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Good Kind of Crazy: Volunteering and Hiking in Uganda and Rwanda
This has been an American year for the Gorilla Highlands team. The fourth US specialist volunteer of 2017, Benjamin Blayne Dawson from Florida, is flying home at this very moment, after volunteering in Uganda and Rwanda for two months. Benji B. has spent 90% of his time at Lake Bunyonyi, however, he has also visited…
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Spacey’s Booty Goes to Bootcamp – What About Yours?
📁 Bootcamp“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t do.”
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Get Your Copy of the New Gorilla Highlands Pocket Guide
Will this be enough to meet the demand? Let’s hope so!
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Farewell to Jeremiah Byarahugo, Our Beloved Traditional Healer
The last five years the vast majority of hikers on the Gorilla Highlands Trails began their cultural experience with a visit to Jeremiah Byarahugo. Last Saturday he again introduced two groups to the secrets of traditional healing, an East African Playgrounds team beginning a 4-day walking safari to Bwindi and some visitors from Kampala doing…
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Charles Kalyango: Interview with an Intercultural Manager
If there’s anything the Gorilla Highlands region doesn’t have enough of, it is events. Special reasons to come back, to have fun, to celebrate. This Friday evening, BirdNest Resort – Lake Bunyonyi is doing something about it: there is going to be Corporate Dinner, 30/6/2017 from 7pm and at 40,000 shillings only. If there’s anything…
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30,000 Chinese
It all happened very quickly—and was rather personal.
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Behind the Scenes of Our Social Media Photo Month
June will be a month to savour on the Gorilla Highlands social media: each day will feature a richly explained photo moment from the heartbeat of Uganda and Rwanda. No matter whether you follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest, you will find them under the #PulseofUgandaRwanda hashtag. Be social, our friends, and spread…
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Silverchef 2017 Delights, Secrecy to Challenge the Best in 2018
12 chefs and dozens of tourism industry leaders from Uganda and Rwanda came to Lake Bunyonyi.
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Rwanda’s Gorilla Fees Double in Epic Surprise to the Business
📁 GorillasIt was an interesting weekend for anyone working in Rwanda’s tourism. Gorilla permit fees doubled overnight, to eye-popping USD 1,500. Rwanda Development Board has been exemplary so far in terms of selling mountain gorilla tracking to the world. Their press release says that the increase is in line with the country’s high-end tourism strategy and…
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Black Rhinos’ Big Return to Rwanda: What Happened in Uganda?
📁 AnimalsThis week 10 Eastern black rhinos arrive to Akagera National Park, completing their move from South Africa. Beasts from the first batch are already grazing in the savannah on the Tanzanian border. Rwanda’s last indigenous rhinos were spotted exactly 10 years ago. Some decades earlier over 50 black rhinos called Akagera their home, however, relentless…
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BBC about Bunyonyi: Successes, Failure & Dilemma
The BBC World Service broadcast two catchy Lake Bunyonyi stories this month. The first one was about canoeing to school, the second one about Punishment Island. As the Gorilla Highlands team played a supporting role, let us assess what we have achieved… The journalist, Patience Atuhaire, initially just wanted to talk about the “school bus” dugouts.…
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20 Best Stories from the Gorilla Highlands Blog
We have prepared a Flipboard magazine with the best of the Gorilla Highlands Blog (March 2016 – February 2017). Here are the links for those of you who are not on the (free) Flipboard platform: The first page we are sharing is from our website, to put a pin onto the global map for you. “Spectacular” may best define…
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People of the Gorilla Highlands Are Characters
Before my arrival to volunteer in Rwanda and Uganda there seemed to be one phrase that I was told that hung over me: The people of the Gorilla Highlands are characters. I didn’t know quite what this meant at the time, but now this one statement has defined my experience. And so, the only way I can…
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Why Tom’s Homestay Didn’t Win
Uganda’s Tourism Excellence Awards winners 2017 were declared last night at Sheraton in Kampala. Tom’s Homestay was sadly not among them. This was a blow to the Gorilla Highlands team that tried everything possible (see the video below) to make Tom get the award, and a disappointment for all of you who had voted for…
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Rwanda Is an Interesting Experiment
Francis Tapon is a globetrotter, best-selling author, videographer and speaker. In December 2016 – January 2017 Francis and his wife Rejoice travelled through the Gorilla Highlands of Rwanda and Uganda, on a quest to visit all countries of Africa. Where does your love for Africa come from? Africa for me was just a piece of the puzzle and…
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Love in the Wild Gets Wild
Last weekend the Gorilla Highlands team was joined by guests from all over the world—from Kigali to Kampala, from the US to all the way to the Netherlands—to celebrate Valentine’s Day at Tom’s Homestay. We gave Tom the break he deserved to savour the night and his nomination for best homestay in Uganda with his…
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Bakiga Are Tough but Not Rough
You ask any typical Ugandan about the Bakiga people and the first thing they will tell you is that the Bakiga are rough and strong by nature. Some will even say that it’s a proven fact that the Bakiga women beat up their husbands. True to some extent, but not entirely because depending on the situation…
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1 Week of Hiking + Savannah – Jealousy = 29 Shots
Why would somebody opt for hiking through Africa? What is wrong with a good old motorised safari through Rwanda and Uganda? How can a walking safari be an improvement on that? It’s obvious: you get truly close to the nature and people of an area famous for its striking beauty and warm hospitality. The 29…
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