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Why Choose Uganda and Rwanda over Tanzania and Kenya?
70mm, f/8.0, 1/400s, ISO125Every place has its charms and attractions, and Kenya and Tanzania certainly received their fair share. For sheer volume of large mammals, the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem is probably unmatched anywhere in the world.Still, Rwanda and Uganda — even if we limit ourselves to Uganda’s southwest as pictured here — are something special. What’s…
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What to Pack for Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC?
This is a question that sounds just about right to open our new theme, Frequently Asked Questions …First, let us deal with the most obvious sub-question: To track mountain gorillas, you will have to pack good hiking shoes, long trousers and long sleeved shirts which will protect you against stinging plants. You should also bring rain gear,…
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We Are in Columbus Travel, Again
In the latest edition of Columbus Travel, a Dutch travel magazine, we get a beautiful photo spread promoting our way of doing ecotourism. The story is focused on Rwanda, while four years ago we were featured in the same magazine with Ugandan locations and activities.The text goes like this, according to Google Translate:Gorillas and banana…
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Risky Adventures & Learning From Africa (Bunyonyi 2006)
This is the sixth instalment of a weekly series that marks 20 years of Edirisa and 10 years of the Gorilla Highlands Initiative. Click here for Part I. Imagine losing everything, your memories, your souvenirs, your little life fragments of ten years … It was 2012 and I was packing up to leave Sydney for…
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Listen to Episode #1 of SEE AFRICA BREATHE AFRICA
And here we go: the first episode of the SEE AFRICA BREATHE AFRICA podcast!What was originally meant to be a quickly put together recording of a Zoom call is now much more. We kept adding and improving until Joe Kahiri decided to create a theme song — and it became clear that this was going…
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Do Not Hesitate to Ask (See You Next Week)
Yesterday’s road snacks by Chef Rama was the last story in the rich and fascinating Staying Safe and Healthy series. We will be back next week with the next theme: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).We don’t want that “frequent” part to discourage anyone. Every question can qualify and every question matters — not just about travel…
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4 Healthy & Quick Snacks on the Way
In Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo, outside of major towns not much interesting commercial snacking is going on. From Kampala to Kabale, from Kigali to Rubavu, from Bukavu to Masisi there will be fantastic landscapes but not one McDonald’s, KFC, Nando’s or Pizza Hut by the roadside …The places you will find are likely to…
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A Month in the Life of a Rural Hospital
After we covered the tourism aspects of Kisiizi Falls and discussed staying healthy in general, allow me to give you some practical examples of how we provide health care in upcountry Uganda. Today’s article is based on a richly illustrated newsletter we send out every month or so, and if you wish to get future…
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Lake From the Lake (Bunyonyi 2005)
This is the fifth instalment of a weekly series that marks 20 years of Edirisa and 10 years of the Gorilla Highlands Initiative. Click here for Part I. Hello, all you wonderful humans! For those of you who do not know or remember me, I am the absolutely lovely daughter of one Miha Logar and…
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Not Malaria
24mm, f/2.8, 1/125, ISO1600Last week I shared my own malaria scare, but since I happened to be staying at a wildlife sanctuary with a full veterinary clinic it is perhaps understandable that I was able to receive help so quickly. Not everyone might be so lucky, right?Well, perhaps not, but the truth is that regardless…
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Insider Peek: Gorilla Highlands Maps
Today’s Member’s Guide #2 (only available to our members but #1 is public) is another instalment of our decades-long story of love for maps.Edirisa’s first long-term volunteer, Matjaž Švegelj, recently wrote about the paper map of Lake Bunyonyi (see below) we helped produce in 2003. The following year we used the same lake as a…
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New Era — Double So (Kabale 2004)
This is the fourth instalment of a weekly series that marks 20 years of Edirisa and 10 years of the Gorilla Highlands Initiative. Click here for Part I. The year was 2004 and a completely new era was underway, not only in terms of Edirisa’s adventures but for me personally, for it became clear that…
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Introducing SEE AFRICA BREATHE AFRICA Live Q&A and Podcast
On 12 October 2021 we are taking Gorilla Highlands Experts to the next level. Every Tuesday 6-7pm Rwandan time we will have our Zoom “lines” open for members to ask us anything in real time, to interact with our experts and to listen to cool discussions.Each Tuesday will have its own topic, and the first…
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Avoid Kissing Chimps
I generally manage to stay pretty healthy on my travels through a combination of common sense, a robust immune system and precautions such as wearing long sleeves, washing my hands and avoiding travel in high-risk malarial areas. But just like during the rainy season in tropical Africa: when it rains, it pours.I had been in…
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You’ve Had an Accident in a Gorilla National Park — What Now?
Greetings from Mgahinga Gorilla National Park! Once again, Moses Turinawe here, and allow me to share with you some advice on the topic of dealing with accidents and injuries in protected areas of the Gorilla Highlands.Accidents may certainly vary from park to park, depending on its geographical location, terrain, nature of vegetation and animals found…
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Staying Healthy in Uganda and Rwanda — 2 Doctors’ 7 Pieces of Advice
Wish to stay healthy while travelling in Uganda or Rwanda? As well as obvious advice such as being careful not to upset a silverback, simple measures can make all the difference to your visit. As we say in the profession, prevention is always better than cure.Instead of giving you a long list of rather unlikely…
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First Volunteers & Pet Pests (Lake Bunyonyi 2003)
This is the third instalment of a weekly series that marks 20 years of Edirisa and 10 years of the Gorilla Highlands Initiative. Click here for Part I. Are we really going to Uganda for 12 months?! It did look like that … Return tickets for exactly one year were bought, Lariams were in our…
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Ancient MasterCard
70 mm, f5.0, 1/160s, ISO800When I first started travelling, traveller’s cheques were still a thing (though I don’t think I ever made much use of them). So was bringing cash — usually USD back in those days — to be turned into local currency at dodgy foreign exchange counters, or expensive hotels. I remember having…
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