Seeing mountain gorillas in Rwanda had been on my list for years, and I am still a little stunned that it actually happened. The morning delivered everything I had hoped for, and also an early alarm, a proper climb, a forest full of stinging nettles and one glasses mishap I had nobody to blame for but myself. So I put together the things worth knowing before you set out in Volcanoes National Park, from booking permits and hiring a porter to what to wear and what that single hour with the gorillas actually feels like. Read it when you start planning, and once more the night before you go.