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Albert Podell packed several lifetimes into his 86 years β most famously as a Playboy editor, but also as the man who visited every country on Earth, a trial attorney, Broadway investor, lobbyist, and author of bestselling books.Al lived in New York, USA. Click for our interview with him. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Alenka Seher has visited the Gorilla Highlands region several times and travelled extensively around the world. She loves sharing her adventures through lectures and self-published books, and feels that this wealth of experience allows her to stay calm in any life crisis. Before retiring and becoming a master producer of jam, cookies and other goodies, Alenka worked in a multidisciplinary field connecting medicine and biology, interpreting PAP smear results in the detection of cervical cancer. She lives in Velenje, Slovenia. [bio updated: 2026-05]
Allan Point is a digital creator whose travails across the globe entertain his French-speaking audiences. He stands out by adding an ethical dimension to his travel dispatches. Current home: Planet Earth.ββββββββββββββββ [bio updated: 2026-05]
Allen Arinda was the first Gorilla Highlands Experts office staff (2022-2024), specialised in bookings and guest relations. Allen is about to finish her business management Bachelorβs degree in Kigali, Rwanda. Click for Allenβs background story. [bio updated: 2026-02]
Anika Utke joined the Gorilla Highlands Experts team in 2017 as the youngest specialist volunteer, only 18 years old. She has since graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science and worked in film development and art direction. A camera and passport are never far from reach as Anika continues to document the people and places on the five continents she has explored so far. Spending her downtime writing with a dog on her lap, Anika is currently based in Seattle, Washington. [bio updated: 2026-05]
Arthur Musinguziβs involvement with Gorilla Highlands Experts began when he was chosen, as a Bufuka Primary School pupil, for carpentry education and supported by our sponsors. But his professional career took a different turn and now Arthur is a tour guide specialised in hiking and cultural experiences, operating from Kabale, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Blasio Byekwaso began his career as a park ranger and warden in our region, developing a deep bond with animals and nature in general. That connection found a new expression through photography β first in postcards, then in several published books. A conservationist at heart, Blasio prays from Kampala, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Brenda Katusiime is the excellent self-taught chef who ran Edirisa on Lake Bunyonyi from 2019 to 2021. She returned in 2024 and still considers it home in Bufuka, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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CΓ©sar Niyonkuru is one of the most experienced hiking guides on the Congo Nile Trail and the Gorilla Highlands Experts go-to guy for many years. A dynamic father of two, CΓ©sar resides in Gisenyi, Rwanda. Click for his background story. [bio updated: 2026-05]
Charlotte “Nagawa” Beauvoisin is a conservation volunteer, sustainable tourism trainer and the author of Diary of a Muzungu (est. 2008). During the Covid-19 pandemic, it meant the world to her to be part of the Gorilla Highlands Experts online network, regularly communicating with inspiring people around the globe. British by nationality, Charlotte is Ugandan at heart and runs the East Africa Travel PodcastΒ from the edge of Kibale National Park, Uganda. Click for her self-introduction. [bio updated: 2026-04]
Christopher Burke, an old friend of Gorilla Highlands Experts, is a senior advisor at WMC Africa, a communications and advisory agency. For almost 30 years, he has focused extensively on governance, environment, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, public health, communication, international relations and peace-building in Africa and Asia. He works in in Kampala, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-05]
Comfort Kansiime works at Edirisa on Lake Bunyonyi while sheβs also finishing her university studies β a diploma in tourism and hospitality management β in the town of Kabale. Comfort stays with her parents in Bufuka, Uganda. Click for our article about Comfort. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Dalilah N. is a marketing professional working across Africa, where her journeys are shaped as much by people and culture as by the landscapes she explores. Born in our region, her connection to these places runs deep, grounding her work and travels in a sense of belonging. Dalilah is drawn to the quiet power of the wild β from forest trails to open savannahs β and the overwhelming peace of Allah. If youβre lucky, you might find her somewhere on the African continent.ββββββββββββββββ [bio updated: 2026-04]
