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The Impenetrable Forest: My Gorilla Years in Uganda, Revised Edition
A self-described eco-nerd Thor Hanson, scientist and writer, brought the nascent gorilla tourist program in Bwindi National Park, located within Africa's Impenetrable Forest, to life. With grace and good humor Hanson navigates the local customs, mores and bureaucracy governing everything from love to superstition to build infrastructure, hire and train staff, fend off millions of ants among many other creatures while studying and acclimating the mountain gorillas to humans in their midst.
284 pages, Hardcover
First published August 31, 2000
60 people are currently reading
385 people want to read
About the author
Thor Hanson
10 books360 followersThor Hanson is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Switzer Environmental Fellow, and winner of the John Burroughs Medal. His books include CLOSE TO HOME, HURRICANE LIZARDS AND PLASTIC SQUID, BUZZ, THE TRIUMPH OF SEEDS, FEATHERS, THE IMPENETRABLE FOREST, and the children's favorites THE ESCAPE ARTIST, STAR & THE MAESTRO, AND BARTHOLOMEW QUILL . Learn more at his website (www.thorhanson.net), or connect for a conversation at Skolay (www.skolay.com/writers/thorhanson).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 19, 2018
Thor shares his two year stint in Uganda with the Peace Corp. His mission was to habituate a troop of gorillas to humans in order to support eco-tourism, and that part is absorbing. But the book really is about his whole experience in that area, including a bit of history, culture, his relationship with the community , the hardships and triumphs. This is not something I would ever wish to do, so it was great I could share Thor's experience vicariously. The only criticism from me is the grainy photographs and terrible blurry cover-not at all indicative of the quality of the story.
July 3, 2021
Fairly enjoyable, but not as dramatically compelling as other Peace Corps memoirs, especially Kris Holloway's "Monique and the Mango Rains," and lacking the deep relationships and humor of Peter Hessler's "River Town". I did appreciate the epilogue in which Hanson revisits Uganda.
> I wasn’t sure if people actually got us confused or whether they simply assumed that all muzungus were called John. Either way, it didn’t bother me. Liz had been coming to Buhoma for nearly a year, and everyone still called her John too.
> Tribes in Uganda relish teasing one another over food preferences, and a proud Baganda will scornfully dismiss the entire western half of the country as “millet eaters.” But in the case of munanasi vs. tonto, Tom definitely had a point. I learned how to make munanasi at Annette’s place, with a big pineapple grater and a series of shiny aluminum pots. After three days of fermentation, the final product resembled a thick, tart cider. Brewing tonto, on the other hand, involved a bunch of barefoot men stomping around in a hollow log full of bananas. In the end, it was tough to say whether it tasted more like the bananas or the feet.
> In Buhoma, young men complained constantly about their “dowries” and how to pay them off. The sum usually included between one and two hundred dollars in cash, supplemented with at least twenty goats, ten cows, and quantities of tonto, millet, and other commodities—far more than anyone could afford to pay at one time. Remittance often stretched over years or even decades, forming a complex network of debts between families and clans throughout the area. The bride-price system plays an important cultural role in binding Bakiga communities together, but at significant cost to the social status of women. The hardship of long-term payment makes men more likely to treat their wives as property, particularly second or third spouses. As Agaba Philman, a porter who worked for John, once told me: “For twenty goats, she will wash my feet!”
> in previous times, when meeting the male members of her new family involved sitting on a wooden stool puddled with their combined urine. After this symbolic ritual, any of them was free to demand sex. “If a man came home to find his brother’s spear beside his door, it meant he was with the wife,” Enos Komunda had explained to me. “He could either wait or go directly to plant his spear at the brother’s house.”
> I teased them, naming women from the village, and asking, “ Mbuzi zingahi ?”—“How many goats?” When I mentioned that we paid no bride-price in the States, they shook their heads in envious disbelief. “And,” I added, “the woman’s family even pays for the wedding party.” “Is it?” Caleb’s laugh was high and drawn out, like the shout of a loon. “In America, I think I would be married many times!”
