The 331 square kilometer Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to about half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas. This park is adjacent to gorilla parks in Rwanda and Congo. Civil war in Congo has been responsible for the loss of several gorillas but all parties have agreed to take measures to protect these precious animals.

We arrived at Kabul on the edge of the forest in late afternoon and took an evening tour into the dense forest. While we saw several animals, one of the most memorable encounters was when we walked through a trail of fire ants. The sting is painful and ants quickly invade shoes and clothes, so we were advised to sprint away if they were present. The sting I got from one in my sock made me very thankful that it was only one.

We stayed in a great permanent tent with our own bathroom, much welcomed for our rest before the next day of gorilla trekking.