David Azumbrado volunteers for Gorilla Highlands Experts as a team leader and mentor. He has been to our region thrice and is frequently found vacationing around the globe. David is also an implementation consultant for a global software company, living and working outside of San Francisco, California. [bio updated: 2026-03]
David Esteban is a storyteller and photographer who focuses on human connection, culture and everyday life. He lived in Rwanda in 2019, where he collaborated with Gorilla Highlands Experts and other local initiatives. David is dreaming of coming back and working on two photography books from Mendoza, Argentina. [bio updated: 2026-03]
David Jack Tumusiime has been involved with Gorilla Highlands Experts media for years. He is an editor, writer and journalist who has worked for Ugandaβs most well-known media houses and helped publish five biographies. A futurist at heart, he uses his social media to share insights and gauge technologyβs impact on news and information consumption. Every week, Tumusiime writes βWorth Revisitingβ β a column for BBEG Media β from Entebbe, Uganda. Click for Davidβs video intro to our writerβs checklist. [bio updated: 2026-04]
Diane βMweyaβ Irumva works at the Gorilla Highlands Experts office and helps manage tours. She daily commutes to the College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine from Musanze, Rwanda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Dino Prince Rwikangura participated at the 2025 Friendship Camp, got inspired and stayed involved with Gorilla Highlands Experts. He works with Code Empowerment Progress as a tech innovator and financial leader and studies business management in Kigali, Rwanda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Edson Munezero became a trekking homestay host through the circumstances of his work: he was sent by Church of Uganda to lead one of its most remote churches. The youngest of 11 children, Edson dreamed of becoming either a medical or a religious professional β it was Godβs will that he ultimately followed the latter path. He serves at Lake Kayumbu, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-05]
Elie Cirhuza is a freelance journalist and digital communication consultant who volunteers for Gorilla Highlands Experts. Trained in agroforestry at Bethany Land Institute and a 2025 winner of the Jinsia Kwa Amani competition, Elie is from Bukavu, DR Congo. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Enock Musabyimana is a tour guide from Gisenyi who started his career leading hikers on the Congo Nile Trail. Over the years, Enock has expanded his networks and knowledge of East Africa, becoming comfortable in any environment. A passionate preacher and a proud father of three boys, he lives in Kigali, Rwanda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Enyanja Kanyunyuzi Logar is a keen fine artist and writer who lives in Europe, preparing to begin her university studies. Sheβs currently exploring life in Italy based in Gorizia. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Espoir Watukalusu used to be a research assistant at Lwiro Natural Science Research Centre and the Gorilla Highlands Experts man for anything in South-Kivu. He is tying to make ends meet in Bukavu, DR Congo. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Francis Tapon, author of Hike Your Own Hike and The Hidden Europe, is creating a TV series and book called The Unseen Africa, based on his eight-year journey across all 54 African countries. On his quest to hike every nationβs tallest mountain, he knocked both Uganda and DR Congo off his list with Mt Margherita β which he rates as far more fun than Kilimanjaro. Francis is a three-time TEDx speaker and lives in San Francisco, California. Click for our interview with him.ββββββββββββββββ [bio updated: 2026-04]
Fred Way is an American/Canadian agricultural and development advisor with a long history of engagement in Africa. He volunteered in DR Congo when it was still Zaire, spent many years at Cyimbili on todayβs Congo Nile Trail, and can still be regularly found in Malawi, Uganda and elsewhere. Fredβs home, however, is Port Angeles under the Olympic Mountains, Washington. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Georg Schaumberger is a digital media specialist who has been exploring the globe and its many cultures for decades, including an epic trek in our region. Inspired by cultural diversity and human expression, Georg’s photography reflects a personal vision of the world that seeks to connect and inspire. He parents his daughters and makes wooden toys in Nairobi, Kenya. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Grace Neema was the second ever Gorilla Highlands Experts office staff (2023). Originally from Kigali, she moved to Musanze to study network engineering and decided to give the business of tourism a chance. Grace now works as an executive assistant at a creamery in Kigali, Rwanda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Harold Goodwin is the founder of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT.global) and Professor Emeritus at Manchester Metropolitan University. He authored Rwandaβs responsible tourism policy and has consulted on tourism around Ugandaβs Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Harold also chairs the community land trust in his hometown of Faversham, England.βββββ Click for our podcast and written profile about Harold.βββββββ [bio updated: 2026-04]