> When we were gone, the farmers would begin to shout, beat on pans, and throw rocks—a good technique for driving gorillas from your shamba but a serious setback to our habituation efforts.
> My house was a complete loss. The invaders commanded floor, wall, and ceiling space in every room, centering their attack on the kitchen, where I glimpsed ants pouring out of the cupboards and swarming over a bin of dirty dishes in a dense, almost liquid mass. Occasionally, a cricket, spider, or small lizard would fling itself down from the rafters, twitching spasmodically under a living blanket of tiny, voracious attackers.
> Today, the Virungas lie within protected areas in three countries: Parc des Virungas in Zaire, Parc des Volcans in Rwanda (both formerly part of Parc National Albert under the Belgians), and Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
> “Before you whites came, that girl would have died here,” Phenny shouted over the roar of the falls. “You mean without the hospital?” “No,” he shook his head. “This place. The waterfall. This is where the locals used to judge unmarried mothers. They threw them from the top there.” He pointed to a ledge that jutted out from the top of the cliff, overhanging the waterfall’s precipitous drop. “No one could survive.”
> With a fibrous fruit and vegetable diet, and their own collection of stomach parasites, mountain gorillas surpassed even Peace Corps volunteers as the gassiest primates on the African continent. As any tracking veteran can tell you, a good portion of gorilla viewing involves sitting around in the rain, listening to the apes break wind.
> I wasn’t sure if people actually got us confused or whether they simply assumed that all muzungus were called John. Either way, it didn’t bother me. Liz had been coming to Buhoma for nearly a year, and everyone still called her John too.
> Tribes in Uganda relish teasing one another over food preferences, and a proud Baganda will scornfully dismiss the entire western half of the country as “millet eaters.” But in the case of munanasi vs. tonto, Tom definitely had a point. I learned how to make munanasi at Annette’s place, with a big pineapple grater and a series of shiny aluminum pots. After three days of fermentation, the final product resembled a thick, tart cider. Brewing tonto, on the other hand, involved a bunch of barefoot men stomping around in a hollow log full of bananas. In the end, it was tough to say whether it tasted more like the bananas or the feet.
> In Buhoma, young men complained constantly about their “dowries” and how to pay them off. The sum usually included between one and two hundred dollars in cash, supplemented with at least twenty goats, ten cows, and quantities of tonto, millet, and other commodities—far more than anyone could afford to pay at one time. Remittance often stretched over years or even decades, forming a complex network of debts between families and clans throughout the area. The bride-price system plays an important cultural role in binding Bakiga communities together, but at significant cost to the social status of women. The hardship of long-term payment makes men more likely to treat their wives as property, particularly second or third spouses. As Agaba Philman, a porter who worked for John, once told me: “For twenty goats, she will wash my feet!”
> in previous times, when meeting the male members of her new family involved sitting on a wooden stool puddled with their combined urine. After this symbolic ritual, any of them was free to demand sex. “If a man came home to find his brother’s spear beside his door, it meant he was with the wife,” Enos Komunda had explained to me. “He could either wait or go directly to plant his spear at the brother’s house.”
> I teased them, naming women from the village, and asking, “ Mbuzi zingahi ?”—“How many goats?” When I mentioned that we paid no bride-price in the States, they shook their heads in envious disbelief. “And,” I added, “the woman’s family even pays for the wedding party.” “Is it?” Caleb’s laugh was high and drawn out, like the shout of a loon. “In America, I think I would be married many times!”
> When we were gone, the farmers would begin to shout, beat on pans, and throw rocks—a good technique for driving gorillas from your shamba but a serious setback to our habituation efforts.
> My house was a complete loss. The invaders commanded floor, wall, and ceiling space in every room, centering their attack on the kitchen, where I glimpsed ants pouring out of the cupboards and swarming over a bin of dirty dishes in a dense, almost liquid mass. Occasionally, a cricket, spider, or small lizard would fling itself down from the rafters, twitching spasmodically under a living blanket of tiny, voracious attackers.
