Link Uganda Ltd, and will use a variation of the existing Air Kenya logo and tail-fin designs but adapt these to reflect the Ugandan national colours. Aircraft used, at least initially, with be Cessna Caravans, with seats for up to ten passengers and two pilots. There will be two daily departures from Entebbe, one in the early morning and one around lunchtime. The morning loop will fly from Entebbe-Bwindi-Kasese-Entebbe, returning before noon, whereas the afternoon loop will run from Entebbe-Pakuba(MFNP)-Kasese-Entebbe, returning by around 5pm.

Management are considering stopping at both Kisoro and Kihihi airstrips near Bwindi, which will lengthen the morning loop but will offer better access to all the Gorilla tracking sites in Bwindi itself, as well as the Batwa Trail and Golden Monkey tracking in Mgahinga, nearby Lake Bunyonyi, and the remote Ishasha sector of QENP. By stopping at Kasese, customers are ideally placed to access both the main sections of QENP and nearby other attractions such as the Rwenzoris, Kibale Forest NP and Fort Portal. With their proposed afternoon schedule, clients could fly back from the Gorillas in Bwindi in the early morning, enjoy lunch overlooking Lake Victoria in Entebbe, and continue onto Murchison Falls National Park in time for an afternoon game drive.

Full details, including pricing and confirmation on whether or not Kisoro will be included as a stop, will be released in due course. Along with Air Kenya’s domestic services in Kenya, and their Tanzania operations, this new service will ‘join the dots’ between some of the key destinations within the region, and offer great opportunities for flying safaris across all of East Africa.

This latest arrival is the sixth rhino to be born at the Sanctuary and brings their total population of Rhino to a dozen, which means the population of Rhino in the wild in Uganda has doubled since May 2009. The breeding programme at Ziwa is managed by Rhino Fund Uganda, who aim to raise enough Rhino to be able to relocate groups from the Sanctuary into certain national parks in Uganda, whilst keeping a core group of around 20 Rhino at Ziwa for ongoing conservation purposes. With these two latest births, Rhino Fund Uganda are a couple of steps closer to that objective.

You can help support the rhinos in Uganda by donating money (see www.rhinofund.org) or by visiting the Sanctuary itself and tracking the Rhinos on foot, a thrilling tourism experience which raises income for Rhino Fund Uganda. The Far Horizons offers a 4 day set departure itinerary to Murchison Falls National Park, called ‘Nile Adventure’, which includes rhino tracking and a night at Amuka Lodge, a new upmarket property at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

John J King II, wildlife photographer and videographer, and the expedition leader, professional wildlife guide Jonathan Rossouw, captured the entire event on video. ‘Touched by a Wild Mountain Gorilla’, their film of this unique encounter, was subsequently uploaded to YouTube, where it became an overnight internet sensation. It has now been viewed an amazing 2 million times.

King had been videoing the gorilla group from a safe distance, as having already been on two days gorilla tracking he understood the risks of getting too close. However, the gorillas suddenly changed their direction and approached him directly, so he was left with no alternative but to immediately adopt a submissive pose and crouch down in the undergrowth, avoiding eye contact. This approach is advised by wildlife rangers if a gorilla approaches tourists whilst they are observing them during their tracking experience, but normally a safe distance is maintained at all times. Avoiding direct interaction with these endangered animals is extremely important as contagious diseases can be transmitted from humans to gorillas all too easily. Indeed, if you find yourself suffering from a cold or flu at the time, you will not be allowed to track gorillas at all.

Thankfully King was in perfect health, but nevertheless he kept still and crouched low, keen to avoid attracting any sort of aggressive reaction from the group’s leader, a massive Silverback. The video then shows the group settling behind him, with the younger gorillas starting to groom him, and a female gorilla comes to give him an inquisitive sniff. King keeps his head bowed but is talked through what is happening by the Zegrahm tour leader and wildlife expert Jonathan Rossouw.

John J King II was part of a tour group visiting Uganda with Zegrahm Expeditions, an international operator specialising in adventure travel to some of the world’s most inspiring destinations. The Far Horizons was the Uganda ground operator for the group, and our Uganda Guest Relations Officer Judith Amanio was lucky enough to be among the first people to see this amazing video footage directly after the clients finished their safari. The filming took place at Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, where the chance encounter with these gorillas took place.

The YouTube film has caused such a sensation there has been a significant increase in gorilla safari enquiries, which ultimately means more income for gorilla conservation. So with Uganda named no 1 destination in the entire world by Lonely Planet, and gorilla tracking a regular favourite on bucket lists, 2012 looks set to be a good year for the Gorillas.