Now, thanks to a Norfolk man, people can get up close to the magnificent male apes and their female companions in their natural African habitat.

Phil Nolan, from Gresham in North Norfolk, runs a specialist safari company that brings tourists face-to-face with endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda.  

The former British Army officer, who studied at the University of East Anglia and is turning 40, has been based in Dubai for the past 11 years and is travelling to Uganda twice a year to lead mountain expeditions.  

Phil Nolan, co-founder of Wildlife Adventure Safaris. (Image: Phil Nolan)

He has travelled to 82 countries, but “fell in love” with Uganda and its wildlife after first visiting in 2021.  

He said: “With such a hectic life in Dubai I’ve come to love the peace and stillness of being with the animals in Uganda. 

“There’s something........

© Eastern Daily Press