Among the Gorillas
Nothing quite prepares you for the moment a mountain gorilla settles down within arm’s reach.
Some travel moments are exciting; others quieten everything inside you. Meeting a family of mountain gorillas was definitely the latter. After trekking into the forest, we found ourselves sitting on the jungle floor watching them eat, play, rest and simply be – until one female decided to close the distance between us.
I sank down into the soft jungle earth and watched the family go about their morning. Mothers chewed steadily on leaves while the younger ones swung through the branches above them, occasionally dropping onto their mothers’ backs in playful demands for attention.
One female gorilla edged closer. I stepped back – again and again – until there was nowhere left to go. I was wedged between a hundred-kilogram gorilla and a tangle of foliage. She sank to the ground within arm’s reach.
I held my breath.
I could smell her – deep, earthy, alive – and see flies drifting across her face.
Nearby, an enormous silverback sat among the leaves, watching everything with the calm authority of someone who had no need to prove his strength.
No one spoke. Even the guides seemed to fade into the background.
Then, as if the moment had reached its natural end, she rose. A small baby clung tightly to her back; its limbs wrapped securely around her body. She moved away without urgency and settled beside the silverback, lowering herself into the leaves.
He barely stirred. The two of them rested there, immense and at ease, while the baby clambered over them – pulling, climbing, prodding with tireless energy.
Excerpt from : The Accidental Motorcyclist, 2026