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Isaac Kasamani is a freelance photojournalist contributing to international media outlets and NGOs. He joined the 2015 Gorilla Highlands Press Trip, where a visit to the Batwa βPygmyβ people left the deepest impression on him. Isaac operates from Kampala, Uganda.ββββββββββββββββ [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Jane Bussmann is a very bad-tempered author, comedy writer-broadcaster and sometime investigative journalist. Gorilla Highlands Experts got in touch because of her hilarious book The Worst Date Ever, subtitled How it Took a Comedy Writer to Expose Africa’s Secret War. She now lives on a Spanish mountain with several dogs that local farmers once tried to kill. [bio updated: 2026-05]
Jean DβAmour Maniragaba is the founder and project manager of the Agro-Tourism Park by Eco Terra Vista Tours. A crop production graduate with a passion for adventure tourism, JD mentors eco-tourism students, served as a judge for the 2024 Illumineers cohort, and participated in the 2025 Friendship Camp. He is based in Musanze, Rwanda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Jeanisse Hawa Mutuyimana is a tour guide driven by a love of nature interpretation, birds, reading and gender equality. Her secret hobby is sweating in the gym, and her current home base is Kigali, Rwanda. Click for her background story shared on the podcast. [bio updated: 2026-05]
Jens De Pauw was the SEE AFRICA BREATHE AFRICA editor in 2023, sent to do a 6-month Gorilla Highlands internship by UCLL in Belgium. He lost his heart to the region and keeps coming back, or at least tries to convince others to visit. Jens advocates for a more just world by working for several Belgian NGOs and spends his free time running, hiking and cycling from a small village near Brussels, EU. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Jiro Ose took part in the 2015 Gorilla Highlands Press Trip, and left a fantastic photo library behind. He has received several global photojournalism prizes, including the Award of Excellence at the Pictures of the Year International competition for his coverage of elections in DR Congo. After spending nearly 15 years in Africa, three years on Beirut and five years in Indonesia, Jiro recently relocated to Bangkok, Thailand. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Joe Kahiri, a former SEE AFRICA BREATHE AFRICA host, is a Ugandan actor, recording and performing artist, and the founder of Qwela, a top Afro-fusion band. Passionate about creating a positive shift in mindset through artistic creation, he lives between Kabale and Kampala, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
John Hunwick is one of the most interesting characters of our region. A former Australian soldier and founder of Kampalaβs first backpackers hostel, he now focuses on trekking activities in the Rwenzori and Mount Elgon National Parks, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-05]
Jon βOruhinduβ Lee is the legendary narrator of Gorilla Highlands Experts videos and the former grammar guru of the organisations blogs. His English teacher and TV commentator careers prepared him for this role well, but he is also a tomato grower, volleyball coach and writer. When he isnβt visiting our region, he lives in Santa Barbara, California. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Jonathan Fontaineβs award-winning photography has covered the Rohingya in Burma, the nomads in the Horn of Africa (World Press Photo 2023), deforestation in the Gran Chaco, mass tourism in Bali and the effects of the TotalEnergies pipeline in Uganda. He lives in Reims, France. Click for our interview with Jonathan. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Katharina Lahner was the historic first Gorilla Highlands Experts volunteer (Lake Bunyonyi, 2015) who continues her involvement as our main digital communications consultant. She is an Austrian marketer and natural-born traveller, currently living in New Zealand. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Levi Ayebare was previously the man in charge of setting up Gorilla Highlands Experts tented camps on the Ugandan side of the region. These days, Levi is our tour guide and chef at Edirisa on Lake Bunyonyi; he lives nearby in the village of Bufuka, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Maani Logar worked at the Gorilla Highlands Experts office in Musanze until the beginning of 2025, when it was time for the next step in his academic life. Maani now studies business at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Marcus Westberg is a multiple award-winning photographer and writer from Sweden whose work β covering conservation, wildlife and travel β 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]