> Today, the Virungas lie within protected areas in three countries: Parc des Virungas in Zaire, Parc des Volcans in Rwanda (both formerly part of Parc National Albert under the Belgians), and Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
> “Before you whites came, that girl would have died here,” Phenny shouted over the roar of the falls. “You mean without the hospital?” “No,” he shook his head. “This place. The waterfall. This is where the locals used to judge unmarried mothers. They threw them from the top there.” He pointed to a ledge that jutted out from the top of the cliff, overhanging the waterfall’s precipitous drop. “No one could survive.”
> With a fibrous fruit and vegetable diet, and their own collection of stomach parasites, mountain gorillas surpassed even Peace Corps volunteers as the gassiest primates on the African continent. As any tracking veteran can tell you, a good portion of gorilla viewing involves sitting around in the rain, listening to the apes break wind.
January 23, 2018
To be honest, I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would! Frequently you read books by people who have visited Africa and it's focused on their "need to do good for the world" or some other self serving cause. I liked that Thor didn't make that a main thread of his book, and instead focused on the intersection of gorillas, tourism, and Uganda. A must read for people visiting Uganda, or Africa in general!
September 3, 2025
An excellent memoir showcasing a Peace Corps volunteer’s assignment to assist in developing mountain gorilla eco tourism. I enjoyed insights into gorilla behavior, Uganda ln culture and the political/economic situation in Uganda in the 1990s.
February 12, 2013
Most of us want to do good things, but few of us drastically uproot our lives. Thor Hanson wanted a greater connection to the world; he wanted to feel he was contributing. So he put his career on hold and joined the Peace Corps. Thor was sent to Uganda where he landed the plum assignment of working with the Mountain Gorillas. Uganda needs to find a balance between its desperately poor people and obliterating the animals. Part of that balance is finding a way to keep some of the land wild while benefiting the people too. Tourism is the golden hope of the environmental movement. If a way can be found to bring tourists in to remote places to see their wonders without trampling them into ruin, maybe both the animals and the local people can survive. Thor’s tasks were to build trails for the tourists and teach the Mountain Gorillas to accept humans. Yep, I did say teach the Mountain Gorillas. Mind you the gorillas did not realize they had signed up for class, and they are big. Being a scientist may have helped Thor realize the charging Mountain Gorilla was not really going to hurt him, or at least not probably going to hurt him. But try to remember that bit of knowledge with a big angry male Mountain Gorilla bearing down at you with eyes blazing, teeth flashing, and fists thumping. It would probably be small comfort. Thor had more of a task than teaching the Mountain Gorillas it was okay to have humans lolling about; he also had to teach them not to come too close. We are walking germ factories, full of all kinds of stuff that could seriously harm Mountain Gorillas who have no immunity to the common ailments of their cousin, Homo Sapiens. Thor needed to walk a fine line to teach the Mountain Gorillas not to be upset about their cousins snapping pictures a short way from them, but they must not try for a closer family reunion with their camera toting kin. Wouldn’t you feel like you had been given the most amazing gift to have this task in your life? Difficult as it probably would prove to be, it could also end up being the thing you did in life that made you feel most alive. Simply awesome. While Thor was in Uganda he made friends. He came to know and care about the people. Tragically a large number of Africa’s population suffers from AIDS. Thor lost friends he cared about to this scourge. Funerals are not unusual; in fact they are far too frequent.
March 15, 2019
Very interesting read. The book chronicles the author's Peace Corp experience in Uganda. He details working and living with the local people, as well as documenting his experience in helping to preserve the gorillas of Uganda. He explains the political & historical dynamics of the region that lead to the country adopting an eco-tourism policy to help save these magnificent creatures. His main job was to habituate gorilla families to humans so that visitors could observe them in their natural habitat. Of course his relationships with the local Ugandans added another insight into the culture of the people. I learned a lot about gorilla behavior and family structure which makes the preservation of the gorillas even more urgent. His book ends with 3 family groups being habituated-currently there are now 10 family groups. An excellent resource for anyone traveling to Uganda on a gorilla trek safari told in an interesting way.
