End of an Era — Don’t Miss!
Quarterly newsletter for Gorilla Highlands lovers
It’s been an extraordinary time. Over 60 people from four continents have stepped forward to help shape the next chapter of Gorilla Highlands — while war rages on the western shores of Lake Kivu and our planet increasingly resembles an ancient world where raw power reigns supreme.
Are we silly? Talking about peace, prosperity and cooperation among DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda in such a climate? No. In fact, we are more essential than ever; those of us who can see beyond artificial borders, past blind nationalism, and above election cycles.
Nature calls upon us. Cultures need us.
(And in case you’re wondering, Rwanda and Uganda remain perfectly safe to visit. The featured photo of a relaxed gorilla in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is by Katie Savitz, who explored both countries recently.)
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Think you’ve seen this video before? You haven’t; nobody has! It’s brand new, exactly 10 minutes long, and packed with the latest updates as of 26 March 2025.
Suuure, it’s based on footage we recorded on 11 January (remember that invite in the December newsletter?) but some things have changed since then …
… Not to mention our peculiar situation because of, well, being kinda different. We don’t fit neatly into a single category, so we often have to repeat key facts. (For example, it’s notable that plenty of people still assume we’re primarily a tour company. Yes, we support travellers, but that’s not our core mission.)
In the video, you’ll meet ML Rwebandira (who wrote this newsletter) and Sasha (who runs our office). The only other person appearing in this edit is Misigaro (who kickstarted our Illumineers youth program some years ago). The three of us represent just a small fraction of the crew that has been forming, organised in seven WhatsApp groups and with regular Zoom calls to keep it lively.
Are you curious but short on time? If none of the teams in the video quite grab you but you still want to stay in the loop, definitely let us know. We’ll keep you on our radar as someone whose skills and insights we can occasionally tap into.
Otherwise, if you don’t raise your hand now, we’ll leave you in total peace — except for these quarterly emails. You have played your part already.
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In other words, on 31 March we’re officially ending the informal era of “Miha & his friends”. For over a decade this meant one person reaching out to his network whenever a need arose. Surprisingly perhaps, it was rarely about money; it was about brainpower.
I’ve always been the kind of person who reads the comments under an article as eagerly as the main text itself. My thoughts sharpen through processing different perspectives, and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to know brilliant minds from all walks of life. I’m profoundly grateful for the countless hours of thought and creativity that a number of you have poured into the Gorilla Highlands cause — I hope Sasha and our team leaders can get similar access to this collective wisdom.
Whether or not you digitally report for duty (by emailing us or WhatsApping +250784112355), there’s another quick but meaningful way to contribute this week …
On our Instagram page you can see the “Audience Poll” highlighted. Your ideas and opinions matter, so please drop us a comment!
And if you recall Gorilla Highlands Unpacked from the last newsletter, we were running it daily for three months before taking a thinking holiday. To define its future, we’ve launched a brief 5-question survey.
It’s pretty simple: the more answers to our surveys we get, the better we can serve you (on Bluesky, Meta, and elsewhere).
Lastly, a small but important announcement: This newsletter has too often been swallowed by spam filters or lost in the digital void. To help keep everyone informed, we are publishing it on our website as well.
Thanks for being part of this journey!
