This fictional “news item” was posted on 1 April 2016. It is a satire that touches on many topics but, above all, our preoccupation with tourists’ well-being while too many local lives are lost routinely. There is no monster, only a scary lack of swimming skills. If you want to change this, become a Gorilla Highlands Volunteer.
Earlier this week Inke M. Danniellssen, a 51-year-old citizen of a country in the north of Europe, jumped off a swimming jetty of one of Lake Mutanda‘s lodges. Ms Danniellssen, a divorced mother of three, was not seen again. The incident happened around 7:30pm and the police blame her disappearance on night swimming. They advise any visitors to avoid doing anything in any water after it gets dark.
Our sources at the lodge say that the management did try to discourage Ms Danniellssen from bathing. They say she only laughed at them claiming she was not afraid of the night. When asked if they clearly told her about strange disappearances since Christmas 2015, they went silent.
The members of the tourism sector around Lake Mutanda are of course trying to keep the matter as quiet as possible. It is assumed that bribing of local police officers has become the rule of the day. Any statistics are impossible to obtain but local sources are adamant that at least four tourists went missing in 2016 alone.
On the other hand, owners of hotels on Lake Bunyonyi are, strictly off-the-record, expressing their relief. When night incidents started at Lake Mutanda, they ceased at Lake Bunyonyi and there is rapid fundraising taking place to install a barrier at Muko. The belief is that whatever was murdering tourists at Lake Bunyonyi in 2014-2015 has found its way to Lake Mutanda, and should be kept there by all means.
📸 photography by:
Blasio Byekwaso began his career as a park ranger and warden in our region, developing a deep bond with animals and nature in general. That connection found a new expression through photography — first in postcards, then in several published books. A conservationist at heart, Blasio prays from Kampala, Uganda. Click for an article about his daughter’s wedding. [bio updated: 2026-03]
🖋️ text by:
ML Rwebandira — formerly known as Miha Logar — is an adventure and cultural tourism expert, writer and multimedia producer who co-founded Gorilla Highlands Experts. His most recent publication is the Pocket Treasure. A national of both Uganda and Slovenia, ML resides with his son Lan in Musanze, Rwanda. Click for his personality-infused quarterly newsletters. [bio updated: 2026-05]