When I went in 2014, a silverback passed within a meter of me. My heart rate spiked, but we kept making soft grunts (a bit like clearing your throat) which is

When I went in 2014, a silverback passed within a meter of me. My heart rate spiked, but we kept making soft grunts (a bit like clearing your throat) which is the sound the gorillas use to express deference, so the silverback would know we weren’t challenging him. The only reason I got “hurt” is because we were standing in a wide circle around the gorilla family and suddenly a large female high in a tree behind us came crashing down in a hurry and we tried to discreetly open the ring and give her a gap, but I wasn’t moving far enough fast enough and a branch she pushed knocked me on the forehead! It was a fun excursion and the guides were well organized. I recommend it if you can go!