Martin Hicks is an experienced independent traveller who loves hiking above all. He spent three months in East Africa in 2023 and trekked the whole Congo Nile Trail without a guide β but in the company of his partner Anna. Martin recently walked 630 miles across England and is forever dreaming of a return to Africa. To finance his adventures, he is a digital project manager in London, England. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Dr. Matt Miller is the director and co-founder of Virunga Valley Academy, an American-curriculum international school in upcountry Rwanda. A proud Rwandan citizen, Matt loves exploring the natural wonders of our region and the rest of East Africa, and documenting them through photography and watercolour painting. He lives in Musanze, Rwanda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Matyas Boyen was a Gorilla Highlands Experts intern sent by UCLL from Flanders (2021-2022). He is a writer, researcher and videographer who supports African sustainable entrepreneurship from Leuven, Belgium. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Milan Verdonk was a budget tours creator and article writer at Edirisa on Lake Bunyonyi in 2025β26, on a six-month Gorilla Highlands Experts internship with UCLL from Belgium. Growing up, he played gymnastics and football, and after completing three internships in social work, decided to explore the tourism potential of our region. Inspired by both its stunning nature and welcoming people, Milan will soon be back! In the meantime, you will find him in Lommel, Belgium.β [bio updated: 2026-05]
Misigaro Rebero, the chair of Gorilla Highlands Experts in Rwanda, has deep interest in rural communities, equity and business. Currently trying to make ends meet in Bonn, Germany. [bio updated: 2026-03]
ML Rwebandira β formerly known as Miha Logar β 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]
Moses Oshaba started his work at Edirisa on Lake Bunyonyi in 2006 as a cowboy and progressed to a management position by 2008. He returned in 2025, as an assistant chef and a tour guide trainee living at Bufuka, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Moses Turinawe is Senior Tourism and Hospitality officer in Kibale National Park. Among his previous positions with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, he twice worked in Queen Elizabeth National Park and served as Tourism Warden of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park before acting as the Mgahinga Park Warden. He often visits his family in Mitooma, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-05]
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Olivier Pirote Tuyisenge is a freelance tour guide from our region who used to specialise in mountain biking but nowadays prefers safari vehicles. An excellent singer, Olivier was educated in Uganda and Rwanda and does activities in both countries, operating from Kisoro, Uganda.β¨ [bio updated: 2026-05]
Ornella Ndahiro Uwase became part of the Gorilla Highlands Experts community in 2025 as a participant of the Friendship Camp. She now serves on the committee that coordinates the organisation. Ornella is the founder and CEO of Code Empowerment Progress, a youth-led initiative that uplifts young people through technology, and a contributor to Youth Journal of STEM Research. She resides in Kigali, Rwanda.ββββββββββββββββββ [bio updated: 2026-04]
Owen Bright Ahereza was sponsored and trained by Edirisa (more about it in his βThank Youβ story) and worked as a tour guide for Gorilla Highlands Experts until January 2026. He lives in Kabale, Uganda.β¨ [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Patrick WestΓΆΓΆ is obsessed with untouched old growth forests. He came to Rwanda in 2023 to add an African chapter to the book he is writing β about the human relationship with wilderness and the politics of it. He is now dreaming about coming back to our region to add Ugandaβs Rwenzoris. When not globetrotting, Patrick works in the tech industry of Stockholm, Sweden. [bio updated: 2026-05]
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Ramadhan βRamaβ Sindayigaya was the first Rwandan chef to win at Gorilla Highlands Silverchef. Nowadays he is Culinary Chef at Griffith Foods for the Sub-Saharan African region and Chef Judge at the Africa Chefs Alliance. His office and his three kids are found in Kigali, Rwanda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Rinda Scheltens loves to explore trails all around the world, so she absolutely couldnβt miss our regionβs Congo Nile Trail. She has hiked over 50,000 km in more than 20 countries and runs a YouTube channel to encourage others to get out of their comfort zone. Rindaβs day job is at a health insurance company and her home in Zwolle, the Netherlands. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Rwothomio Gabriel Kabandole is fully invested in the betterment of humanity and the erasure of oppressive systems that hinder that goal. His Ubuntu philosophy and people skills have led to employment in several organisations, including No White Saviors and Eight.World. Originally from eastern DR Congo, Rwothomio has been on a two-year campaign to raise awareness and funds for families and individuals in the Ituri province. He constantly moves between Ituri and Kampala, Uganda.ββββββββββββββββ [bio updated: 2026-04]
