Category: Travel Safely
December 2025: All areas of Rwanda and Uganda are safe to visit, while eastern DR Congo isn’t suitable for touring.
Our Stories:
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How to Shop Smart in Bukavu (Rebels Love to Dress Well Too)
Eight months after M23 rebels took Bukavu, the city is as warm and dynamic as always. The national parks and banks are closed, the border with Rwanda is more user-friendly than ever, there’s a weekly community cleanup activity — but outside of that our Congo remains Congo! We can’t take you to Kahuzi-Biega to admire…
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How Safe Is the Congo Nile Trail in 2025?
In recent months there have been concerns about security in the area around Lake Kivu. News from DR Congo has cast a shadow over what are in reality the very peaceful Rwandan shores. As a team of people who live just minutes from the border and who have guided countless travellers along the Congo Nile…
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How Safe Are Rwanda and Uganda in 2025?
Do you believe Rwanda and Uganda are a danger zone right now? They’re not. At all. Yes, the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), fuelled by the M23 insurrection, has raised concerns. And recent reports of Ebola in Uganda’s capital have added to the fear. But despite the headlines, life in…
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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…
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How Does a Ugandan Village Work?
The LC Pyramid of Uganda For a remote village on the edge of Uganda it is as important as it is for any town to have security, stability and unity. Property disputes and most crimes are often best dealt with locally. When someone breaks the law, there must be solutions that do not involve the…
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Just One Boda Boda Horror Story
It would be rather irresponsible to run a Staying Safe and Healthy series and not address the issue of passenger motorcycles. They are available all over the Gorilla Highlands region, parked right at the cross section of affordability, practicality, traffic accidents and crime. The temptation to jump on one is huge both in traffic-jammed cities…
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Why Is Rwanda Safer Than Its Neighbours?
Rwanda is universally seen as the most secure country of the Gorilla Highlands region, and that is not a coincidence. My people have learned a painful lesson during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and after that shared traumatic experience the country has changed significantly. Rwandans are constantly reminded of the importance of working together,…
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Holiday Mode Problem
33mm, f5.0, 1/400s, ISO125 I once showed up for a Gorilla Highlands Press Trip a bit bruised and bloodied, having been knocked down by drunk football fans in a half-hearted robbery attempt in Kampala the evening before. Seemingly completely random and opportunistic, this remains the only such experience I have had in over ten years…
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Gut Feeling — Your Biggest Travel Safety Enemy?
What if “gut feeling” is merely personal experience accumulated over the years? Yes, people like to talk about instincts as something almost supernatural — or too natural for human brains to adequately process — but these “patterns of behaviour” are not necessarily innate. Take the example of smiling. As we grow up we may learn…
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