January 13, 2015
I loved this book! I heard Thor Hanson speak at the Whatcom Writers' Conference and bought it there. He was a generous teacher, and this book is outstanding. As a Peace Corps volunteer, Hanson served a two-year stint in Uganda, where his job was to habituate gorillas to be comfortable around people, thus supporting the tourist trade there. We get to know the rich stories of the people and the gorillas he gets to know. His stories are filled with both humor and pathos.
June 11, 2017
I really enjoyed this book! It was an extremely well written narrative with wonderful descriptions of the people and countryside, with some basic history thrown in. I read this in preparation for our trip to the area and thought it was a marvelous prelude to visiting the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and trekking to the gorillas.
January 4, 2019
What: A memoir (time with mountain gorillas in Uganda, where he helped develop ecotourism opportunities around the apes) interwoven with cultural and zoological context that developed a theme: The trouble with and joys of making conservation work for not just animals, but people, too.
His background info gave me a fuller appreciation for his work and the people involved, and just how tenuous conservation projects can be because of where they spring up, and why bridging cultural gaps is important for creating place-specific projects (and like, for not being a damn colonialist about your endangered species projects).
TLDR: Animal and plant conservation can only be maintained where human rights are, too; and developing friendships within and pursuing knowledge about that place creates understanding for place-specific needs and possible hurdles stemming from sociopolitical tensions and local culture; while also developing respect for (the perspectives of the) many well-intentioned and wise locals where you are.
His background info gave me a fuller appreciation for his work and the people involved, and just how tenuous conservation projects can be because of where they spring up, and why bridging cultural gaps is important for creating place-specific projects (and like, for not being a damn colonialist about your endangered species projects).
TLDR: Animal and plant conservation can only be maintained where human rights are, too; and developing friendships within and pursuing knowledge about that place creates understanding for place-specific needs and possible hurdles stemming from sociopolitical tensions and local culture; while also developing respect for (the perspectives of the) many well-intentioned and wise locals where you are.
August 29, 2022
There are many books written by former Peace Corps volunteers about their years in service. In many ways, these books are wonderful to read from a western perspective. Peace Corps offers these writers the unique opportunity and responsibility to learn about a culture through immersion. This makes for both rich memoirs and perspectives beyond surface level - even if only nascent.
Thor Hanson's book highlights the excellent writing of a future writer, well referenced central reading for any Ugandanist, insight into Uganda's ecotourism boom from the very first years, and a humor that will leave you enjoying each chapter. It's hard to put down. Thor is placed in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and given the hysterically interesting task of habituating silverback gorillas. It is currently my favorite introduction to Uganda for Americans.
Thor Hanson's book highlights the excellent writing of a future writer, well referenced central reading for any Ugandanist, insight into Uganda's ecotourism boom from the very first years, and a humor that will leave you enjoying each chapter. It's hard to put down. Thor is placed in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and given the hysterically interesting task of habituating silverback gorillas. It is currently my favorite introduction to Uganda for Americans.
March 19, 2021
Peace Corp worker scored
Another great read about Africa and the grip it places on those who visit. A young peace corp volunteer scored the location of a life time, at least for those who love gorillas. Helping create a tourism industry for then Zaire & Uganda, habituating gorillas and helping the people who live along side them. How all this affected his soul and how leaving at the end of his term was so bittersweet.
“When a man returns home and finds for the moment nothing to struggle against, the vast resolve, which has sustained him through a long and difficult enterprise, dies away, burning as it sinks in the heart; and thus the greatest successes are often accompanied by a peculiar melancholy.”
Another great read about Africa and the grip it places on those who visit. A young peace corp volunteer scored the location of a life time, at least for those who love gorillas. Helping create a tourism industry for then Zaire & Uganda, habituating gorillas and helping the people who live along side them. How all this affected his soul and how leaving at the end of his term was so bittersweet.
“When a man returns home and finds for the moment nothing to struggle against, the vast resolve, which has sustained him through a long and difficult enterprise, dies away, burning as it sinks in the heart; and thus the greatest successes are often accompanied by a peculiar melancholy.”
