Seeing the mountain gorillas, made famous by Diane Fossey's book and film Gorrillas in the Mist, was one of the things we were most looking forward to on our trip. However, we didn't have a booking as we did not know when we would arrive in Rwanda. Only thirty people a day are able to spend one hour with the gorillas. Tour operators book places for their clients up to two years in advance so it was a risk just turning up and hoping to get a place. Luckily, it was a risk that paid off and after inquiring at the booking office in the afternoon we were allocated the last two places for the following morning - a 7am start in the Parc de Volcans in the Northwest corner of Rwanda. The park itself is spectacular and it borders onto Uganda and The Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). Five volcanoes, shrouded in mist, emerge from lush farmland and deep green vegetation. Approaching the volcanoes, knowing that seven hundred mountain gorillas live in the surrounding area, was a magical experience. We arrived at the gate and were put in a group of six people to see the Amharo Group of gorillas, lead by a local guide and accompanied by three armed guards...to protect us from the other type of guerrilla living in the forests of Rwanda and in DRC! After a two hour's walk through stinging nettles and thick bamboo forest, we came out into a clearing where thick clumps of wild celery, stinging nettles and stickle jack were growing. Our guide told us that this is the favourite area for the Amharo group during their 'social time'. Sure enough, fifty or so metres above us up the slope we saw several black furry things moving around: we were convinced they were rangers in fancy dress costumes! As we approached we could see them more clearly: fifteen mountain gorillas, two large male silver backs, several females, lots of 'juveniles' and two babies. It really was incredible to see them minding their own business, the elders eating celery and the youngsters getting up to mischief. We were amazed at how close we were able to get to them - literally within a few feet. In fact at one stage one of the babies rushed up to Camilla and touched her! She was tempted to pick it up and give it a cuddle but we didn't think her mother (a tonne of hair and muscle) would have been too impressed. The juveniles were hilarious - just like naughty children. And they really do bang their fists on their chests! It was the most incredible experience, we felt very privileged to see them and will never forget that one hour! We now have incontrovertible evidence that there isn't much difference between Rich in the morning and the hairy silverback gorilla...perhaps evolution skipped a millennium in his case!