As Edirisa focuses on its ambitious Gorilla Highlands initiative, the place currently known as The Home of Edirisa needs a new tenant. This is a colourful backpacker hostel in the middle of Kabale Town, arranged around Festo Karwemera’s fascinating cultural museum of the Bakiga.
The Bakiga documentary below includes Karwemera’s guided tour of the museum:
This museum was the reason for Edirisa to come to Kabale in 2003 and convert Karwemera’s building into a cultural centre like no other. The next tenant needs to share Edirisa’s passion for culture and history, as the accomodation and entertainment facilities have to be seen as secondary and in support of the museum.
Edirisa is committed to future promotion of the museum but does not want the place to be associated with its brand anymore. In other words, the new tenant will come in with a new name that cannot include “Edirisa” or “Gorilla Highlands”.
The tenant is expected to pay rent to Karwemera (USD 333 or UGX 1,200,000 per month) and compensate Edirisa for its property in the building (one-off payment up to negotiation).
This announcement is an official confirmation of the information that has already been making rounds. Edirisa is leaving this September, several candidates have expressed their interest and if you want to be among them, act immediately.
📸 photography by:
Marcus Westberg is a multiple award-winning photographer and writer from Sweden whose work — covering conservation, wildlife and travel — appears regularly in several global publications. He has made several trips to our region specifically to volunteer for Gorilla Highlands Experts. When not globetrotting, Marcus lives with his wife and daughter close to Lisbon, Portugal. Click for our interview with Marcus. [bio updated: 2026-03]
🖋️ text and 🎥 video 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]