January 7, 2025
This book gives great insight into the beginnings of the Bwindi National Park and the habituation of the endangered mountain gorilla for conservation of the species. Thor Hanson was a Peace Corps volunteer who was part of the early gorilla habituation in Bwindi National Park. He tells a colorful story about the obstacles and challenges of living in Uganda, making friends, building relationships, and of habituating gorillas for tourism. He spent two years working in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks from 1993-1994. It is a fascinating story about that period of time in Uganda; well written and very compelling. My husband and I are going to Uganda this month and will go to see the gorillas, so it has been a particularly good book for us to read.
March 6, 2024
África se antoja deliciosa. África es magia y es de extremos. El gran continente con unas sonrisas tan grandes como la violencia de la que pueden ser capaces. De la infinita ternura y de la interminable tortura. Sus abrazos así como sus mutilaciones. Este libro habla de una de las perlas, que no vive sin guardar mal en su pelaje oscuro. Los gorilas. El Zaire que ya no existe y el Congo que se levanta en un genocidio. Ruanda con lágrimas aún muy muy vivas.
December 27, 2018
Terrific book both about author's experience in living in an isolated community in Uganda (in the midst of the worst of the AIDS epidemic) while working with the community to habituate gorillas to human presence - and increase eco-tourism. Thoughtful and very informative.
April 7, 2019
Beautifully written with a real love for Uganda. An adventure story of a Peace Corps volunteer who was part of first teams habituating gorillas for tourism.
Thoroughly enjoyable and plenty of useful information too.
Thoroughly enjoyable and plenty of useful information too.
August 6, 2022
I loved this book! I started reading it before my trip to the Impenetrable Forest to photograph mountain gorillas in 2019…and then I misplaced it. I recently found it in the pocket of a camera bag, and I’m so glad I did.
October 9, 2022
Interesting
Will be curious to see how this compares since I will be going here in about 2 weeks. Overall I enjoyed the book - although there were some editing issues in the Kindle version (one chapter double printed=
Will be curious to see how this compares since I will be going here in about 2 weeks. Overall I enjoyed the book - although there were some editing issues in the Kindle version (one chapter double printed=
December 12, 2024
An informative and interesting read, especially before visiting Uganda. I was privileged to visit the Mubare gorilla family this week and talk about an amazing end to my time in Uganda. It felt like I became a part of the story I had just read.
March 22, 2018
Oh my, Thor has such an enchanting style, this book was hard to put down. His Peace Corps experiences fused with history and a good dose of humor throughout makes for a very entertaining read.
April 29, 2020
Excellent book. A great companion volume to Gorillas in the Mist with a different perspective. A fast and revealing read.
March 31, 2021
NF
246 pages
A informative behind the scene aspect of what
its really like to try and save gorillas. In order
to save gorillas the people of Uganda need
to be involved.
246 pages
A informative behind the scene aspect of what
its really like to try and save gorillas. In order
to save gorillas the people of Uganda need
to be involved.
June 11, 2023
This book was incredibly enchanting. Hanson has an amazingly descriptive voice and sprinkles in the perfect amount of comedy and depth.
August 6, 2023
Parece que fue adrede, pero no. Hoy terminé el libro y estuve en Bwindi.
March 7, 2024
Give a good view how it was to live in Uganda and how the people struggle to improve their life. The description of the park and the visits to the gorillas is also beautiful described
February 14, 2025
Bellissimo leggerlo a cavallo del viaggio in Uganda, dà ancora più valore all'esperienza, di per sè già meravigliosa.
October 6, 2011
SCIENTIFIC BOOKS THAT capture our imagination are rarer than an Arizona jack-a-lope. Thor Hanson’s The Impenetrable Forest will appeal to anyone interested in travel and endangered species. Hanson chronicles his Peace Corps Volunteer experience in Uganda, helping to establish foreign tourism to a very new wildlife reserve. He joined the project only two years after the inception of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and during a crucial time: mountain gorillas native to this area and the neighboring Rwanda were being slaughtered
Like Peter Matthiessen (African Silences), Hanson records wonderful details about Ugandan life. Unlike Matthiessen the cool, distant observer, Hanson joins the celebration of life. He recounts attending a cultural event where “people gaped and laughed, or rushed forward to shake our hands . . . ‘What is your clan?’” they asked and once he answered with names given to him by his African host, locals cackled. He describes empazi (African ants) who overran his home one evening, covering walls, floors, ceiling, and even his bed as he slept. Madly pulling off biting ants, dressed only in boxers, and carrying a lantern, he retreated to the outhouse, the only ant-free place on the property.