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Sabina Ε irca is a software developer whose main thrill is to explore the hidden corners of our world, with a backpack on her shoulders and a camera around her neck (well, recently rather with a phone in her pocket). Her goal is to capture the magic of the moment for the sake of those who couldnβt trek with her. She adores unspoilt nature, authentic local life and mountain peaks, so her hiking in our region had only one imperfection: it was too short! Sabina can also be found tending her vegetable garden in Ljubljana, Slovenia. [bio updated: 2026-05]
Safari βDanaβ Ombeni has been involved with Gorilla Highlands Experts since 2020. He is a documentarian passionate about telling authentic stories about culture, mobility, and the everyday lives of people in his community. Dana explores social realities and human experiences from his home in Kigali, Rwanda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Sandrine βSashaβ Benimana is the office manager of Gorilla Highlands Experts. Pursuing a degree at the College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Sasha is increasingly passionate about creating meaningful travel experiences that connect visitors with local communities, and about the town of Musanze, Rwanda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Serene Pleasure Amumpeire joined Edirisa on Lake Bunyonyi in 2024 as an intern and ran Wheeling2help agricultural activities until 2025. Affectionately known as βMovitβ, she is a lover of nature β especially of birds and plants β currently volunteering for the National Identification and Registration Authority in Rubanda, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Shiv Shah, a former Gorilla Highlands Experts guest and volunteer, plays an active role in his familyβs real estate business through a blend of strategic thinking and hands-on execution. Outside of work he is deeply committed to health, wellbeing and athletic performance. Married to Navneeta, Shiv balances modern ambition and cultural traditions in London, England. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Stephanie Brancaforte is the creator of Gorilla Highlands Experts Illumineers program, built on her environmental focus and past experience in central Africa working for Amnesty International and the International Criminal Court. Nowadays she advises Public Citizen (USA) on climate accountability and anti-authoritarianism, and directs the ecological transition organisation Rinascimento Green (Italy). Stephanie lives between America and Sicily, Italy. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Suzy Claridge is the graphic designer behind several Gorilla Highlands Experts publications, most recently the Pocket Treasure booklet. From initial concepts to final production, Suzy strives for layouts and visuals that are both engaging and easy to use. Sheβs mum to a sushi and ramen loving kid who may one day turn this passion into being a chef. They reside just outside of London, England. [bio updated: 2026-04]
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TjaΕ‘a Zajc is a digital health expert whose most important engagement with Gorilla Highlands Experts was her participation in the Global Edirisa Meeting in 2011. Nowadays she is a podcaster, moderator and keynote speaker with a deep understanding of healthcare technology, working globally from Ljubljana, Slovenia.ββββββββββββββββ [bio updated: 2026-05]
TomaΕΎ Malovrh β together with his wife and younger son β was part of the pioneering three-week tour that opened the post-pandemic era of Gorilla Highlands Experts in 2022. He is an orthopedic trauma surgeon who first came to Africa as a member of a student group volunteering at a missionary hospital in Zambia in 1999β2000. Since then, he has been actively involved in educating medical students and nurses who choose to participate in humanitarian missions through the Section for Tropical and Travel Medicine at the Medical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. The Malovrhs are at home in Kranj, Slovenia. [bio updated: 2026-04]
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Vanessa Maheshe is a graduate in network systems administration, conservationist and humanitarian who became part of Gorilla Highlands Experts during the 2025 Friendship Camp. From fundraising and community mobilisation to data management and developing eco-ventures, Vanessa is building a better world from Bukavu, DR Congo. [bio updated: 2026-03]
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Yonah Okoth is a ranger guide with decades of experience in Mgahinga Gorilla and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks. He now works in the Rwenzori Mountains, from Mihanga, Uganda. [bio updated: 2026-03]
Yvelise Musirikare Ingabire is a former member of the SEE AFRICA BREATHE AFRICA podcasting team. She is a graduate of land surveying, a passionate writer and lover of nature who works in learning support at Virunga Valley Academy, Musanze, Rwanda. [bio updated: 2026-03]