He circled the vehicle slowly, occasionally throwing himself to the ground and rolling on his back. It was tempting to reach down and scratch his belly, but common sense prevailed.

In the distance, a herd of buffalo stood tightly together. "Do you think he's checking out potential prey?" we asked, trying to sound well informed as the supreme predator took another lap of our jeep. "No, no, no," replied Male, our ever-shrewd driver. "He waits for you to fall from the roof so he can eat you." His deep chuckle did not distract the lion, or his two compadres sunbathing in the grass.

We followed the three male lions as they slunk though the grass towards a large acacia. One by one, like a well-practiced circus act, they mounted the tree, and surveyed the surrounding savannah.

Ishasha, the southwest sector of Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park, is famous for these tree-climbing lions. And though my husband and I had come to Africa to see gorillas, we knew instantly that this would be one of the best moments of our trip. Watching them as the light began to fade, it was exciting - even unnerving - to think that our tents were just a couple of miles away. We weren't exactly roughing it at Ishasha Wilderness Camp with its magnificent canvassed tents and hot water bush showers, but this felt like a real adventure in the wild.

The northern sector of the park, Mweya, pulls bigger crowds than Ishasha. The Kazinga Channel, which links Lake George with Lake Edward, draws nature lovers from across the world, and is best explored by boat. Most visitors use a park-operated ferry service, but we chose a small boat tour run by Mweya Safari Lodge which lets us get close to the riverbank without having to compete with 60 other cameras.

From Queen Elizabeth we drove south to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and then across the Rwandan border. Although the distance is short, the road conditions were poor, so the journey was long.

On entering Rwanda, however, there were signs of construction at every turn, from the tarmaced road, to the new brick buildings. Fourteen years on from the horrors of the 1994 genocide, Rwanda is a nation determined to get back on its feet.

The government has pumped money into regeneration initiatives, with more than a little help from the international community. Dubai World Africa (DWA) recently announced plans to invest $230 million into Rwandan tourism. Over the next three to four years, existing hotels will be revamped and new sites developed, making Rwanda an enticing prospect for those looking to safari in style.

Whatever DWA is planning, it will be hard to compete with the newly opened Sabinyo Silverback Lodge, which sits on the edge of Volcanos National Park. The lodge offers eight beautifully designed stone cottages with wood fires - it gets chilly up in the mountains - and unspoilt views of the surrounding mountains. Sabinyo, the first in truly five-star accommodation in Rwanda, honours the reputation of its parent company, the award-wining Kenyan safari specialists, The Governors' Camp Collection, offering spectacular service and the perfect base from which to track gorillas.

After a gentle evening at Sabinyo, we set off again, crossing field upon field of potatoes before climbing over a stone wall that encompasses the park to keep forest elephant and buffalo from the crops.

The trek is tough; we trundled through dense bamboo forest which came to an abrupt stop just before we reached 3,000 metres, only to be replaced with thick, shoulder-high nettles. Having scoffed at the industrial thick red gloves handed to us by the attentive staff at the Sabinyo Lodge, I was grateful that we had packed them. We had been walking for nearly two hours when Francis, our softly spoken guide, signalled that we were close.

Nothing can prepare you for the first time you lay eyes on a gorilla in the wild. This was our second sighting - having had a practice run across the border in Bwindi - but my excitement was even greater. Exhaustion was replaced by sheer adrenaline.

Susa is the largest group of habituated mountain gorillas in the world, with 39 members including four silverbacks. Their large muscular bodies had trampled the surrounding nettles, I felt relieved to be able to remove my rather sweaty rubber gloves.

Kurira, the alpha silverback, sat holding court, his family scattered in loose clusters in front of him. With broad shoulders and a bulging chest, Kurira is an astonishing animal; it’s almost hard to believe he is real.

Near him, three juveniles played noisily. One pretended to be bored momentarily, feigning interest as he pulled at nearby vegetation before pouncing on his unprepared opponent. Kurira, seemingly irritated by their playful antics, reached over and slapped an unsuspecting delinquent with his massive hand. A huge thud reverberated in the trees.

It is disturbing to think that these forest giants are critically endangered. There are only 720 mountain gorillas in the world, split between Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite the threat of poaching, disease, war and human conflict for natural resources, a census in 2003 recorded that mountain gorilla populations had somehow increased 17 percent since 1989, giving conservationists hope that the species is beginning to make a slow recovery.

Following Susa group up the mountain, we watched breathlessly while gorillas stripped and stuffed vegetation into their mouths at impressive speeds. As our time with these great apes drew to a close, a young infant turned towards us and beat his chest dramatically, falling over in the process. I'd like to think he was saying goodbye.

By Taffeta Gray