Written in classic travel memoir style, the book includes healthy portions of humor, empathy and is liberally spiced with history, geography, and local flavor. Like a warm cup of sweet Mexican atole on a cold morning, the book fills your belly and makes you smile. Since a portion of the purchase price is donated to conservation efforts, readers help protect the few remaining giant primates.
Originally published in 2001, this is a second edition that includes new material, updates, and an epilogue about the author’s return pilgrimage made in 2006, eleven years after leaving. This is a success story for the number of mountain gorillas increased between 13 and 21 percent over that period while the human population increased 60 percent.
Some Volunteers’ memoirs are filled with regret and tinged with shame, like a bloody, bare-backed minor priest flogging himself for not being worthy. This book, though serious, is told by a man who believes that life is one man getting hugged for sneaking a kiss and another getting slapped.
Like Peter Matthiessen (African Silences), Hanson records wonderful details about Ugandan life. Unlike Matthiessen the cool, distant observer, Hanson joins the celebration of life. He recounts attending a cultural event where “people gaped and laughed, or rushed forward to shake our hands . . . ‘What is your clan?’” they asked and once he answered with names given to him by his African host, locals cackled. He describes empazi (African ants) who overran his home one evening, covering walls, floors, ceiling, and even his bed as he slept. Madly pulling off biting ants, dressed only in boxers, and carrying a lantern, he retreated to the outhouse, the only ant-free place on the property.
Written in classic travel memoir style, the book includes healthy portions of humor, empathy and is liberally spiced with history, geography, and local flavor. Like a warm cup of sweet Mexican atole on a cold morning, the book fills your belly and makes you smile. Since a portion of the purchase price is donated to conservation efforts, readers help protect the few remaining giant primates.
Originally published in 2001, this is a second edition that includes new material, updates, and an epilogue about the author’s return pilgrimage made in 2006, eleven years after leaving. This is a success story for the number of mountain gorillas increased between 13 and 21 percent over that period while the human population increased 60 percent.
Some Volunteers’ memoirs are filled with regret and tinged with shame, like a bloody, bare-backed minor priest flogging himself for not being worthy. This book, though serious, is told by a man who believes that life is one man getting hugged for sneaking a kiss and another getting slapped.
September 29, 2008
Hanson gives us a true picture of what jungle life is really like. This book is about his experience as a Peace Corps volunteer tracking gorillas in the Southwestern part of Uganda. He talks about the glory of tracking and getting to know these gorillas, but he also includes the downsides of jungle life--living in total isolated from society and fighting off forest ants and other critters in the middle of the night.
October 23, 2008
I saw Hanson at Powell's and really enjoyed his talk. He was warm, charismatic and funny. He's a better speaker than he is a writer, I think. The book is interesting but it drags in many places. The plight of the gorillas is juxtaposed with the lives of the people around them in a very moving fashion. There's a lot of good information here. I wish the picture quality was better, all the photos are grainy black and white on matte paper. I hope Hanson keeps writing.
March 10, 2010
I absolutely loved this book! It combined everything that I really enjoy reading about - personal experiences with captivating primates, a different culture, travelling, and the day to day life of someone living in the rainforest :) It was really well-written, engaging, and poignant at times. It definitely should inspire people to care about conservation or(for me)to renew their commitment to it.
July 2, 2012
Thor Hanson writes about his time in the Peace Corps, habituating the wild Mountain Gorillas in the 1990's. I read this book before I went to Bwindi to volunteer at the hospital there. This was an excellent introduction to the recent history of the area. Mr. Hanson write well and I found the topic engaging, even though he does not really discuss how the park displaced the indigenous population, the Batwa, in order to protect the Gorillas.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews