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SABA Episode #19 — On Being Called a ‘Muzungu’, White Privilege & Price Discrimination
In this episode we discuss a letter we received from a (European) listener who has lived in Uganda for some months. We talk about how you should interpret the term ‘Muzungu’ (plural: ‘Bazungu’) and how one could deal with potential feeling of privilege. The constant demands for financial help and the so-called ‘Muzungu Price’ are…
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Apply for GHE Youth Spaces Here!
Please click on this link to go the GHE Youth Spaces application form. [PAST DEADLINE] Pilot Program OutlineYouth Spaces is a core program of the Gorilla Highlands Experts (GHE) organisation that will be piloted in 2023. The program’s mission is to give the youth practical skills that lead to personal development, civic engagement and regional…
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Should We Go to Tanzania for Our Safari?
“After our hike in Uganda we may go for some days of a Tanzanian safari — does that make sense?” a future visitor just asked.Sure, the grandeur of the world-famous wildlife areas in Tanzania or Kenya is worth considering. But hordes of wildebeest tend to come with hordes of tourists, and that’s not very appetising.…
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We Will Be Building Trust
Daniel “Emeka” Nwachukwu’s educational background is fascinating: he left urban Nigeria to add a Bachelor’s business degree in rural Rwanda to the computing diploma he had obtained at home. His observations of Rwandan students — the main target group of our Youth Spaces — proved invaluable when Misigaro (in blue) sat down to draft the…
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SABA Episode #18 – Congo Nile Trail Without a Guide (17m)
This time we revisit a topic that we introduced in episode #7 — Rwanda’s extraordinary Congo Nile Trail. But while a hiking guide answered common questions about it then, we are now interviewing two brave travellers who did it by themselves. In January 2023 Martin Hicks from the UK and Ania Kolodziejczak from Poland walked…
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Does a Responsible Traveller Take Photos of Locals?
100mm, f/5, 1/800s, ISO125 Photographing people is, understandably, a somewhat contentious activity. When we travel — and this we means absolutely anyone — we tend to do so because we are intrigued by exotic places, animals and cultures. “Exotic” simply means different, by the way, so Swedish culture can be just as exotic to a…
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10 Cool Accommodations in the Gorilla Highlands Region
We believe that what you do is the heart of any tour. But not everybody is like that. Many people prefer to start with where to stay …So let us take you to some accommodations we have recently used for our guests, presenting a true rainbow of price points and locations in Rwanda and Uganda. The…
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SABA Episode #17 – Why Should Our Region Be More Than Just a Fling? (14m)
And now for real — with a new jingle that will simplify our production, we are entering the third season of the SEE AFRICA BREATHE AFRICA weekly podcast!Are you one of those travellers who like to seriously consider their impact on the area they visit? Or do you prefer taking it as lightly as a…
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Youth Spaces: Is There Finally Something on the Horizon?
March is around the corner, and five Norwegian students will soon volunteer for Youth Spaces — they are even coming with funding for the program! Yet we do not know if the Gorilla Highlands Experts Organisation (our non-profit wing) will officially exist by then …We had a general assembly in June 2022 and started the…
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Birthday with the People of Lake Bunyonyi
Jure had been thinking of the Gorilla Highlands region for over six years. Late last year he made a definite plan with us: a trip to celebrate his 41st birthday, with his buddies and among locals.Sure, he did track gorillas in the lushness of Bwindi on Sunday, and he is in the savannah of Ishasha…
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Resident of Africa? Do Not Miss This Gorilla Tracking Opportunity!
Update, March 2024: The USD 500 special price for African residents is now a permanent feature in both Rwanda and Uganda.Do you know that if you reside anywhere in Africa, USD 500 is all you will pay for a gorilla tracking permit in Rwanda? This discount is valid till the end of 2023 and you…
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Why Is Congo’s Bukavu Safe to Visit & What Does It Offer?
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been in the news for very unfortunate reasons. The Movement of 23 March (M23) rebels have been occupying the territories on the outskirts of the city of Goma, waging an economic war because of the valuable resources found there.But on the other side of Lake Kivu, some 100 km/62…
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Made Especially for Nuša & Marko
When we say “tailor-made” tours, we mean it. For Nuša and Marko we created a circular route that joins Rwanda’s Akagera NP (pictured) with Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth NP. They liked it a lot but wanted it a bit more pocket-friendly. Fancy hotels thus turned into simple guesthouses, and even into camping in the savannah! Erecting…
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T-Shirts With a Message About Us
The new Gorilla Highlands guide t-shirts came from Kampala to Kabale on a night bus yesterday, and immediately got onto the bodies of our Lake Bunyonyi team. It was the first day of Mama Bena’s Bonus, one of our top canoeing and hiking activities in Uganda.#GHTrails on the shirts refers to that aspect of our…
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Congo Nile Trail Can Be Brief But Sweet
With bigger tour groups it’s even more important what happens in the background. Olivier had to get 13 top-notch bicycles from Rubavu/Gisenyi to Kinunu yesterday, a multi-hour motorboat ride, so that a cycling adventure could take place today. A dozen Ravbar travellers (one of them a 10-year girl that needed a smaller bike) cycled downhill…
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Grand Vistas? Consider It Covered!
It has started! Here are Brina and Miha, struck by the majesty of our Gorilla Highlands region, the first two guests from the many upcoming Rwanda and Uganda tours. A year ago we were still mostly known for hiking trips on Gorilla Highlands Trails but now we are already well established as creators of tailor-made…
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Trouble for Batwa “Pygmy” Communities: Successes & Failures
Our Batwa friends from Rwamahano happily received six months of accumulated funds this week. They got UGX 2,130,000 (USD 570) that we had saved from several Batwa Today experiences we did with them.Small contributions end up becoming substantial when brought together! Each time we collaborate we put half of Batwa fees aside and deliver it…
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Our Christmas Camp was just the START, 2023 we are COMING!
A New Year is almost here, and hopefully you have been having a great time with family and friends this Holiday season. For us at Gorilla Highlands Experts, Christmas began with our camp on 21 December at Cyuza Island on Rwanda’s Lake Burera … We socialised, enjoyed fresh salads and hot coffee, drove and paddled…
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